Cathode Corner is a small company run on a part time basis by the enthusiastic (if not a tad eccentric) David Forbes. The company specializes in a diverse & eclectic range of products. It is fair comment to say some of these inventions are more effective than others. In my opinion the most successful creation by far is the innovative Nixie watch. Nixie technology has been around since the 1950’s & was originally used in computers, clocks & frequency counters. The watch has evolved over a period of 10 years in various incarnations. Ultimately the enigmatic Steve Wozniak has immortalized this piece by significantly raising its profile. He is said to own numerous models & has stated, “I would have loved to have invented that.”
The current version has been around since 2009 & was modified for ease of manufacture in 2010. It’s not a new watch by any means but is still a current model & definitely review worthy. At 55mm x 20mm the Nixie is a massively proportioned timepiece in comparison to many other watches on the market. Incredibly it felt very comfortable to wear. This is probably down to its unique design, which is devoid of any crown. Also the piece is constructed from aircraft grade aluminum weighing in at meager 60g. Ultimately the Nixie will only entice a very small demographic of buyers & will definitely not appeal to the faint hearted. Personally I love its idiosyncratic charms.
The hard anodized matt black finish is understated & works in perfect harmony with ribbed detailing on the cover. Fundamentally the success of the watch lies in the simplicity of its design. The layout on the Nixie is pretty awesome. I love the exposed electronic workings of the watch visibly showcased through the large round crystal window. Also the CR2 lithium battery is revealed giving the watch a raw, deconstructed appearance. The only element of the design that I feel hasn’t been considered at all is the spacing (20mm) between the lugs. Basically it’s totally disproportionate to the size of the watch & as a consequence makes the leather strap look pretty flimsy.
In basic terms this is how the technology works. The glass Nixie tube contains a wire-mesh anode and multiple cathodes (electrodes), shaped like numerals. A specially designed circuit board supplies power to the cathodes thereby omitting an orange glow discharge. In this instance the two tubes flash hours, (12 or 24) minutes & seconds consecutively. The exceptionally cool thing about the Nixie watch is the ease of operation. By unscrewing the case the time can easily be adjusted via the setting buttons on the dial. The Nixie watch also has the facility to set viewer tilt angle that in my opinion is awesome.
The watch doesn’t come with a presentation box just a folded A4 photocopied manual. Due to the limited production the Nixie it’s only available to purchase via the company’s website.
The price is $495 (+ $65 worldwide shipping).
http://www.cathodecorner.com/
