Men's talking watches clearly speak the time, hourly time report, reminder alarms, and the date at a press of a button(s), and are intended to promote independence for the visually impaired or blind male.
Who would benefit from a talking watch?
Visually impaired men, women and children who have difficulty viewing a “regular” watch will benefit from using a talking watch. Many of the models will recite the time on the hour and on demand, and display the time in either digital or analog format. Some models also provide calendar information (day and date) in the same manner.
For those who live with blindness and who are proficient using braille, there are models that include braille numerals on the watch face of a talking watch.
Often as we age, our vision becomes less clear and standard watch faces can be difficult to read. If you or a loved one experiences diminished visual acuity, consider a talking watch solution. There are many styles and models to choose from to meet your specific needs.
What distinguishes one talking watch from another?
The many models of talking watches available today can be distinguished by the cosmetic and functional choices assigned to each device as described below.
Cosmetic choices include:
• Shape of the watch face (round, oval or square).
• Extra-large watch face.
• Type of watchband--buckle band in leather, leather-look or plastic, expansion band, or no-band pocket watch.
• Color or tone of watch and band (gold tone, silver tone, stainless steel, chrome, bright colors).
• Sporty or more classic styling.
• Placement of buttons on top of watch face, or around perimeter.
• Visual contrast on watch face--white on black or black on white for best visual acuity.
Functional choices include:
• Talking (speaking the time) on the hour, and on-demand at the push of a button. Some models allow the hourly broadcast to be turned off.
• Choice of male or female voice, and choice of spoken language (some models).
• Alarms, single or multiple (up to four), set medication and other reminders.
• A variety of alarm sounds available on some models.
• Digital or Analog display, or both.
• Top light illumination and/or glow-in the dark watch face.
• Support 2 time zones.
• Support choice of 12- or 24-hour time format.
• Speaker on top of watch to avoid sound being muffled by clothing.
• Water-resistant (not submersible).
• Atomic Clock Synchronization--daily check and update (U.S. and some international).
Please note that the talking watch Atomic Clock automatic updates for the United States will not work in Hawaii and Alaska, because no signal is available between those locations and the U.S. Atomic Clock in Colorado. Some of these watches can instead be manually set, and all of the other features will continue to work.
Rehabmart carries a large assortment of talking watches from notable vendors like MaxiAids and LSS.
Hulet Smith, OT
Rehabmart Co-Founder & CEO
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