Engadget chief's retirement gift

Engadget supremo Ryan Block got a beautiful 1980s calculator watch for his years of service (he's now getting ready to launch gdgt.com with Peter Rojas) and here it is.

Ever wonder what they get you when you “retire” at Engadget? Last month at a team dinner (my last as editor-in-chief of the site!), my main man Josh Topolsky presented me with this, um, “gold” Casio watch. Ah man, miss those guys!

I always wanted a Casio Data Bank watch, with its pre-cellphone pesudo-QWERTY keypad and "organizer." The modern ones just aren't the same. How far are we from having a cellphone in that exact chassis? Just a few years. The future, always a beep away.

Calculator watch [Ryan Block]
Casio "retirement" watch [Ryan's Flickr]

[#1 posted by strider_mt2k , September 12, 2008 7:05 AM]

Nice watch.

Now about that content for gdgt?

[#2 posted by Latente , September 12, 2008 7:27 AM]

Sig in 1988 was my "first" watch.

[#3 posted by Anonymous , September 12, 2008 9:38 AM]

That's so cool that someone's creating a website for Gidget[/i>. I love that show.

[#4 posted by indiecognition , September 12, 2008 12:45 PM]

In the spirit of things, here's my collection of geekish digital watches from my childhood...unfortunately none of the batteries are still good, and I prefer wearing more stylish watches. That said, I only have one watch I wear these days...a titanium Fossil w/ chrono that I can (and occasionally do) literally throw at concrete without damaging it.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/methticalman/2850858531/

[#5 posted by NoyABuiS , September 12, 2008 2:55 PM]

I was lucky enough to find one of these babies for 35 bones at a swapmeet in LA! Now if I could only find one with jeweled buttons...

[#6 posted by zuzu , September 12, 2008 3:00 PM]

I had not one but two Casio Data Bank watches, between the ages of 9 and 16. I lost the first one because it caught on the strap of my backpack and snapped off without my noticing until I got home. I retraced my steps, but by the time I found it a car had run over it.

Later, when I was old enough to know better (but during the tail-end of the dot-com boom), I got a Casio Camera Watch in all of it's greyscale glory. Apparently it was bling enough for DJ Shadow to also wear at around the same time, but it weighed so heavily on my nerd-like skinny wrists that it caused constant dull pain in my radial nerve.

Then I finally realized that I had a mobile phone, and wrist watches are obsolete jewelry. I haven't worn a watch, aside from my phone (or PDA), since.

But in a parallel dimension, my next nerdy watch would probably have been the Tissot SPOT watch.

I would like a dynamic tattoo that could read out the date+time, my blood pressure, blood sugar level, and so on directly on my pale skin, however, just as soon as such nanotechnology is available.

[#7 posted by monstrinho_do_biscoito , September 15, 2008 7:35 AM]

i have one of the awesomely hideous casio TV remote watches with 19 (count 'em) buttons.

http://images.google.co.uk/images?hl=en&q=casio%20tv%20control%20watch&um=1&ie=UTF-8&sa=N&tab=wi

I just wish they'd stop selling them so it can become retro chic.

in the mean time i shall wear my Tokidoki watch with pride

http://www.metroparkusa.com/media/dynamic/1199321442.86069.1.jpg