WO2008130330A1

WO2008130330A1 - A multi function watch

Info

Publication number: WO2008130330A1
Application number: PCT/SG2008/000128
Authority: WO
Inventors: Pablo Blanco Monzon
Original assignee: Anomaly Pte Ltd
Priority date: 2007-04-18
Filing date: 2008-04-18
Publication date: 2008-10-30
Also published as: SG147329A1

Abstract

A watch comprising: a wireless module for detecting one or more predetermined watches within a wireless network of the watch; a timing unit coupled to the wireless module for determining a length of time during which the one or more predetermined watches detected are in the wireless network of the watch.

Description

A MULTI FUNCTION WATCH

FIELD OF INVENTJON

The present invention relates broadly to a watch capable of monitoring the amount of time spent in the vicinity of other watches and to a method for monitoring the time two or more individuals spent in each other's company.

BACKGROUND

In present day, with much advance in the development of wireless technologies such as Bluetooth, Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) or the like, wireless communication devices can be found in all walks of life. Examples of such communication devices for the mass consumer market are WLAN/Bluetooth enabled Desktops, Notebooks, Mobile phone, Personal Digital Assistants (PDA) and the accompanying wireless accessories such as wireless mouse, keyboard, headsets, microphone, webcam or the like. The main applications of such communication devices are for data files transfer e.g. for data backup purposes, Audio/video streaming e.g. for real-time conversation, and creating a wireless network e.g. for computer gaming.

On the other hand, there has been much advance in providing portable monitoring devices to the mass-market, allowing the user or wearer to monitor a great host of parameters in day to day life. Examples include devices for monitoring distances walked or jogged, calories burned, heart rate monitors, etc. The main application of such monitoring devices is for individuals monitoring their own respective parameters in a private and convenient manner. The present invention seeks to provide a watch that is capable of monitoring and measuring the amount of time spent in the vicinity of other watches to monitor the time two or more individuals spent in each other's company.

SUMMARY

In accordance with one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a watch comprising: a wireless module for detecting one or more predetermined watches within a wireless network of the watch; a timing unit coupled to the wireless module for determining a length of time during which the one or more predetermined watches detected are in the wireless network of the watch.

The watch may further comprises a memory module for storing one or more access codes associated with the one or more predetermined watches, and the timing unit matches the access codes stored in the memory module with access codes of one or more devices detected in the wireless network.

The timing unit may start measuring the length of time when one or more devices having access codes matching the access codes stored in the memory module are detected by the wireless module and stops measuring the length of time when said one or more devices are no longer detected.

The timing unit may start measuring the length of time when a wireless connection is established between the watch and one or more devices having access codes matching the access codes stored in the memory module and stops measuring the length of time when the wireless connection is broken.

The length of time during which the one or more predetermined watches detected are in the wireless network of the watch may be accumulated every time the one or more predetermined watches detected are in the wireless network. The watch may further comprise a display unit for displaying the length of time during which the one or more predetermined watches detected are in the wireless network of the watch.

The length of time during which the one or more predetermined watches detected are in the wireless network of the watch displayed in the display unit may be displayed in different time formats.

The display unit may further display the date when the one or more predetermined watches first entered the wireless network.

The watch may comprise an alerting unit for alerting a user when the one or more predetermined watches enter the wireless network.

The alerting unit may comprise a backlight unit for illuminating the or a display unit of the watch when the one or more predetermined watches enter the wireless network.

The alerting unit may comprise a vibrator unit.

The alerting unit may comprise a sound buzzer.

The watch may further comprise a transfer unit for transferring data representing the length of time during which the one or more predetermined watches detected are in the wireless network of the watch to other devices.

The transfer unit may comprise the wireless module.

The watch may comprise one or more operating modes of a group consisting of: displaying current time and date; displaying time across different time zones; alarm; countdown timer; and stopwatch.

The wireless network may operate with a radius of substantially 10 metres.

The wireless module may be based on Bluetooth Technology.

In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method for monitoring the time two or more individuals spent in each others company, the method comprising the steps of: detecting one or more predetermined watches within a wireless network of another watch utilizing a wireless module incorporated in said other watch; determining a length of time during which the one or more predetermined watches detected are in the wireless network of said other watch utilizing a timing unit that is coupled to the wireless module.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Embodiments of the invention will be better understood and readily apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art from the following written description, by way of example only, and in conjunction with the drawings, in which:

Figure 1 illustrates a diagram of a watch according to an example embodiment of the present invention.

