VreMax: Leader 10 Digital Wristwatch

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VreMax: Leader 10 Digital Wristwatch: A Leader 10 old-school digital watch from Belarus... Actually it's from my collection but is made in Belarus by the Kamerton factory lo...

A Leader 10 old-school digital watch from Belarus... Actually it's from my collection but is made in Belarus by the Kamerton factory located in the city of Pinsk. In fact, it is none other than the Electronika 5-29367 in disguise, i.e. with a new name and on a wrist strap, whereas straightforward Electronikas were mainly attached to bracelets, stainless steel or not so stainless.



So, Leader 10 (Лидер 10), bought by me for my collection for RUB 400 which is about US$13 in the month of February in 2012 -- almost two years back. 

 

It shows time -- hours, minutes and seconds, date, weekday, has a stopwatch, an alarm, an hourly chime/signal, plays two simple melodies which can also be used to sound the alarm or, somewhat truncated, for the hourly signal. 



Some interesting points about this watch. You can turn off display indication -- you use button one (upper right), press and hold for two seconds -- with the display turned off the watch continues to work, the hourly chime and the alarm are sounded if turned on. This function harkens back to the early days of digital watches when, in fact, you had to press a button to bring up time indication. No Casios or Seikos have anything similar. Apparently this function allows you to conserve some power and make the battery serve longer. As far as I know no-one has yet tested how effective this function is. But it is a thirsty watch; it likes its (electrical) juice and is the fastest to drain the battery of all Electronika watches in my collection, usually in about a year, faster with chimes and alarms on.

Also interesting is that many operating modes and functions in this watch are activated not just by pressing buttons but by pressing and HOLDING them for 2 seconds.



The watch uses a curious method for turning on the hourly signal -- you just press button three (just pressing not holding this time) (lower left) and the indication switches between showing seconds and the date. When the date is shown on the display in normal time mode, the hourly signal is off, but when the seconds are on the display, the hourly signal is on. The hourly signal can just be a beep sequence or an initial fragment of one of the two melodies that the watch can play.

It so happens that the battery has run flat and it's now time for a battery replacement job. The back is a snap-on (pressed) back, you pry it open gently with something, like, a screwdriver or a pocket knife blade.

Under the upper case back there is another flat back which is pressed on by the upper case back to the module and holds it where it should be in the watch. Underneath is some sort of a basic rubber seal. 

The battery is in its place, just move the contact leaf away to get it out or to install a new one, no need to remove the little screw. 

Leader 02 Лидер Electronic Watch

From my collection is this old-school but rather recent electronic watch - LEADER 02 electronic wristwatch made by KAMERTON Factory, Pinsk, Republic of Belarus. 

This watch was made in 2008, and I bought it circa 2013. It works and still runs on the same button cell battery I bought it with. 

Unlike some other Leaders, such as Leader 10, which were clones of Electronika watches or later ChN watches, this Leader 02 has no corresponding Electronika or ChN watch and uses a Chinese module. 

But what it has instead is a pleasant luminescent back light.

Other functions include:

• Current time and calendar
• Alarm
• Stop watch

It is certainly no Apple watch... but then it doesn't cost $500 (more like $5) and you don't have to charge it every day or fuss about it.

IT-663N Talking Electronic Watch

IT663N iTaiTek, a cheap Chinese talking watch which tells time in Russian. 

These talking watches first appeared in Russia in the early 1990s and were much ridiculed but simultaneously developed a cult status and a devoted, if rather small, following. This one is a current version.

The watch is really cheap, RUB 150 which is about US$3 and that's a retail price.

Basically I bought it to hear it talk... and also because I am generally into cheap affordable watches.

Hear it talk and tell time in Russian in this mobile phone video.

Curious alarm signals -- what sounds like a cuckoo, a cock crowing and a Russian folk song playing. I understand you can also make it tell the time every hour on the hour.

I haven't checked any other functions; in fact, haven't even set it properly but everything appears to work.

The case back.

A talking watch is useful for partially sighted or when telling time in the dark.

Montana 2... a cheap electronic watch

Montana 2... a cheap electronic watch traditionally called "Montana".

