Check out the G-Shock Range by Clicking the Picture

Secret Wars are the most exciting live art battles in the world. The art battles, sponsored by Casio G-Shock watches, have gained momentum as the months have rolled by. The concept was born in 2006, inspired by legendary cult films ‘The Warriors’ and ‘Fight Club’. In, often undisclosed, locations two teams of artists are pitted against one another to determine who can create the most inspired artwork in 90 mins using nothing but black paint and white walls (no sketches or pencils allowed). The artists from opposing teams work side by side divided by nothing but an invisible line. The winner is chosen by the votes of three judges, two independent experts and the crowd whose support is measured with a decibel reader.

Secret Wars has created a stir in the underground art movement. It started in London and other major U.K. Cities but the momentum has pushed it to new heights. The event is promoted through word of mouth only, so you have to be in the know to know. Despite and perhaps because of the low key advertising the event has spiralled into new dimensions. Last year the organisers announced a Euro league capitalising on the artistic diversity of many more culturally ambitious cities. Secret Wars battles can now be found in Amsterdam, Paris, Warsaw, Berlin, Malmo, Dublin, Copenhagen, Lisbon and Hamburg. The list of cities is always growing as dynamic artists put forward their home towns to be added into the mix.

2009 was a great year for Street Wars, the competition climaxed in New York with a week long tour sponsored by Kanye West. It is almost inevitable that we can expect a Secret Wars Champions league in the near future. The artists are pushing for it as they want to prove themselves on the biggest stage possible.

Secret Wars is sponsored by Casio G-Shock watches. Casio watches have been associated over the years with many dynamic music events like the G-Shock the World parties as well as high calibre art events including the Secret Wars battles. G-Shock watches are designed to live up to any situation and come out on top. Created to endure and make and the impossible possible G-shock Casio watches are likely to continue to be running with these dynamic underground scenes for the foreseeable future.

The next round of events takes place on the 24th of June so check the fixtures list and go down and show your support.

If you want to see our whole range of Casio G-Shocks follow any of the links.

]]> http://www.findwatches.co.uk/blog/casio-secret-wars-black-paint-white-walls-and-multi-coloured-imagination_704.php/feed 1 http://www.findwatches.co.uk/blog/sports-watches-a-guide-to-choosing-a-sports-watch_294.php http://www.findwatches.co.uk/blog/sports-watches-a-guide-to-choosing-a-sports-watch_294.php#comments Thu, 08 Oct 2009 10:08:49 +0000 Amy http://www.findwatches.co.uk/blog/?p=294

Sports watches come in all shapes and sizes. Watches have loads of different functions all designed to enhance sporting excellence and to facilitate greater enjoyment of sport. Watches have the ability to record lap times and split times, they come with countdown timers and stopwatches, there are also high-tech watches that include barometers, altimeters and pedometers. Sports watches can be both analogue, digital or a combination of the two. The ones with digital displays will often have memory so they can record your progress over a number of weeks.

There are a number of things to consider before you buy a sports watch, firstly you need to consider your sport and the things that you need your watch to do. Take into account the weight of the watch, its water resistance rating, its functions and its style (a big watch would not be appropriate for cycling for example.)

Chronograph watches

A chronograph watch is a watch with a number, normally two or three, of sub dials. The functions of the sub dials vary, but commonly include a stopwatch and a breakdown of the second, minute and hour functions into their own dials. These watches are designed predominately for use in sports, although there are many models that use the chronograph function as a stylistic feature. Chronograph watches come in a wide range of styles and have different levels of practical use. The most advanced come with the ability to record multiple split and lap times, with stop watches that are  accurate to 1/100^th of a second.

