A great gadget from Kickstarter.

I mentioned earlier that I had subscribed to one of the first Kickstarter projects, a machined watch band/holder for a sixth generation iPod Nano, turning the iPod into a neat watch. Kickstarter raises small amounts of capital from interested investors using the web and puts the monies to use in building entrepreneurs’ projects once sufficient funds are raised.

I subscribed to the Luna-Tik watch band project for kicks, and because I had a sixth generation iPod nano lying around largely unused; my iTunes mostly reside on an iPhone when portability is required so the iPod, a gift, remained unused.

A later Kickstarter project I also subscribed to is raising money to publicize the works of a newly discovered 1950s street photographer, Vivian Maier, and I think we can expect many more like this. It’s an effective fund raising mechanism as it can reach large potential audiences of prospects at low cost and make books etc. of the works of photographers affordable, where the cost of a speculative print run would be high and the outcome too speculative. Cartier-Bresson can sell advance print runs. You and I cannot.

The Luna-Tik just arrived and a few words on its form and function follow.

The iPod Nano is an awful device for photo display owing to its diminutive screen size but is just right as a modern, large, macho watch. The two piece alloy case is beautifully machined and the soft rubber wrist strap has a large range of adjustability, meaning anything from our 8 year old to generic American-obese fits. Four recessed Allen head screws hold a hidden inside threaded post and as the latter is not captive – meaning it rotates freely – two Allen wrenches are provided to allow the screws to tighten the casing around the Nano, one wrench acting as a counterhold. A captive inner post would have been a better idea, making assembly easier and requiring but one Allen wrench, but this is a minor criticism. The whole thing took our 8 year old five minutes to figure out and assemble.

The Luna-Tik and the iPod. The clock face can be changed to a white background in ‘Settings’.
Note the movable strap retainer just above the watch face, set for maximum strap excess for small wrists!

Fit and finish is 1950s Leica quality, meaning beautiful machining and finish, with no sharp edges. The seam is about 5/1000th inch misaligned on mine and you can actually see that in the photo above; there is insufficient play to get perfect alignment before snugging up the Allen screws. A bevelled edge at the seam would have done a better job of hiding the inevitable Chinese mass production imperfection, as well as making the bevel a design feature, much as a bevel is used in the iPad’s frame. My iPad’s alloy frame, for reference, displays a variation in the relative positioning of the glass touch screen of 3/1000th inch around its periphery. For both the Luna-Tik and iPad that’s still a lot better than the fit and finish of all but the best Leicas, the engineering quality standard – meaning M2, M3 and M4 models made 1954-1965, after which quality control went to pot and prices went ballistic. (Earlier screw mount bodies were positively awful by comparison as the many I owned attest).

The generous length rubber wrist strap on the Luna-Tik comes with a movable retainer so that excess strap length can be clipped in position just so. Way superior to the usual loop retainer. Both the iPod’s volume buttons and power switch on one side and the recharging/data port and earbud socket on the other are easily accessible and the whole thing, once assembled, oozes quality and contemporary looks. The ‘watch’ is large, immediately qualifying the wearer as a Formula One groupie.

Future Formula One Champion Winston models the Luna-Tik, while racing on the iPad.
The white watch face is on display here. Strap retainer function is just visible.

Congratulations to the inventors at Minimal, Inc, for a great product. If you want one you had better rush as the iPod Nano sixth generation will be replaced soon by this year’s design. There may be cheaper alternatives to the Luna-Tik but I doubt there are any which are better made. There’s a neat informational video here.

This model of iPod was conceived with watch use in mind as it can be set to come up with the analog watch face when powered up. Handy. The inventor is contemplating adding a Bluetooth earphone option which will make for a neat wireless mobile music system.

Disclosure: I own one Luna-Tik, have no interest in Minimal, Inc. and love entrepreneurs.