Actually this is the wrong kind of Montana -- the right kind is in one of the previous posts on this blog -- Montana, a digital watch which has a full complement of functions, tunes, alarm, stopwatch and an hourly signal. Unlike this one. 

This one has only 12-hour am/pm time indication (no 24-hour mode). Not sure if it has a stopwatch. Also, some of the lettering, which is supposed to be in English is way off, but other words are spelled right.

The "artwork" on the back is practically invisible either.

A much simpler module but the same manufacturer logo as in the other Montana -- one with "melodies".

Casio AL-180

A Casio AL-180 668 module watch from my collection.

First introduced in 1987 (according to some online sources), it remains a true, of cheap, classic. Not sure if the model is still produced. But it is popular with collectors - so much so that there are apparently many fakes sold off ebay.

I am sure that mine is original. It was bought in the now distant year of 1998.

It has no batteries, is powered by the sun (or light in general) and is a previous reincarnation of the solar technology, it has a simple capacitor or something.

Problems? Sometimes it doesn't get enough sun (or light) especially if used in the northern hemisphere and especially in winter or if worn in the premises rather than outside -- then it starts losing time.

Original adjustable stainless steel Casio bracelet.

Casio AL-180 668 Module... stainless steel back (only).

 Bracelet clasps.

Montana... a digital watch

A cheap Chinese electronic watch called for some reason "Montana".

Quite some history behind this watch, in a previous incarnation it was made in Hong Kong when Hong Kong was one of the pioneers and centers of electronic watch design, almost on a par with Japan in the late 1970s and the 1980. This watch was well known in the USSR.

But this version is a cheap Chinese version, whilst retaining the functionality of the original though, especially its famed "melodies" or simple tunes.

You can buy them say in Moscow for RUB 150 which is about USD 3 or 4.

The post Soviet Electronika-77 watch is said to be a clone of the Hong Kong predecessor of this watch lacking only its "hourly chime" and being more honest with the number of the melodies, see below.

Lots of things that are bad (cheap) about this watch: for starters, the bracelet is very poor, too small, made of like tin foil and dropping its push bars easily.  The buttons are not very responsive on this particular specimen. Other than that everything works. 

The number of "melodies" is not 16 as stated but 7 or 8.

Electronika 77

Electronika 77, a Belorussian post-USSR electronic watch.

This one is Electronika 77 and not the Electronika 77A, that is without the "A". But there is no difference function-wise.

It is made by the Minsk Electronika plant.

The Electronika 77 (without the "A") is much rarer than the one with the "A". So it's a rarity of sorts.

The watch is a clone of the 1980s Hong Kong electronic watch called for some reason Montana, known in some parts of the world and maybe still in production but in a much cheaper mainland China version. 

Technical specs [in Russian].

The manual below works with it.

Electronika 5 29367 Electronic Watch

Another Electronika 5 29367 watch from my collection though this time not as Leader 10.

Electronikas are electronic -- or digital -- watches made in the USSR in 1970s-80s and then in the Republic of Belarus until about 2009. In essence, they are old-school electronic watches, although some are more advanced than others though they never go into Casio's territory for better or for worse. But some models have features that even Casio has never had (I think) such as both automatic and manual accuracy correction. 

This watch is my Electronika 5 29367 made in 2000. Bought much later as a NOS specimen. Still working fine. The Electronika 5 29367 is probably the longest produced model -- from the 1980s right up to 2009. Photos are clickable. 

And as luck would have it, it is time to replace the battery (and look at the innards). 

The bracelet is made by the Vitebsk Instrument Making Plant.

It has the picture of a horse on the face -- perfect for the Year of the Horse.

As to detailed specs and watch controls you can find them in the manual (see below) in Russian.

Here I would like to note only two interesting features. First, you can turn the display off by pressing and holding for 2 sec button one (upper right). When the display is turned off, data are preserved and the watch continues to keep time and all functions continue to work. Second, there is an easy and convenient way to turn on the hourly signal (or chime) simply by pressing button 3 (lower left). 

The back can be easily removed by prying it open gently. 

Under it, there is another flat back which functions as a resonator, remove it too.

With the old battery.