 Water Resistant Watches

Having a watch that has a suitable water resistance rating for the activity you are undertaking is essential. A watch with a 3 or 5 atm rating is not suitable for jumping into water. Although it can be worn whilst swimming. 100m watches are the ideal standard for most water sports. The rating determines how much pressure can be placed upon the watch rather than the depth to which it can go down. Specialised divers watches are essential kit for divers and there are a number of watches that are specifically designed to be able to resist the pressure of great depths. Other sports may not appear to need such high levels of water resistance, but if a watch is being used as a tool for sports it is probably worth having one that has at least 3 or 5m water resistance.

Materials

Functions are not the only attributes that you should think about if you are buying a sports watch. The material that the watch is made from will determine how practical it is. Titanium watches are always light weight so they are often a favourite for sports enthusiasts. Rubber straps are also popular as they are easy to clean and are likely to last a long time even if they are used in the water. For much the same reason stainless steel bracelets are also popular. It is worth remembering that they are heavier than rubber straps but that they are also more durable.

Best Selling Sports Watches

Casio have a lot of watches that are designed for sports.  Most of the Casio watches are digital so they can have memory in which data can be stored, the digital set up also allows for switching between different functions with ease.  The Casio G-Shock range is designed for adrenalin fueled sports.  This global best selling range is designed to be shock proof so they are perfect for extreme sports.  

Citizen and Seiko both make high end sports watches, designed with the sporting professional in mind.  They look great and are packed full of functions to enable maximum benefit from sports. Citizen’s Promaster and Skyhawk rangesand Seiko’s Sportura Collection  demonstrate the immense capabilities of sports watches. 

Casio G-Shock - Click to see the range

It is no secret that G-Shock and Baby-G watches are designed and made by Casio. These world famous watches are built to withstand all kinds of extreme conditions and have built up a huge following from the music, sport and fashion worlds. It is not surprising when you consider that these watches are extremely durable and have loads of useful features like the one pictured which is multi-region radio controlled, solar powered and has many different timing features.

A less well known fact is that Casio G-Shock are always having parties and events to celebrate their success. When Casio put on a G-shock event loads of A-list celebrities clamour to be invited to the  parties. American rap superstar Kanye West and internationally acclaimed RnB singer Estelle have been on the guest list at recent events.

On the 11^th June 2009 the first of 12 secret global parties took place in trendy Soho in the heart of London. The G-Shhhhhh ‘Shock the World’ party was ultra-exclusive and a host of celebrities turned up to party through the night to show their love for everything G-Shock. Dizzee Rascal, Mark Ronson, DJ George Lamb and Fun Lovin Criminals front man Huey Morgan were all there to represent for Casio’s iconic brand.

As an extra G-Shock for the London party, Baby G, the female version of G-Shock, announced they were unveiling the identity of their newest brand ambassador. Who turned out to be none other than the freshest chart sensation Pixie Lott, whose first single went straight to the top of the charts. Her unmatchable determination to succeed under intense pressure and her feminine sense of style won her the place as the face of Casio’s Baby G range. The tough and pretty starlet told the press about her love of Baby G’s, “I’ve been wearing them for years. They’re really funky. They do so many colours which means that you can match them with any outfit and they spice it up and make it look fresh. I think they’re special because they are so girly and fun”

The next of the unstoppable ‘Shock the World’ tour dates took place in Hong Kong on June 26^th. Despite a cyclone warning people turned out in force to be counted as fans of G-Shock and Baby-G. Look out for more news about the upcoming parties. Rumours abound, but it looks like the next cities to be G-Shocked will be Shanghai and New York. Followed in the next six months by Taiwan, Singapore, Tokyo, Paris, Barcelona, Mexico, Korea and Berlin.

You can see our range of Casio G-Shock watches here.

Caterpillar Black Navigo

Fathers Day is on the 21st June so there are only a few weeks left until its time to have the perfect fathers day gift ready. I don’t know about you but I always find it a difficult choice. My first thoughts are normally to go for something practical or for something edible. Having exhausted most of the edible options over the years and having purchased enough socks and ties to fill a wardrobe I have turned my attention back to practical fathers day gifts. This post is the culmination of my thoughts about which of our watches might make good fathers day presents this year!

