Have you seen this watch?

May 29, 2012 3:58 PM

Is there a digital watch out there that displays nothing but the time?

Just a big old "12:30 PM"—no date, no seconds, no day of the week, no timer, no heartrate, no temperature or barometric pressure—would be perfect. And the fewer buttons on it, the better. This is for someone with Alzheimer's who doesn't process visual information well, so simplicity is the watchword, so to speak. And since it will probably be lost and replaced monthly if not weekly, inexpensive is a must.

posted by bricoleur to clothing, beauty, & fashion (16 answers total)

And having just found this one, let me add "highly readable" to the list of requirements... If that one were more readable, it would be perfect.
posted by bricoleur at 4:03 PM on May 29, 2012

This might be a bit too pricey or trendy, but would something like this Nixon Newton digital watch in white with stacked digits be too confusing?
posted by This_Will_Be_Good at 4:13 PM on May 29, 2012

Thanks, This_Will_Be_Good, but yes, that would be too confusing. It has to be absolutely conventional in its presentation. Even then, reading it will be a struggle for its intended recipient.
posted by bricoleur at 4:19 PM on May 29, 2012

Maybe I am being far too stylish in my search, but this PXR-6 watch is pretty nice but also a bit pricey.
posted by This_Will_Be_Good at 4:20 PM on May 29, 2012

$15, large number size, nothing but hours and minutes: i think this fits the bill:
Geneva Platinum Men's Stopwatch LED-Light Silicone Digital Watch
posted by nevers at 4:29 PM on May 29, 2012

Here is one more from Puma (sorry, I just happened to be looking for watches too!) that may be a bit cheaper, but it has buttons that may get in the way.
posted by This_Will_Be_Good at 4:29 PM on May 29, 2012

Sorry, one more. This Shark Slim watch seems really simple, but I can't tell how large it is to determine visibility. This image on ebay seems to make it look fairly decently sized, as does this image and video.
posted by This_Will_Be_Good at 4:35 PM on May 29, 2012

Just had a battery replaced in a watch and there were a lot. Even some with your basic criteria, so I think you just need to go shopping. Casio and Timex seem to keep the basic price between $50 and $100 or so.
posted by sammyo at 4:40 PM on May 29, 2012

This Breo watch has the simplest digital display I've seen (and it's only $7!). Could it pass as "conventional" in black?
posted by argonauta at 4:40 PM on May 29, 2012

this $17 women's "sport" watch also seems readable and affordable.

i'm not sure what to make of this $4.60 LED watch.

this $16 rumbatime watch on QVC is similar to the breo one argonauta posted above.
posted by nevers at 4:51 PM on May 29, 2012

Since you've already gotten a number of suggestions for watches with simple, large numeric displays, I thought I might suggest a different solution. Have you considered a talking watch? There are number available, mostly intended for the visually impaired, that basically just consist of a single button and a speaker — press the button and the watch speaks the time. A quick search seems to indicate that talking watches can be had quite inexpensively (i.e. for around $10).
posted by RichardP at 4:56 PM on May 29, 2012

Google up a search for e-ink watches. I have had my eye on these Phosphor watches...

http://www.phosphorwatches.com/v/site_pages/mens-watches.asp
posted by No Shmoobles at 5:54 PM on May 29, 2012

I've had a Kenneth Cole Reaction for about 5 years. Had to change the band once (ordered it from the company), battery twice.
posted by outlandishmarxist at 6:28 PM on May 29, 2012

Oh sorry, didn't read close enough.
posted by outlandishmarxist at 6:30 PM on May 29, 2012

Thank you, lots of excellent suggestions! AskMe is amazing.

I wasn't aware of the existence of talking watches, RichardP, and that may well be the best solution. I'll be ordering many of these (talking and non-talking) to see which seem most useable given the constraints. Again, thanks for the great suggestions, from me and my Alzheimer's buddy.
posted by bricoleur at 7:48 PM on May 29, 2012

This watch is almost perfect. Instead of 8:10 the face will read "10 past 8". or at 12:00 it will read "Noon". Designed by Fossil and Frank Gehry, like most of his buildings it is a lot of design without thought of practicality... unfortunately it lacks backlighting and is impossible to read in dark spaces. http://uncrate.com/stuff/frank-gehry-positivenegative-watch/
posted by Gungho at 7:42 AM on May 30, 2012