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Now it is official – the German watch manufacturer POINTtec will be presenting a model series on the subject of football for the first time by the end of the year – the Kicker Spielzeit POINTtec Watch
For this event, the company is cooperating with Kicker – the German football newspaper par excellence! The chosen name of the series “Spielzeit” (which means playing time) is significant.
Instead of a conventional chronograph with the Kicker branding, POINTtec is launching a watch that scores with true functionality. So much in advance: The chronograph would be a real enrichment for every referee. On board is a special stop function, the so-called referee function. It makes it possible to determine the correct stoppage time – before everyone else in the stadium. Even before the market launch, I had the opportunity to test one of the first models extensively.
A cooperation for the anniversary – Kicker Spielzeit POINTtec Review
The release of the game time models could hardly be more appropriate. Even though football, like so many other industries, is drawn to Corona. The Kicker, Germany’s most renowned football newspaper, will celebrate its 100th anniversary in 2020. In addition to the chronographs, there will also be two season models with GMT function. Kicker Spielzeit POINTTec Watch.
The first impression
POINTtec has sent me the Kicker Spielzeit Chronograph (Ref. 3578) in two versions. The two models differ only in the color of the dial, which will be available in black and white, and in the bracelets. All other specifications are the same. At first glance, the football watch has a functional design – never too playful, but minimalist and functional. I also like the color palette. Black and white with the red characteristic accents of the Kicker magazine. The Spielzeit looks qualitatively well manufactured. But you are already used to this from other POINTtec models. The stainless steel case feels high quality. The chronograph also cuts a fine figure on the wrist. The functional and simple design fits to different outfits – from a shirt in the office to a jersey in the stadium.
There are two different bracelets depending on the color of the dial. So you are spoilt for choice: an elegant leather strap for everyday use or a sporty silicone strap for sports. These also have to be put under the microscope. The leather strap is supplied with the white dial, the silicone strap with the black dial.
Dial, movement and Co of the Kicker Spielzeit POINTtec Watch
The sporty and functional dial is protected by K1 safety glass. This is similarly scratch-resistant as sapphire glass, but is much cheaper and lighter. The dial itself is very clearly designed. In addition to the main dial, there are three totalizers at 6, 9 and 12 o’clock which support timekeeping. The upper one shows a 1/20 stop-second, while the lower totalizer contains the small second. Kicker Spielzeit POINTtec Watch. However, the most exciting is the stop minute at 9 o’clock. I will explain how to use it to determine the stoppage time of a football game.
The Kicker logo and the game time lettering are at 3 o’clock. There is also a rectangular date window. Minuterie and indices are printed cleanly, which you can expect from a production Made in Germany. In the upper left quarter of the dial is the so-called “overtime” area. The red colored numbers start again from the beginning. Here you can read the remaining time of the overtime.
The red color accents give the watch something impulsive. Now that I have both model variants lying side by side on the table, I have to say that I like the black dial a bit better. To me it seems even more aggressive and sporty. But that’s a matter of taste, as you know.
Inside the Spielzeit Chronograph beats a heart of quartz. More precisely, it is a Citizen/MIYOTA quartz movement, which is known for its robustness and durability. A use in this price range is remarkable
Much wearing comfort with the bracelets
I have been wearing the Kicker Spielzeit on my wrist for the last few days as a Daily Rocker, each with the different bracelets. My first choice was the leather strap, whose soft inner side I particularly liked. When doing sports, I switched to the silicone strap, which is of course much more practical, especially when you move around. Even though I love leather straps more than anything else, in the end, I decided to stick with silicone watch bands. It can even withstand a spilling beer in the stadium.
What is it about the referee function…
In football games, time is so important. Sure, one half is 45 minutes long, overtime is 30 minutes long, and injury time is far too long anyway. Time is often the central element why we find football so exciting and love it so much. That’s because it is limited and runs out. Time is the decisive factor in deciding whether you can make it through a lead or score the follow-on or winning goal. And the most legendary dramas are always in the injury time.
In fact, I’m almost surprised that the subject of football, where time is so crucial, has only now been taken up in a watch. Its function already carries the game time in its name. That’s right, it can measure the length of injury time. This means that the wearer knows how much extra time is left before the referee announces the time.
How does this work? Before the game starts, the minute hand is reset by pulling the crown out and then started by pushing it in when the game begins. By simultaneously pressing the red pusher at 2 o’clock, the watch second (above 6 o’clock) and the stop minute (at 9 o’clock) will now run alongside the main dial. If the game is now interrupted, the main dial continues to run, but the stop minute stops as soon as the red button is pressed. If you press the button again when the game is resumed, the stop time also continues to run. Thus, in the course of the game, a difference to the constantly running minute hand is formed. At the end of the game, this is the overtime, which can be read on the totalizer. To reset to the second half, press the pusher at 4 o’clock and repeat the previous steps.
If an extra time is due, pull the crown out again and set the minute hand, i.e. the main dial, to 9 o’clock. The overtime area with its red indices marks the remaining 15 minutes until the end of half time. If you now press the red pusher in addition to the crown, you activate the stop time. The principle is the same as before. The stoppage time is the difference between the two measured times.
My conclusion about the Kicker Spielzeit POINTtec Watch
I have to admit, at the beginning I had my reservations about a watch with a branding. Often in such cases it is just an unloving product with the name of a big company and a hefty surcharge – the goal: maximum profit. During the cooperation between POINTtec and the Kicker I learned that there are other ways to do it. The Spielzeit Chronograph is a watch that I have never seen before. This is mainly due to the ingenious stop function for measuring the overtime. The Kicker Spielzeit POINTtec Watch understands how to combine the themes of time and football in a functional and meaningful way. In addition, it has a very good workmanship as well as the unbeatable price of 199€, which according to POINTtec is once again significantly cheaper than a comparable watch.
To which target groups does the watch now address itself? Certainly sworn football fans, for whom the Kicker is very important. Beyond that, however, you don’t have to be a watch connoisseur to have fun with the game time at football games and in everyday life. On the other hand, all other watch enthusiasts should also take a closer look at the game time – because of the unique function, and of the unbeatable price, for which one looks in vain elsewhere for a chronograph with this quality.
A great watch, a nice game and a lot of functions – what more could you want? Then everything should be ready for the kick-off!
Gallery Kicker Spielzeit POINTtec Watch:
Raffle:
Win the chronograph and the GMT in the kicker lottery until 8.11.2020 at the market launch of the season watches. Visit @kicker and follow the terms and conditions of the lottery post. Good luck!
Kicker Spielzeit POINTtec Watch here:
https://www.pointtec.de/kicker/de/
https://www.instagram.com/kicker_uhren/
More about POINTtec:
https://www.watchdavid.com/?s=POINttec