Figure 2 is a schematic illustration of a processor module in a watch according to an example embodiment of the present invention.

Figure 3 illustrates a screen displaying current time and date under a TIME MODE provided in a watch according to an example embodiment of the present invention.

Figure 4 illustrates a usemame entering screen under a LOVE MODE provided in a watch according to an example embodiment of the present invention. Figure 5 illustrates a network user discovery screen under a GROUP MODE provided in a watch according to an example embodiment of the present invention.

Figure 6 illustrates a time spent display screen under a LOVE MODE provided in a watch according to an example embodiment of the present invention.

Figure 7 is a flowchart illustrating a method for monitoring the time two or more individuals spent in each other's company.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Example embodiments of the present invention include a pair or a group of watches capable of monitoring and measuring the amount of time spent between the watches when they enter the vicinity of one another. It is appreciated that these watches may be purchased in pairs or in groups.

Advantageously, example embodiments of the present invention can allow people to monitor, measure and keep record of the amount of time they spend with one another when they are in the vicinity of one another. For instance, between a pair of watches, a pair of lovers can keep track of the time they have spent together. Between a group of watches, a group of friends or a family can keep track of the time they have spent with each other. The time spent with each other starts counting from the moment the watch of the lover or the watch of a member of the group enters a wireless network of the watch of the other lover or the watch of another group member. The time stops counting when the watches leave the range of the wireless network. Upon re-entering the wireless network, the timer count is accumulated.

Figure 1 shows a digital watch 100 of an example embodiment of the present invention for monitoring and measuring the time spent with one or a group of specific watches. The watch 100 includes a casing 102 for holding the electrical/mechanical components of the watch 100 and a watchstrap 104 for holding the watch 100 on the wrist of a wearer.

Within the casing 102, there is a processor module 108 coupled to a plurality of electrical components for performing different functions. In the example embodiment, the processor module 108 is connected to a wireless module 110, a power source 112, an alerting unit 114, a display unit 106, a backlight unit 128 and four pushbuttons 118, 120, 122 and 124.

With reference to Figure 2, the processor module 108 in the example embodiment includes a processor 202, memory modules such as Random Access Memory (RAM) 204, Read Only Memory (ROM) 206 and Flash Memory 212 for storing data relating to the various watch operating modes and the instructions involved to execute the watch functions. In the example embodiment, the Flash Memory 212 contains a list of access codes associated with one or a group of specific watches. This list is used for identifying the specific watches belonging to individuals that the user would be interested to use his/her watch, for instance, watch 100, to measure the time he/she has spent his/her time with.

The processor module 108 also includes a number of Data Input/Output (!/O) interfaces, for example the I/O interface 208 to the display unit 106. The components of the processor module 108 typically communicate via an interconnected bus 210 and in a manner known to the person skilled in the relevant art.

Referring back to Figure 1 , the wireless module 110 is a Bluetooth Integrated Circuit in the example embodiment. It is appreciated that the wireless module 110 may be a Radio Frequency Integrated Circuit based on a proprietary protocol or protocols such as HomeRF, OpenAir, Wireless Local Area Network IEEE 802.11 based standards, or the like instead of Bluetooth. An antenna 126 is connected to the wireless module 110 for transmitting and receiving data wirelessly via Radio Frequency.

In the example embodiment, the watch 100 uses a Bluetooth Integrated Circuit that supports a wireless network with a working radius of up to 10 metres. Hence, the watch or watches of, for example, the lover or the members of a group, can detect one another when they move within 10 metres of one another. It is appreciated that Bluetooth Integrated Circuits supporting other working radius may be used.

In a Bluetooth wireless network, existing devices in the network can detect the presence of all Bluetooth activated devices entering the network. The following are two example methods of implementing a timer function on the processor module 108 coupled to the wireless module 110, for monitoring and measuring time spent between watches.

