What's the best way to celebrate 30 years of an iconic console that changed the shape of gaming forever? How about an incredibly limited edition timepiece that you can take with you everywhere to show off to other gamers, and remind yourself about the good times you had as a kid playing your favourite adventures for the first time? Enter Hong-Kong-based company ANICORN and their first PlayStation Mechanical watch, a timepiece that takes you back in time with just one glance.
Just look at this thing - the four PS1 controller buttons marking 12, 3, 6, and 9 o'clock, the same grey colour scheme as the PS1, the logo in the very middle - it's like it's made from the very essence of the console, which makes it even more special in my eyes. And yes, the hands on the watch do have the start and select button shapes you'll find on your remote too - the attention to detail here is amazing.
Check out the dial on the watch too - it says 'POWER' just like the original switch we used to press down so many times as kids. To be fair, you'll need to use this dial to keep your Miyota 9039 mechanical movement wound up, giving you 42 hours of running time.
On the back of the watch you'll find a 30th Anniversary logo and the number of your watch. There are only 300 of these mechanical watches being made, each with 316L stainless steel casings and sapphire glass faces. Heck, these things are as durable as the ModRetro Chromatic!collectors'
You might have seen from the video at the end of the Instagram post above that each Watch comes in a collectors' case with a Memory Card too. Far from just being a blast from the past paying homage to the original console setup, this Memory Card is an NFC that you can scan to take you to your own Digital Memory Board, the PS1 memory card redesigned to help you save your own memories and special moments. The Memory Card also has the Limited Edition number of your watch on it too!
This Mechanical Watch comes with a pricetag of $780 USD, making it something that only serious collectors and die-hard PS1 fans are going to jump for. It comes with an FKM rubber strap which will be incredibly durable, but the coolest thing about it is the controller symbols on it - again, it's a very nice touch.
ANICORN are also released Dark Mode and Light Mode Watches (pictured below) which use Miyota 2035 quartz movements and have leather straps. And while they're not as intricate or instantly recognisable as being synonymous with the PS1, they are still nice timepieces I would definitely wear on a daily basis.
With cascading controller symbols looking like they've fallen down against the casing of the watch, they're more simplistic pieces with a pricetag that reflects the design, coming in at $250 USD each.
All three watches come with 5ATM water resistance, which means they can withstand water pressure of up to 50 meters. That means you'll be able to wear your watch for anything from splashing in puddles with your kids to going snorkelling. Just make sure you don't see an octopus down there because it's definitely going to nab this off you, and who could blame it!
So how do you get hold of one of these watches? Well, all three pieces fo on sale on December 18th at 10pm EST. That will be 7PM PST time and 3am on December 19th for us here in the UK. Keep an eye on the ANICORN website for more information!