The Caterpillar brand is synonymous with heavy machinery and masculinity. This month, with fathers day in mind, we are happy to announce that we have bought in a selection of new and of course discounted Caterpillar watches. These watches are designed for physical men with labour intensive jobs or who participate in active sports. Caterpillar watches are all water resistant to at least 100m. This means that they can be used for loads of water sports, including snorkelling. The watches come on a variety of tough straps, normally stainless steel or resin. Even the watches that come on leather straps are more durable than usual as the leather is extra thick. For example on the Caterpillar Brown DP 60 the leather strap is reinforced to give a higher level of performance and durability.  Most famous as creators of bright yellow heavy duty machinery, Caterpillar is a brand that has instant appeal for lots of men, making it a great choice for fathers day!

If Caterpillar watches are not the sort of wristwatch your Dad would be looking for, then it might be worth looking at the wide selection of Sekonda watches. Sekonda are one of our, and the U.K.’s, best selling brands as they have a huge range of reliable watches at really competitive prices.

For example you can get a smart Sekonda gents dress watch, featuring a black leather strap, Roman numerals and a slim line case at the bargain price of £13.12. Also available is a two-tone stainless steel automatic watch which is both smart and practical as it never needs a battery change which is a little over £20. This is a great deal for an automatic and is sure to appeal to men who appreciate gadgets.

The Sekonda Rose Chrono is another Find Watches favourite that stands out from the crowd. It is suitable for both work and play, as it’s smart styling combines with durability and a water resistance rating of 50m. For the style conscious Dad the Sekonda ‘One’ range is a sure winner. Signature pieces like this black chronograph are constantly on our best seller list.

Other perpetual favourite gents watches include the Police Navy range, in particular the all black model, which is a stylish divers watch. And the Casio multi-function watches such as the G-shock and Wave-Ceptor ranges, or even a solar powered Pro-tek watch, which is more expensive but has loads of cool functions including a built in barometer and altimeter.

With over 200 gents watches in stock and ready to be dispatched we hope that you will find one that will make the perfect fathers day present for your dad. If you cannot decide or you are looking for a particular function please give us a call, we are always happy to discuss your options with you.

Water Resistance

The issue of water resistance is a particularly important one when considering which watch to buy. Watches always have their water resistance rating on the case, on Find Watches we always put this information in the product specifications.

Some watches have only minimal water resistance, for example the Seksy range by Sekonda. These watches are designed with fashion in mind. They should be fine if accidentally splashed but they are not intended to be more than beautiful accessories. So no washing up or showering whilst wearing them!

The next common rating of water resistance is 50m or 5 atmosphere. This is where it gets a little more complicated because the depth ‘50m’ does not refer to the depth that the watch can go down to but is representative of how much pressure the watch can withstand. Therefore 50m watches are suitable for swimming, but not for diving as the pressure at the moment of impact with the water would exceed 5 atmosphere. Many of the watches in the Kahuna range are of this rating; perfect for the beach but not designed for water sports.

If you want to do more than just swim you need a 100m or 10 atmosphere rating. These watches, such as the majority of the Caterpillar range stocked on Find Watches, are perfect for water sports including snorkeling.

Divers watches vary in their capabilities. Some watches marked as having 200m water resistance are not suitable for diving, such as the Casio Blue G-Shock. This is a durable watch, but is not specifically designed for diving. Unlike the Citizen Gents divers watch, which is made for divers and as such complies with international standards for divers watches. It is imperative to always check the specific details before using a watch for diving.

Watches with higher ratings than 200m are generally suitable for diving and generally their durability increases as the pressure rating goes up, such as the Citizen Aqualand Titanium Professional Divers Watch which has a 300m water resistance rating.

As always there are exceptions to the rules; Rotary have created a range of ‘Dolphin Standard’ watches. Due to a unique way of screwing in the button these dress watches can be used for swimming, water sports and even in saunas.