Neonworks Owner Review : Bold, retro and exotic

Watches based on IN16 Nixie tubes aren't the most practical to make or wear, yet they possess an inimitable charm, something that evokes a deep retro-futuristic vision. These tubes represent a technology that was abandoned before becoming widespread. In 2021, I was considering a Nixoid watch, which had announced more advanced models, but unfortunately, during the winter of 2022, science fiction became reality, and the inhabitants of Kyiv experienced a true nightmare: a large-scale war engulfed Europe, impacting watchmakers as well. As the years passed without any real improvement in the Ukrainian capital, and with Ukrainians specializing in defense technologies rather than watchmaking out of necessity, I turned to a Hong Kong company that worked with Nixie tubes. It's truly unique; there are two tubes that alternately display the two digits of the hour and minutes, or the day and month. Blue LEDs illuminate the background when the minutes are displayed, preventing confusion with the hours. A button must be pressed to display the time, as the tubes wear out when illuminated and consume a significant amount of energy, meaning the time is only displayed when needed. Recharging is done via a standard wireless charging system. Its main drawback is its considerable size (44x47x16mm), which may not suit all wrists. However, this isn't a daily watch meant to be worn under a shirt cuff, so this isn't necessarily a significant issue. Setting the time can be tricky. Double-clicks are required to confirm a selection, but the buttons are not very responsive, and it often interprets a double click as two clicks, forcing you to restart the time setting process. Unfortunately, as soon as the battery runs out, if you haven't remembered to recharge it, or if you switch to daylight saving time, you have to reset the time. The battery lasts relatively long, typically 1000 activations, so several weeks. Pressing one of the buttons displays the hour and minutes, shown twice. There are other modes for the date or the stopwatch, but they're not very practical, unless you want to make your watch flash like an emergency vehicle in the middle of a traffic jam. The back shows the circuit board layout. The case itself is inspired by old televisions. You can choose from various soundtracks for this watch. There are many science fiction works with a retro aesthetic. The soundtrack to Blade Runner by Vangelis, for example, is masterful (https://music.youtube.com/watch?v=RScZrvTebeA), as is Alice's return to the future from the famous Soviet film "The Visitor from the Future" (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QNH99xAWXBo), but I prefer the haunting soundtrack to "The City of Lost Children" by Angelo Badalamenti, who chose Marianne Faithfull for the film's theme song. https://youtu.be/G7f4941xM84?si=tC3JpWFtMzd0hVBC