One Watch,
Two Screens!
My Global Digital Saturday!
This is the 'one' watch that I never thought I could get one at the right price. They were either at an acceptable price but falling apart, or physically fine but with a ridiculous price tag. Another iconic digital watch from Seiko, the A239-5020 World Time, from 1980.
As far as I know, they came in three major variations. First, the Stainless steel with a black map. Second, the stainless steel with a green map. And third, gold plated with a red map.
The special feature of the A239 module, is the screen. It has a dual layer LCD, with one layer showing the traditional time screen with day and date. With a push of a button, it shows a completely different screen, with a red map showing different time zones.
You can jump to different time zones by using the side buttons, and it shows the respective time of the selected zone which flashes on the map. This is one cool feature that can instantly tell you the exact time of different time zones, without the traditional way of moving needles or turning bezel. Also, it has a dual alarm, one for home time, and one for world time. No Chrono function on this though.
The case is made of stainless steel, with the alarm speaker behind the grill on top. Came with the original bracelet with Seiko clasp, also gold plated, which made the package complete and collectible. A very iconic piece in the collection, that would take a permanent spot in the box.
時間、世界時區地圖，雙重顯示
【世界數碼星期六】
又一精工極標誌性的80年代電子跳字錶，A239 World Time。當時劃時代的科技結晶，首創雙層液晶體顯示。
在普通顯示模式下，有如一般跳字錶，顯示出家國時間星期日曆。當按下切換按鈕，第二層的液晶顯示屏隨即取代運作，顯示出包含所有時區的世界地圖，閃鑠的正是家國所屬時區。用者可使用按鈕，切換至不同時區，實時查看當區時間，非常直接及方便。也設有兩地響鬧裝置，依照不同時區的時間分別運作，用家再不用自己計算時差。
此機芯因比一般單層液晶體顯示相對複雜，問題多在於在地圖畫面層，不能有效地顯示所有時區，而未能完全正常運作。有如相中這枚的運作無誤，又顯示清晰的，相對難求，有的也可能價格高昂。
現今古董跳字，世界各地有價有市，「唔驚我無錢、只怕你冇貨」的各國買家，比比皆是。
