Ceas fotovoltaic

Pasionat de tot ce inseamna energii regenerabile si profitand de relativa acalmie de inceput de an si de iarna geroasa, am luat la frunzarit internetul, in cautare de informatii noi legate de panouri fotovoltaice, de centrale eoliene si de altele asemenea. Am gasit, si mi-am si cumparat!, un ceas de mana cu celula fotovoltaica.

Being passioned about everything involving renewable energies and taking advantage of the relative coolness of the beginning of the year and of the freezing winter, I started looking over the internet, searching for new information regarding solar panels, wind mills and many others of this sort. I found, and I also bought!, a watch with a solar cell.

Bineinteles ca nu imi era suficient doar atat, asa ca am studiat putintica istorie a acestui tip de ceasuri. Candva prin anii '70, compania de ceasuri Citizen aducea pe piata primul ceas cu celula fotovoltaica, datorita crizei petrolului: Cryston Solar Cell.

Of course just that wasn't enough for me so I studied a little the history of this type of watches. Somewhere in the 70s, the Citizen watch company brought to the market the first watch powered with the help of a solar cell, due to the oil crisis: the Cryston Solar Cell.

Lucrurile au evoluat si, in 1990, Citizen prezinta un nou model, numit Eco-Drive:

Everything evolved and, in 1990, Citizen presents to the world a new model named Eco-Drive:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eco-Drive#mediaviewer/File:Citizen_Promaster_Eco-Drive_AP0440-14F_Diver%27s_200_m_on_a_4-ring_NATO_style_strap.JPG

Pe baza acestei tehnologii, care transforma lumina de orice natura in energie electrica, apar numeroase modele de ceasuri. Erau ceasuri deosebite, insa aveau un dezavantaj major: datorita tehnologiei inca noi incorporate, nu erau accesibile tuturor...

Numerous models of watches emerge based upon this technology that transforms any kind of light into electric energy. They were wonderful watches, but presented a huge disadvantage: due to the still rather new technology, they were not affordable by everybody.

Pana de curand... Compania Q&Q Watches, care face parte din Citizen Watch Co., a lansat anul trecut o linie de ceasuri cu tehnologie Eco-Drive, dar cu un pret accesibil oricui: Q&Q SmileSolar.

Until recently... Last year, the Q&Q Watches company, part of the Citizen Watch Co., launched a series of watches that use the Eco-Drive technology, but a lot more affordable: the Q&Q SmileSolar.

SmileSolar este un ceas fara intretinere, care nu necesita schimbarea bateriei, rezistent pana la o presiune de 5 Bar. Carcasa este realizata integral din material plastic reciclat si, prin combinarea diferitelor stiluri de cadran cu diferite culori, apar o multitudine de posibilitati de exprimare a personalitatii fiecarui detinator, asa cum rezulta din imaginea de mai jos:

The SmileSolar is a maintance-free watch, that doesn't require any battery change and it supports a pressure of up to 5 Bar. The case is completely made out of recycled plastic and, thanks to combining the different styles of dials and colours there many posibilities of expressing every owner's character, as you can see in the picture below:

http://www.techfaster.com/qq-watches-40-solar-eco-drive-style-watch/

Mi-a placut atat de mult conceptul, incat n-am stat pe ganduri. Am ales modelul complet negru, caci acela mi-a placut cel mai mult. Complet negru e un fel de-a spune, caci sunt cateva accente diferite - acul orar si cel minutar sunt de culoare alba, iar acul secundar si "cuiul" de la catarama sunt de culoare galbena. De asemenea, inelul exterior al cadranului este oarecum transparent si acesta este, conform documentatiei gasite de mine pe internet, celula fotovoltaica. Cum vi se pare?

I loved this concept so much that I didn't hesitate. I chose the all-black model, the one I liked most. All-black is more a figure of speech because it has a few accents - the hour and minute indicator are white, while the seconds' indicator and the buckle thorn are yellow. Also, the exterior ring around the dial is sort of transparent. This one is, according to the documentation I found on the internet, the solar cell. What do you think of all this?

Mi s-a parut interesant sa-l asez alaturi de mai vechiul meu ceas (care a suferit ceva zgarieturi in timp, din pacate), tot Q&Q, asa ca un soi de arc peste timp.

I found it an interesting thought of putting it next to my older watch (which has unfortunately suffered several scratches along the years), also a Q&Q, something like connecting the present to the past.

Imi doresc sa ma bucur de acest ceas multi ani, asa cum m-am bucurat si continui sa ma bucur si de vechiul meu ceas. Daca astfel de obiecte isi vor face loc din ce in ce mai mult in viata noastra, atunci exista sanse ca energiile regenerabile sa devina cu adevarat solutia la foamea noastra din ce in ce mai mare de energie.

I wish I'll enjoy my new watch for many years to come, just as I still enjoy my older one. If more objects like this come into our lives, then there are chances that renewable energies truly become the solution to our growing hunger for electricity.

Cu drag de natura,

Deerly fond of nature,

Costin