Customer Reviews

Phosphor Unisex DH02 Digital Hour E-INK Curved Leather Band Watch

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

I had to debate how to rate this watch for a couple days. I decided to break it down Pros and Cons style -
PROS-
1- The innovative e-ink technology gives this watch a style and look not seen outside of e-readers. If you're looking for a conversation starter, this is probably a good choice.
2- Large display. Knowing the time is easy with the massive display that the Phosphor's have.
3-The hybrid analog/digital mash up display (shown in the picture) is cool to look at.
4- The leather band. This is a pro and a con for me. The pro? It is very comfortable to wear and just feels right on my wrist.

CONS-
1- The curved screen or face of the watch makes it VERY easy to scratch and ding-up. I found myself always trying to protect it from the nearby wall or countertop, so as not to damage it. This is a problem I never face with my G-Shock. (Also, the DH-02 is very susceptible to fingerprints on the screen.)
2- As noted in a number of reviews, the lack of a backlit display. I'm not sure if this is indicative of the e-ink technology (as the Nook and Kindle both lack backlit displays), but not having a light on your watch nowadays is kind of tough to get past.
3- The leather band. The con? The orange coloring. I thought I could get past this, but I can't. It's definitely an eye-catcher, but to me, the orange looks cheap. This con can easily be avoided by purchasing the steel or rubber band.
4- Lack of functions. If you want a really simple watch, the Phosphor DH-02 is fine, but it is really bare bones. All you get is time, an alarm and the date. You have to push a button simply to see the date if you are on the main watch screen. I like to be able to see the date/time just at a glance.
4.5- I am listing the price as a half point. Why? Because for the money you are getting a unique and stylish watch, but the price, for me, is also tied closely into the features, which, as I stated are very few.

In the end, I am not keeping the Phosphor DH-02. Not really because of the negatives, but because mine came with a dead "pixel" or some other type of imperfection under the glass display of the watch. The blemish is noticeable in both the white and dark screens. This is not the only time I've heard of this with the Phosphor DH-02 as in a video review I found on You Tube, the reviewer stated the same issue with his.
This defect along with the CONS outweighing the PROS, to me at least, led me to the return.
The Phosphor design and look it a cool and unique one, that is for sure. I most assuredly do not hate or despise the brand or this model in particular, it came down to my personal feelings. Hopefully this can help someone else make a decision.

This was the first time I bought a time piece on-line. I was pretty anxious because I've been disappointed many time before when I finally get to see the watch live... there's nothing better than trying it on your own wrist to know it's a watch for you. This time around there were no stores that carried Phosphor watches in town, so I took the leap of faith...

Beautiful watch! I feared it was going to be huge, particularly after noticing the double lock band, but it's not so at all.

I agree with a reviewer elsewhere who said he thought he had gotten the prop watch with the sticker on the dial... the sharpness is outstanding and it's a relief to see the minute change.

The band is very soft and pliable and therefore very comfortable. The orange accent goes along perfectly with the watch.

All in all, 4 screens: time x2 ("analog" and digital), date and alarm. All of those black on white or the opposite (so I guess 8 screens).

There's a beep with every push of the buttons and every hour on the dot which can be turned on and off easily.

The screen blinks for a fraction of a second every 15 mins as screen-saver given the way E-ink works.

In summary, this is a beautiful watch with a very different look that I highly recommend. Prices could be better, but then again what prices couldn't!

My first time to ever return a product from Amazon. But the display was defective. I see others have made comments about pixels not working, I think its more serious then just a bad pixel. More like dozens of pixels. I also found the watch box poorly packaged and it was clearly able to bounce around during shipping. Strange also no paper work enclosed too. Usually something is enclosed for watches of a lessor price. Its a cheap watch in my opinion and not worth the price.

BTW, the reference to e-ink in the watch made me consider that the display would be similar to that of a Kindle. The Kindle has a great sharp display. This watch display does not resemble anything similar to the readout/display of a Kindle. Hope this reviews saves others some time.

This is a really different, striking watch. I love the black/orange colorway of the strap. The e-ink panel is set very close to the crystal so that it looks almost level with the surface of the watch. Functions are pretty basic: analog display (hour in analog/minutes in digital) and fully digital. A single alarm. And date. No seconds display, dual timezone, stopwatch, etc. You can invert the display so that it has a black background and grey digits, or vice versa.

Negatives? They are small and few. The color of the e-ink is not the contrasty black/white shown in some product images. More of a light grey on dark grey. It doesn't detract for me, but just be aware. The two control buttons could be a bit more definite. Sometimes the lightest touch will change the function. The curved crystal is very cool/distinctive but it has quickly gotten some small scratches. Finally,sometimes the display can begin to look just a touch haggard. As if some of the e-ink particles have not kept pace with the changing display. Refreshing the display corrects it. And, it's possible to completely reset the watch w/o removing the battery - in case things get weird.

Overall, I'm really happy with the unique look of the watch. Very distinctive and a reasonable price. The e-ink is quite different than LCD, electroluminescent, etc, displays of other watches. No regrets.

Its a nice watch and easy to know the time because of the big numbers. It could have been better if it had a back light , so it would be possible to see the time even in dark places.

I've had this watch for about a year now, and I still love it. This thing gets all kinds of attention - people frequently comment on it, or ask about it. It's simple, clean and bold. Looks great on the wrist. Too bad it doesn't have a backlight, but it's such a cool timepiece that I'm giving it the full 5 stars anyway.

okay, only had this watch for a couple weeks, but as other reviews have said, this watch gets noticed. in the past couple weeks since it arrived, I've had so many people comment or ask about the watch ... from co-workers to wait staff to people in a store. truly an eye catcher and conversation starter. so be warned: if you don't like attention, do not get this watch!

minor nits ... also as mentioned, I've noticed one pixel (if that's what they're called) that doesn't seem to be correct (like one tiny black dot on a white number). you'd only notice it if you look for it and even then you may miss it. also, have noticed a little 'ghosting' the outline of a previous number's display. again, it doesn't bother me, but feel I need to mention it for completeness in the review.

My watches didn't work for even a year. One night it's just stopped.

Tech support don't answer my e-mails, so my watches are $185-garbage now.
I'm very disappointed.

I don't recommend to buy this.

The watch is really cool looking. Everyone asks me about it, and where it's from.
The numbers do have lines from previous numbers.. but only when you look at it close. doesnt bother me.
The screen is big and glass... but i have banged it against things, and scratched it against things and i see absolutely no scratches or scuffs... it is very very strong.

My complaints:
1. It does not show the date. You have to press the side button till you get to the date.
2. The orange on the side of the band. It looks so cool, but the orange around the little band that you feed the watch strap through... the orange is peeling. Parts of it are black. Kinda tells me that it is gonna end up happening to the strap some time.

But I recommend it. It really is awesome.

The display and design is so clean that I'm willing to put up with the fact that it is so big and chunky. For a display technology that is so thin and light, it's a shame the watch is bigger and heavier than most mechanical watches.

As others have noted, the display does have tiny imperfections if you look closely, but I figure if you bought this watch, being an early adopter was probably one of your motives, and seeing the strengths and limitations of the technology is part of the fun. IMHO the curved face is just a design gimmick that will be short lived; it actually makes the watch harder to read; no matter how you rotate your wrist there is almost always a band of glare, and it makes the digits farthest from you (i.e. the hour) harder to read.

This watch is already really neat and I'll keep mine, but I look forward to a version that is flatter, thinner, and lighter. The display is the perfect size, but everything else needs to shrink.