Editor's Choice Watch
iBEAM Optical Timepiece
Reviewed by Terrance Kibiloski
When the Greek philosopher Plato said that necessity is the mother of invention, he could have been speaking about the iBEAM™ Optical Timepiece (Retail $90), which is a wristwatch with a patented pop-up magnifying lens and a built-in LED flashlight. This incredible timepiece was invented to help people read small print more easily, even in low-light situations.
Inventor Chris McKay, a baby boomer, had always had perfect vision, but found himself occasionally borrowing his wife's reading glasses to read the dinner bill or a business card. He didn't need help all the time, but those times when he couldn't make out the fine print were very frustrating.
Then, while riding a train in Hong Kong, McKay was struck with inspiration. Sitting across from him was a man looking at a stone through a jeweler's loop. The light from the train flashed on the man's watch crystal, and a thought flashed through McKay's mind: "He doesn't need a separate lens; he's got one right on his wrist. Why couldn't a lens be built into his watch that could pop-up and magnify?" McKay soon secured his first U.S. patent for the magnifying lens and licensed the feature to other manufacturers. Three more patents and two years later, he put the finishing touches on the lens and flashlight combination.
As with all products, we put this watch through a thorough test at Computer Times and field-tested it with a Tennessee surveyor who generally doesn't even wear a watch. It did not take long for him to marvel at the quality and usefulness of this watch in the field. Even a person with great eyesight occasionally needs help reading fine print on blueprints, contracts, medicine bottles, and so on, plus illumination in low light areas. What really impressed our surveyor were the fine optics and the real usefulness of the magnifier and lens-light on a daily basis.
As soon as you take the iBEAM watch out of its case, you realize you have a fine quality timepiece. Everything about this watch is high quality, and attractive. The lens and light are subtly incorporated into a beautiful watch suitable for business and dressy occasions. Beneath the scratch-resistant magnifier, a second, sealed crystal keeps the watch water resistant to 90 feet. The LED for the iBEAM watch is rated for 70,000 hours and has its own battery. The separate watch battery is rated for 5 years. Inside are Swiss parts movement to accurately report the time. Add to all of this its Sapphire coated scratch resistant lens, and you can see that this is a fine timepiece.
This iBEAM watch is ideal for anyone experiencing difficulty reading small print, whether they have this need all the time or just occasionally. The lens-light combination provides a great aid in reading menus, theater programs, pill bottles, and other text in low-light venues. The magnifier can be used alone when reading small text such as labels, phone books, and instruction manuals. The flashlight can be used alone to illuminate key holes, walkways, or virtually any dark area. We were amazed at the illumination this little light can create. We were able to easily navigate hallways in pitch dark areas during our testing of the built-in light.
Beyond the great functionality of this timepiece is its engineering. A tiny microchip imbedded in the watchcase allows for hands-free operation of the flashlight after an initial push of a button on the side of the watch. Push the button again to turn the light off, or a battery-saving device shuts it off automatically after 30 seconds. The magnifying lens pops up with the touch of a separate small button. Even with these additional features, this watch is comfortable, attractive, and simply a pleasure to wear.
While a recent segment on NBC's Today show declared that wristwatches in the cell phone era are becoming obsolete, we have yet to find a cell phone that can magnify and illuminate. This iBEAM™ Optical Timepiece is the perfect example of evolution to save a species. Not only will this watch be around for many years to come to help the 78 million baby boomers who may experiencing poor vision, it is ideal for the younger crowd who have vision problems. We can also see this becoming a status symbol among the gadget and gizmo generation.
Few products cross our desks at Computer Times that create the excitement that we observed with this iBEAM™ Optical Timepiece. Not only has this incredible timepiece earned our Editor's Choice award, it so impressed our editors that it was at the top of their holiday gift giving list. Hats off to Chris McKay, and all others involved in designing and producing this amazing and truly useful watch.
For more information about purchasing this incredible watch, click on the following hyperlink - IBEAM Magnifying Watch with Flashlight