In the first method, when all the Bluetooth activated devices in the wireless network are detected, the processor module 108 compares the access code, received for each detected device during handshake, with each of the pre-stored access codes in the Flash Memory 212. If there is a match in the access codes, the processor module 108 will establish a wireless connection between the watch 100 and the specific watch or watches with the matching access codes. Immediately after connection is established, a timer for keeping track of the time spent between watch 100 and each of the connected watches is started. The timer or timers will keep running until watch 100 or the respective connected watches loses connection with each other, for instance, when the wearer of a specific watch walks out of the range of the wireless network. The timer will resume running from the time accumulated until the last connection is lost when the specific watch connects with the watch 100 again.

In the second method, the timer starts running immediately upon detection of the specific watch. As is understood in the art, Bluetooth activated devices periodically poll the surrounding area for the presence of other Bluetooth activated devices. When a Bluetooth activated device comes within the wireless network range and receives a polling message, the Bluetooth activated device entering the network will respond to the Bluetooth activated device that sends the polling message with an acknowledgement. When the Bluetooth activated device that sends the polling message receives the acknowledgement, the device entering the network is successfully detected. After a successful detection through polling, the processor module 108 immediately compares the access code, received in the acknowledgement from the detected device, with each of the pre-stored access codes in the Flash Memory 212. If there is a match in the access codes, the processor module 108 will start the timer for keeping track of the time spent between the watch 100 and the specific watch detected. The timer will keep running until the specific watch or watches can no longer be detected during the periodic polling by the watch 100. The timer will resume running from the time accumulated until the last unsuccessful detection when the specific watch or watches is successfully detected again through polling.

It is appreciated that the access codes may be Bluetooth device address uniquely assigned to the watches once they enter the network.

The power source 112 is a battery in the example embodiment. It is appreciated that the power source may be solar powered cells, motion powered, powered by various battery types, or the like. The power source 112 may also be a combination of two or more power sources.

The alerting unit 114 may be a sound buzzer/ringer for sounding an alarm, a vibrator or the like. The vibrator may be a Direct Current electric motor with mechanical unbalanced weight (mass) on its driveshaft that will cause the rotating weight to resonate when the motors are switched on. The watch 100 may include more than one alerting units. The alerting unit 114 may also be in the form of a backlight unit 128 described below.

The display unit 106 is a Liquid Crystal Display (LCD) for displaying time and data messages in the example embodiment. It is appreciated that a 7-segment display utilizing Light Emitting Diodes (LED), or other suitable display means may be used to display time and data. The time displayed may be in the form of Arabic numerals, or text/numerals representing time in other languages, or appear graphically in the form of a digital clock. The data displayed in the example embodiment may be in the form of text or pictures.

The backlight unit 128 may be a Light Emitting Diode (LED) used for lighting up or illuminating the display unit 106 for viewing the time and data displayed on the display unit 106 in the dark. In the example embodiment, the backlight unit 128 lights up for a short period of time when switched on. It is appreciated that other known forms of illuminating the display unit 106 may be used.

The four pushbuttons 118, 120, 122 and 124 are fitted at areas on the casing 102 that are accessible to the wearer. Each of the four pushbuttons 1 18, 120, 122 and 124 has their own functions. The functions performed by each push button are preprogrammed and processed at the processor module 108. Examples of typical functions of the pushbuttons are as follow:

- initiating adjustments to the time/data displayed on the display unit 106;

- select watch modes to perform different functions, e.g. stopwatch mode, countdown timer mode, Geographical Time Zone display mode, or the like;

- increment time or data settings;

- decrement time or data settings;

- scroll forward items/fields listed on the display unit 106;

- scroll backwards items/fields listed on the display unit 106; - Start/Stop stopwatch or countdown timer;

- Split/Reset stopwatch or countdown timer;

- On/Off Alarm;

- Set time to 12 or 24 hours display format;

- Switch On/Off the backlight unit 128; - Select items listed/fields on the display unit 106. More pushbuttons may be added as appropriate to facilitate performing existing functions in the watch 100 or more functions. For example, a dedicated pushbutton may be added for purposes of switching on/off the backlight unit 128.

In the example embodiment, the processor module 108 is programmed to count its clock cycles and translate them into electrical signals to drive the time shown on the display unit 106. It is appreciated that a quartz crystal module separately connected to the processor module 108 may be used to trigger the clock timing instead of utilising the internal clock of the processor module 108.

In the example embodiment, the watch 100 has two operating modes.

The first mode of the watch 100 is "WATCH MODE", which encompasses displaying current time and date.

