Electricianz Cable Z Review

If you want a watch that’s “da bomb,” Rolex Submariner. If you want a watch that looks like a bomb, Electricianz Cable Z. A timepiece that invites its owner to contemplate the life-or-death question faced by dozens of on-screen heroes: red wire or blue wire? Although the $14 Casio F91 is an actual terrorists’ tool, the Cable Z is the last watch you should wear through airport security. Otherwise, is it a one weird watch touchdown? . . .

If attention-getting is the goal, the Electricianz Cable Z sashays into the end zone. The funky Swiss timekeeper garnered more unsolicited kudos than the ankle-bracelet-on-your-wrist Wilbur Watches 2020 Launch Edition and the tourbillon-for-beginners Aventi A11.

Red green color blind blogger that I am, I didn’t really understand why until I put in my corrective lens. The Z’s colors pop like a downshifting Lamborghini.

Thanks to its 45mm “thunder yellow” case – contrasting against an “electric blue” rubber strap – the Cable Z is hard to miss, in a We All Live in Yellow Submarine kinda way. The Crayola case is made of thermo-moulded class-10 nylon-wrapped stainless steel.

The material resists abrasion, remains impervious to stress cracking and feels just like plastic. Because it is. High heat (375 degrees and up) and strong acids are not its friend, but nylon’s hygroscopic (absorbs or desorbs moisture according to ambient humidity). So there is that.

Blue, red, yellow, green and white wires snake around the left side of the case. Although they slot-in side-by-side at the top and bottom of the watch, they twist around each other during their journey.

In a world where watch dials are assembled with near-microscopic precision, the Cable Z’s haphazard “wiring harness” is freakin’ genius. Rude, crude and entirely amusing.

With straight lugs and a flat bottom, attached to a strap with perfectly judged pliability, weighing in at just 3.1 ounces, the Cable Z is a wonderfully comfortable companion. Setting aside the whole time telling thing.

The dial is ridiculously small (26mm). Legibility wouldn’t have been a problem if the Electricians had gone for minimalism. Nope. The indented indices are easy enough to discern, but the Electricianz padded the aesthetic bill.

There’s a black and silver triangular logo at 12 o’clock, “3V” printed in a 3 o’clock “date window,” the text “The Electricianz” at the 6, and an electromagnetic coil on the left of the dial. Oh, and striations running down the right.

There’s more going on than a Where’s Waldo? activity book – with Waldo being the time.

The Cable Z’s hands do nothing to help legibility, and much to degrade it. The green-and-gold striped seconds hand detracts from the blue skeletonized minute hand, which detracts from the stubby red-and-silver hour hand.

Luckily, the Electricianz Cable Z has a party trick: illumination. Pressing the pusher at the 2 o’clock activates four LED lights at the corners. The move fires-up the indices and solves the legibility issue – for two-and-a-half seconds.

I suppose the Electricianz’ electricianz measured the battery drain involved, calculated the average human’s average cognition time and settled on that duration. To be fair, it’s enough time to figure out the time. Just.

The Electricianz Cable Z’s powered by a quartz Miyota 2033, the compact “ladies version” of the Miyota 2035. The Cable Z was impervious to our Timegrapher. Corporate owner Citizen rates the 2035’s accuracy at ±20 seconds per month with a four year battery life (LED light notwithstanding).

Modified with an ELZ in-house electric module, it’s a reliable workhorse. Should the mighty Miyota fail and you’re handy with a wrench and pliers, you can buy a new one with a SONY battery for $6.95, sans watch.

If you fancy the whole schmear, the Electricianz will sell you a Cable Z for $255 (down from $320).

While the Cable Z’s a distinctive, reliable and fun conversation piece (who knew the Swiss did fun?), it’s not legible enough to earn a place in my daily rotation. I guess I could double wrist, but I guess I’m just not wired that way.

Model: Electricianz Cable Z
Price: $235 direct from manufacturer (no commission on link)

SPECIFICATIONS:

Case: Thermo-moulded class-10 nylon-wrapped stainless stee;
Diameter: 45mm
Strap: Blue rubber, 22mm
Movement: Miyota 2033
Glass: Hardened mineral K1 glass with anti-reflective treatment
Weight: 3.1 ounces
Water Resistant: 3 ATM
Warranty: 1 year

RATING (out of five stars):

Design * * * * *
Fun!

Legibility *
Over-logoed, poor choice for hands.

Comfort * * * * *
Nylon FTW. If only all rubber straps were this comfortable.

Overall * * * *
A terrific choice for one weird watch marred only by limited legibility.

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