Latitude analog/digital ‘tribute’ watch

Latitude analog/digital ‘tribute’ watch

This cool-looking analog/digital watch dates from somewhere in the mid 1980s and is the epitome of a tribute watch.

First the case – it’s a direct copy (in fact it’s so close it might be from the same factory) as a Citizen D060.

Functionality and looks-wise, though, it’s a definite tribute (some might say rip-off) of the Seiko G757.

Pressing the two right-side buttons cycles between chime/alarm on/both on/both off while the analog does the same animation as the G757. Also, holding the top right button for a few seconds puts it into 24-hour mode, just like the G757.

It has an alarm, countdown timer, chronograph just like the G757 too, so for a low-cost copy this is one of the better ones.

I found this one locally but its insides had been chewed up by an old battery that had most likely been leaking in there for 20-30 years so while I got it operational, it would only light up some of the display. Fortunately a collector in the US (thanks Seth!) had the same module, in a case branded Aquatech which he didn’t need anymore, so now the Latitude is back to 100% working goodness.

The strap it came with didn’t look original and was dry and brittle, as rubber gets over time, so I found this replacement among my spare straps and while I don’t know what the original strap looked like, I bet they would have chosen this one for it if they could.

The only problem I found with it was the alarm/beep was very quiet, as in have to hold it right up to your ear or you couldn’t hear it quiet.

This was due to the inductor coil (a black cylinder on the circuitboard with two hair-thin wires coming off it) having been damaged. A repair and resolder and the alarm is now nice and clear.

The Latitude circuitry is no doubt straight from Hong Kong and is testament to the skills of the coders who made it, without having the backing of a Seiko, a Casio, or a Citizen behind them – it’s awesome!

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