R-34
12-09-2005, 07:38 PM
Seiko Watch Corp. will release the "Seiko SPECTRUM," a wristwatch using electronic paper for the display, on January 27, 2006. An electronic paper display measuring 25.6 x 78.5 mm is curved and embedded along the surface of a bracelet watch. The company previously presented a prototype based on the same concept at the "BASELWORLD 2005" show held in Switzerland in March 2005. The price is ¥262,500. Of only 500 units to be launched onto the global market, 200 units will be sold in Japan.
The company limited the amount of the product and set the price at a high level, because "this product is purely aimed at boosting our brand value" (Seiko Watch). By making the most of the e-paper's "flexibility," Seiko Watch realized a form different from any other current wristwatches and accomplished a product that pursues stylishness as an accessory. According to the company, it grinds an aluminum block from a scratch into the bracelet form. "The exterior formed by grinding accounts for 90% of total cost for this wristwatch," said a company spokesperson.
The electronic paper display used in this wristwatch is a joint-development by Seiko Epson Corp. and E Ink Corp of the US. Seiko Epson developed the display by combining its components including a driver IC and E Ink's electrophoretic ink. The module features segmented electrodes for each displayed pattern. It is flexible, because it does not use such solid drive substrates as a TFT glass substrate. As for image quality, "Compared to LCD panels used in the current digital wristwatches, the e-paper display boasts a higher black-white contrast and broader view angle. In particular, its visibility in a dark room, even more than that under bright light, is far ahead of the current LCD panels," boasted the company spokesperson.
Takuya Otani, Nikkei Electronics
http://techon.nikkeibp.co.jp/english/NEWS_EN/20051201/111270/ep1.jpg
http://techon.nikkeibp.co.jp/english/NEWS_EN/20051201/111270/ep2.jpg
The company limited the amount of the product and set the price at a high level, because "this product is purely aimed at boosting our brand value" (Seiko Watch). By making the most of the e-paper's "flexibility," Seiko Watch realized a form different from any other current wristwatches and accomplished a product that pursues stylishness as an accessory. According to the company, it grinds an aluminum block from a scratch into the bracelet form. "The exterior formed by grinding accounts for 90% of total cost for this wristwatch," said a company spokesperson.
The electronic paper display used in this wristwatch is a joint-development by Seiko Epson Corp. and E Ink Corp of the US. Seiko Epson developed the display by combining its components including a driver IC and E Ink's electrophoretic ink. The module features segmented electrodes for each displayed pattern. It is flexible, because it does not use such solid drive substrates as a TFT glass substrate. As for image quality, "Compared to LCD panels used in the current digital wristwatches, the e-paper display boasts a higher black-white contrast and broader view angle. In particular, its visibility in a dark room, even more than that under bright light, is far ahead of the current LCD panels," boasted the company spokesperson.
Takuya Otani, Nikkei Electronics
http://techon.nikkeibp.co.jp/english/NEWS_EN/20051201/111270/ep1.jpg
http://techon.nikkeibp.co.jp/english/NEWS_EN/20051201/111270/ep2.jpg