Today’s review of the o.d.m. 3-touch digital, model SU101-3, is a bit unusual for Watch Report. We don’t usually cover fashion watches, but the 3-touch is worth making an exception. Read on and see if you agree.
Specifications:
- Touch-screen-controlled digital watch.
- Available in four color combinations: the SU101-3 is a reverse LCD version with white-on-brown display.
- Water resistant to 50m (165ft).
- Polyurethane integrated strap with unique covered clasp.
- Time, calendar, stopwatch, alarm, and world time functions.
- Backlight.
- Crownless design.
- Brushed stainless steel case, 44mm across, 12.8mm thick, 120g.
- Animated seconds graph.
Please read on for the full review.
The 3-touch has a very square case with a prominent knurled bezel that, despite its appearance, does not turn. The icons on the color-matched bezel denote places where you touch to control the watch. There are labels on the back of the watch, useful for when you’re out and about and lack the manual.
As with other touch-screen watches like the Tissot T-Touch, the touch screen is normally disabled until activated. The 3-touch is activated by touching the icon at 1:30 position, holding for 2 seconds, and then swiping your finger around to 7 o’clock. (If you swipe counter-clockwise, you get the backlight instead.) Clever, and non-obvious enough to make you feel like you know a secret when you operate it. After 30 seconds of inactivity, the watch beeps twice as it deactivates the touch screen.
The main time screen has four display modes: one just shows the graph at the bottom which animates every ten seconds. Fashionable, obscure, not really functional, but cool. The second mode shows time only — nice and minimal. You can also show time, date, and month, or time plus scrolling day/date/month.
The stopwatch, alarm and world time all work like you’d expect making this functional enough to be your daily watch. The numeric font is a bit peculiar, and to me, the style reduces the legibility a bit.
The case is nicely brushed stainless steel in a contemporary square shape with integrated strap. You can see the o.d.m. logo, on the right side. At 120g, its substantial, but not overly heavy, and it sits well on the wrist. The clasp is metal, but covered with the polyurethane of the strap. It’s bit bulkier than usual, but matches the style of the watch.
The touch screen has some interesting tradeoffs. The manual recommends that you not get it wet, and leave it face-up when not worn because surface water and contact can trigger the touch screen and reduce the battery life.
The 3-touch build construction is very good for it’s list price of $220. Very solid, nicely finished steel, and well detailed throughout. It feels quite a bit more expensive than I expected.
Overall, the 3-touch is an interestingly designed watch if you want something different, functional, and fashionable. It would make a daring touch with a classic suit, and would certainly look good with almost anything else. Who says every watch has to be a tool watch, anyway?
Our thanks to o.d.m. for the review watch; always appreciated.
By Paul Hubbard