With reference to Figure 3, in the example embodiment, the WATCH MODE is indicated by the word "Watch" 302 on the top left hand corner of the display unit 106. The time format is displayed on the top right hand corner of the display unit 106. In Figure 3, the time format is "24H" which represents that the time displayed is in the 24 hours format. "12H" would indicate time in the 12 hours format. The time is displayed in Arabic numerals and appears in various fields i.e. current hour of the day 304, current minute of the hour 306, current second of the minute 308, current day of the week 310, current month 314, current day of the month 312, and current year 316.

Under the WATCH MODE, the upper left hand corner pushbutton 118 is for adjusting the time displayed. Pressing pushbutton 118 will scroll through all the fields and select one field at a time. The selected field will blink to indicate that the selected field can now be adjusted. The upper right hand corner pushbutton 120 is for decreasing the field by one unit and the lower right hand corner pushbutton 124 is for increasing the field by one unit. For instance, if the day of the week 310 field, which is now indicated as "SUN" representing Sunday, is selected, pressing button 120 once will cause "SUN" to change to "SAT", thereby changing the display from Sunday to Saturday. The lower left hand corner pushbutton 122 is for scrolling through the two modes of the watch 100. The current mode illustrated in Figure 3 is the WATCH MODE. Hence, pressing pushbutton 122 once will cause the mode to change to the second mode.

In the example embodiment, the second mode of the watch 100 is "LOVE MODE".

The watch 100 has a pre-assigned usemame and the user does not need to enter a usemame for the watch 100.

When the LOVE MODE is selected, in the case of measuring time spent with only one specific watch, a time spent display screen 416 as shown in Figure 4 is displayed.

The time spent display screen 416 displays on the display unit 106 the amount of time in which the watch 100 is in the vicinity of the other watch or watches, determined using e.g. one of the two methods described above. The LOVE MODE is indicated by the word "Love" 302 on the top left hand corner of the display unit 106.

The usemame of a connected watch associated with the time spent display screen 416 in the present example is "Mary" 304. The connected watch's usemame is indicated on the upper right hand corner of the display unit 106. The time spent when the two watches are together is displayed in Arabic numerals and is represented in various fields, i.e. the number of years 402, months 404, weeks 406, days 408, hours 410, minutes 412 and seconds 414 that the watches were in the vicinity of each other. The day 312, month 314 and year 316 of the first connection made with the watch with username "Mary" 304 is displayed at the bottom of the time spent display screen 416.

It is appreciated that the time format displayed may be in seconds, minutes, hours, days, weeks or years. For example, instead of displaying the normal time format "OY OM 1W OD Oh Om 0s", which is equivalent to 1 week of connection, the time format being displayed may be configured to display in seconds i.e. 604800s, in weeks i.e. 1W, in years i.e. 0.019Y, or the like. In the case of measuring time spent between a specific group of watches, the watches of the group each have a GROUP MODE corresponding to the LOVE MODE described above. With reference to Figure 5, when the GROUP MODE 302 is selected, a Bluetooth network discovery list 504 for listing the usernames of the specific watches in the vicinity of the watch 100 is displayed.

The Bluetooth network discovery list 504 contains a list of all the usernames of the watches belonging to the members in the specific group that have entered the wireless network of the watch 100 and have started the timers to keep track of the time spent between the watches in the group.

In the example embodiment, pushbutton 120 is used for scrolling through the Bluetooth network discovery list 504. Pressing pushbutton 120 moves a cursor 502 to the next user, in this case "Mary" 508, on the Bluetooth network discovery list 504. If the cursor 502 is at the last name "Tom" 510, pressing pushbutton 120 will move the cursor 502 back to "Matthew" 506. When the cursor 502 is highlighting a particular usemame, pressing pushbutton 124 will display the time spent display screen 416 associated with the highlighted username on the display unit 106. In the present example relating to time spent in connection with a group of specific watches, the time spent display screen 416 associated with a selected username will appear for 5 seconds before changing back to display the Bluetooth network discovery list 504. This provides the opportunity for the user of the watch 100 to select and view the time spent display screens 416 associated with other usernames on the Bluetooth network discovery list 504.

