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Talking watches are not new technology. The first clock that could “speak” the time was invented in the 1870’s, whilst a telephone voice service called the speaking clock was first released to the public in 1933. This allowed users to input a telephone number and then they would be told what time it was over the phone by a machine. Whilst this was quite advanced for the time, it is a little pathetic compared to today’s technology, in which we can get the time instantly from any number of devices.
This demonstrates that talking watches are nothing new or complicated. The technology for speaking watches has been around for decades and is relatively simple when compared with other complications.
If you are blind or visually impaired, there are many obvious benefits of having a speaking watch. Even for the sake of convenience, it is a lot easier to push a single button and be read the time aloud, rather than having to ask someone else for the time, or squinting very hard from a short distance. Simply put, speaking technology can greatly aid and assist you for very little cost.
There are a wide variety of brands that make both fashionable and functional speaking watches, all of which are very reasonably priced. This article lists the best talking watches you can buy for affordable prices.
Table of Contents
What Is A Talking Watch? & Where Can I Buy One?
A talking watch is fairly self explanatory. Watches that speak can either be analog or digital models, but always use quartz movements due to the electronic components needed to provide an acoustic voice.
In every talking watch, by pressing a single button, the timepiece will then read aloud the current time in a clear, concise and loud tone. Of course, the benefits of this are quite obvious if you are visually impaired. You no longer need a magnifier or to put your eyes right next to the dial as the watch will do all of the heavy lifting for you.
Whilst in the past finding a speaking watch may have been difficult. In modern day it couldn’t really be any easier. Websites such as Amazon and eBay have a huge variety of talking watches which really are no more expensive than any regular watch.
Why Atomic Clocks Are The Best For Visually Impaired Watches
Many talking watches are radio controlled – which simply means that they function by synchronizing with an atomic clock. If you are buying a watch for a visually impaired person, or are visually impaired yourself, there are some clear and obvious benefits to this.
Firstly, atomic clocks are extremely accurate. There is no other time measuring device on earth that comes close to the accuracy of an atomic clock. Secondly, once you’ve set your watch, you do not need to concern yourself with changing the time again. As the watch is synchronized with the nearest atomic clock, it will receive the time from this and will not stop until the battery runs dry. This way you never have to worry about your watch gaining or losing time over months or years. Of course, the main benefit is that if the visually impaired person is unable to set the watch themself, it only needs to be set properly once by someone else and then will benefit them for a long time.
Best Talking Watches For Blind People
Nixon Dork
Available in 3 different colors, the Nixon dork is a modern day take on a retro style of watch. This is clearly the most fashionable watch that speaks the time. Whilst other brands may be more inexpensive, this is a more contemporary design which is better suited to younger people. If you compare the price of the Nixon dork to other fashion watches, it isn’t particularly expensive either.
In all honesty, this is a watch which is mostly marketed towards the younger generation rather than elderly people who have lost their vision. It does however read the time aloud regardless. This would be a watch best suited towards a visually impaired person who also wants something that looks cool.
Five Senses
A less stylish, but more practical version of the Nixon dork. The five senses watch was not designed to be fashionable, but was made to be the best and easiest to use that it could possibly be. Mentioned earlier, this watch is radio controlled – the ideal solution when thinking about buying a watch for the visually impaired.
Whilst this watch does look very basic, it sets itself and you will never need to change it, even for events such as daylight savings time. Since atomic clocks change automatically, your watch will just copy them.
SKMEI
It is quite clear what SKMEI are trying to replicate with the design of this watch, if you were unsure, the “S-Shock” written at the top of the case should be the obvious giveaway. In any case, this watch isn’t going to be as durable as a real Casio G-shock, but does offer an important feature that Casio watches don’t.
Not only does this watch have a very bright and clear LCD display, it also has the option to verbalize the time through the push of a single button. This is ideal if you wanted a rugged watch for the visually impaired, since other than this, there really aren’t too many options. The fact that this watch costs less than $25 is also a real bonus.
TrueDio
One of the best designed voice watches for the blind. The TrueDio talking watch is another model which makes use of local atomic clocks to provide a super accurate time. This watch has two different voice options, one button for verbalizing the date and the other for the time. Not only this, but the TrueDio has been designed in such a way that you need to hold the settings button down for 5 seconds to change the time. If your vision is poor, this is very helpful as you will never accidentally change the time or settings of the watch and not be able to reset it.
Lastly, this watch does not look like a watch for the blind and is able to blend in with other standard wristwatches. The fact that it has a stretch band bracelet is also very useful since it is able to fit any size of wrist with ease.
Braille Alternative Watches
Eone Bradley
This is not a speaking watch, but is a braille watch. The Eone Bradley has won more design awards than you can shake a stick at, and it is both easy to see and feel why. This watch could easily be worn as a fashionable timepiece regardless of whether you have poor vision or not. It has a very simplistic and minimalist dial layout which is just as functional as it is fashionable.
In case you are confused about how the Eone Bradley works, it is very simple. The hour indicators can be felt by your fingers as they are slightly raised from the dial. Two small ball bearings move around the inside and outside of the dial, with the inner representing hours and the outer representing minutes. This may take a little while of getting used to, but if you have mastered reading braille, this is incredibly simple and a great way to tell the time.
