Kinetic-powered watches aren’t new. Turning small hands don’t require all that much power, after all. The Ventura SPARC MGS, however, uses its mini-generator to power an entire LCD display.
Granted, the display is small and decidedly basic. Still, it’s a digital watch that draws power from your wrist’s movement, which is a novel accomplishment all on its own.
The Ventura SPARC MGS has a case with two viewable windows: the LCD, of course, and a circular cutout for the mini-generator. It’s a clever touch, because I can probably spend a day watching that oscillating mass (made from tungsten) react to different movements of my wrist (hey, don’t hate — simple things amaze simple minds).
Case is Durinox (tempered steel), while the windows are each protected by sapphire crystals. LCD has a two-line display, with LED backlighting (so you can check it in the dark) and a sleep mode (for power management). Other features include alarm, chronograph and water resistance up to 100 feet. It will be available in four styles: W51 (Durinox bracelet), W52 (caoutchouc strap with folding buckle), W55 (Nero assoluto case with caoutchouc strap) and W56 (Nero assoluto case and Durinox bracelet).
Billed as one of Ventura’s “watches of the future,” the Ventura SPARC MGS will make its debut at Baselworld 2011.   No details on pricing or release dates yet.