Gadget Watches: Difference between revisions

{{trope}}

 

 

There's something cool about wrists and devices on them. Wristwatches are cool. Wristwatches that call your [[Superman|special friend]] are even cooler.

 

Often a result of [[Where Does He Get All Those Wonderful Toys?]]. Can be used as part of a [[Nonuniform Uniform]]. A subtrope of [[Shoe Phone]].

{{examples}}

== Anime and Manga ==

* Light Yagami hides a piece of his ''[[Death Note]]'' inside his watch, meaning he can kill anyone at any time.

** [http://www.hiyoooo.com/ Hiyoooo.]

 

== Comic Books ==

* Jimmy Olsen in ''[[Superman]]'' has his Signal Watch, which tells the time and gives off a high-pitched frequency that calls up his pal Superman.

** Note that Superman finds the sound annoying, especially after Jimmy [[Super Dickery|started using it every time he needed a favor]].

 

== Film ==

* ''[[Spy Kids]] II'' had Juni and Carmen receive special watches that did everything but tell the time. Gary and Gerti however, received ones that did tell the time.

** ...[[Awesome but Impractical|and were several times more bulky for one additional function.]]

 

== Literature ==

* In [[Kim Newman]]'s ''Diogenes Club'' stories, it's strongly implied that there's something interesting about Charles Beauregard's pocket watch "with the intricate crystal workings". [[The Men in Black|The Undertaking]] refuse to let him into their HQ while carrying it, and he ''certainly'' refuses to let them look after it while he's there. Sadly, the glossary page explaining what it ''does'' has been censored by the current Diogenes chairperson.

* In ''The Girl, the Gold Watch and Everything'' by John D. MacDonald, the hero inherits a gold pocket watch that stops time for everyone but the person holding it.

* In [[Andre Norton]]'s ''[[Spy Fiction|At Swords' Points]]'', a disc of gold set with semi-precious stones is placed inside the back of the main character's otherwise ordinary wristwatch. It identifies him as a member of a counterespionage [[NGO]]. When a Dutch journalist who may be something more takes a look, his response is, "Any assistance we can render is yours."

 

* ''[[Doctor Who]]'' got there first, with the teleport-wristwatches featured in ''[[Doctor Who/Recap/S1/E05 The Keys of Marinus|The Keys of Marinus]]'' (like ''[[Blake's 7|Blakes Seven]]'', written by [[Terry Nation]]). The Seventh Doctor had a pocketwatch scanner, which he used in ''[[Doctor Who/Recap/S26/E04 Survival|Survival]]''; possibly in other stories as well. The Chameleon Arch pocketwatch in "Human Nature"/"The Family of Blood" and "Utopia" DEFINITELY counts as a gadget-watch. It {{spoiler|holds the memories and Time Lord nature of a Time Lord who's going ''so'' deep cover he gives himself false memories and even reads genetically as a human or member of any other target species.}}

** Vortex manipulators (wriststrap teleport/time machines used by Time Agents and River) might also fall under this; one would assume a time machine can tell the time.

 

== Newspaper Comics ==

* ''[[Dick Tracy]]'' and his [[Comm Links|radio wrist watch]] is one of the earliest examples of this, having been conceived way back in the 1940s when actual radios still had vacuum tubes. More importantly, Tracy's has received upgraded versions with additional functions over the years to keep it up to date.

 

* ''[[Star Frontiers]]'' common equipment includes "chronocom" - watch (with stopwatch) and short-range radio communicator (with videophone).

 

== Video Games ==

* The COMP terminals from certain games in the ''[[Shin Megami Tensei]]'' series serve various functions. In all games, they contain a ''Demon Summoning Program'' used to call demons that you have contracts with. In ''IMAGINE Online'', it also holds the Demonic Compendium and the chat program as well. Certain hacked COMPs serve as dungeons, and some special COMPs can style your hair!

* In the ''[[Phoenix Wright]] [[Ace Attorney]]'' series, Matt Engarde has a bracelet that works as a cell phone, and ''[[Apollo Justice]]'' has a special one that can tell his whenever someone around is feeling a strong emotion, so he use the Perceive System to find tells in his witnesses.

 

== Web Comics ==

* ''[[El Goonish Shive]]'' has [http://www.egscomics.com/?date=2003-12-31 walkie talkie watches]. Not much compared to a cellphone or a real walkie-talkie, but it's fun, convenient (though less so than a headset) and concealed.

** Later Tedd figure out how to make "[[Magitek|spell watches]]" - essentially, programmable wands enchanting the user on push of a button.

 

== Western Animation ==

* There's a subversion on an episode of ''[[Tiny Toon Adventures]]:'' Plucky is showing off all his [[Shallow Parody|Immature Radioactive Samurai Slugs]] merchandise, including a "Two-Way Wrist Slug."

{{quote|'''Hamton:''' What does it do?

* Brock, Rusty, and the eponymous brothers in ''[[The Venture Brothers]]'' have watches that act as video communicators, as well as contain GPS trackers so they can find each other. Rusty's bother JJ uses a device concealed in his collar instead, [[Lampshade Hanging|pointing out]] that watches are impractical, since in the event of being captured, the villain will almost certainly bind your hands.

* ''[[Inspector Gadget]]'''s entire hand functions as a gadget watch (among other things). His niece Penny has a more standard Videophone/ Remote watch, however.

 

== Real Life ==

* Real spies used at least two different models of gadget watches: one was a pretty obvious photographic camera, the other had a hidden microphone designed to be used with an external recording device.

** Viktor Suvorov described how during his training he used a watch with a microphone. Apparently, using it during a dinner was a mistake - all the clinking of the cutlery made the speech difficult to hear.

* Jawbone has created a bracelet that doesn't look half bad but is also equipped with sensors that transmit your vitals to your iPod Touch or iPhone in order to help you lose weight.

* Paracord armbands have a number of items including watches, compasses, a rather primitive knife in the buckle, as well as the paracord itself.

 

{{reflist}}

[[Category:Espionage Tropes]]

[[Category:Costume Tropes]]