It is appreciated that the watch 100 may allow the username associated with the access codes, e.g. the Bluetooth device address, to be customised and edited instead of using a pre-assigned username such as "watch 1". In this case, with reference to Figure 6, when the LOVE or GROUP MODE is selected by pressing pushbutton 122 for the first time, the watch 100 will prompt the user to enter a username for the watch 100 by displaying a username entering screen 608. In the usemame entering screen 608, a table of text characters 602 appears on the display unit 106 for selection by the user. A space 604 is provided on the display unit 106 for displaying each character entered for the username. In this example, the user scrolls through the characters using pushbutton 120. Pressing pushbutton 120 moves a cursor 606 to the next character in the table 602. The order of cursor movement when pushbutton 120 is pressed is predetermined and pre-programmed. Pressing pushbutton 124 when the cursor 606 falls onto a character selects the character and this character will appear on the space 604 provided for username display. In Figure 6, more characters would be revealed when the cursor 606 moves out of the username entering screen 608 displayed. In addition, when the cursor 606 is moved passed the last character, the cursor 606 will return to the first character. In this example, after the username entry is completed, the user presses pushbutton 118 to close the username entering screen 608 and display the Bluetooth network discovery list 504.

In the example embodiment, pushbutton 118 is used to adjust the time format displayed in the time spent display screen (e.g. 416 in Figure 4) associated with a connected user. It can also be used to customise and edit the username of the watch 100.

In the example embodiment, pressing pushbutton 118 once when the Bluetooth network discovery list 504 or the time spent display screen 416 is displayed in the LOVE or

GROUP MODE will call out a time format changing screen that is similar to the time spent display screen 416. However, the username field 304 on the top right hand corner and the date of first connection with a user displayed at the bottom of the time spent display screen 416 will be left empty. If the existing time format is in the normal format, the time displayed at the centre of the time format changing screen will indicate zero time and appear as "OY OM OW OD Oh Om 0s". If the existing time format is in seconds, the format displayed will appear as "0s". The same, i.e. displaying of zero time, will apply for other formats as well. Pressing pushbutton 120 will scroll over a list of predefined time formats stored in the watch 100. When the desired format is displayed on the screen, pressing pushbutton 118 a second time will exit the time format changing screen. After which, the Bluetooth network discovery list 504 or time spent display screen 416 displayed previously just before the pushbutton 1 18 is pressed for the first time will be displayed again.

If the feature to customise and edit username is implemented, pushbutton 118 can be set such that pressing it once when the Bluetooth network discovery list 504 or the time spent display screen 416 is displayed will call out the username entering screen 608 for the user to change his or her username instead of the time format changing screen. The first character of the existing username will blink to indicate to the user that it is ready for change. Changing of username would be similar to entering the username as described previously with reference to Figure 4. After closing the username entering screen 608, the Bluetooth network discovery list 504 or time spent display screen 416 displayed just before the pushbutton 118 is pressed for the first time will be displayed again. In this example, pressing pushbutton 118 consecutively for two times at the Bluetooth network discovery list 504 or time spent display screen 416 will call out the time format changing screen.

The watch 100 of the example embodiment may include a feature to alert its wearer whenever another watch with an access code matching the access codes pre-stored in the watch 100 has entered the wireless network and has started the timer. Examples of methods of alerting via the alerting unit 114 may include sounding a buzzer or activating a vibrator that vibrates the watch. Other examples may be to activate the backlight unit 128 to glow for a few seconds, or the like. An alerting method selection screen can be created to allow the user to select the type of alerting method or to disable alerting. Alternatively, the pushbuttons may be used to select the type of alerting method or to disable alerting.

The watch 100 may further include a BACKUP MODE for transferring the data relating to the time spent details of every connected user watch to other devices supporting Bluetooth. In this case, unlike the LOVE or GROUP MODE where only specific watches interact with the watch 100, all the Bluetooth activated devices detected are displayed on the display unit 106, and can be selected for data transfer with the watch 100. Data stored in the watch 100 such as the amount of time spent together, the day of first connection, etc. with a specific watch could be transferred into the other Bluetooth enabled devices as backup.

For example, the watch 100 would appear as a removable disk drive on a Notebook supporting Bluetooth. The removable disk drive when viewed on the Notebook contains numerous data files related to the LOVE or GROUP MODE. Each data file may be named after each username of a specific person or the members of a specific group that are allowed data transfer with the watch 100. Each data file would contain the data relating to the time spent in connection with the watch under the username. The data files can be copied to the Hard Disk Drive of the Notebook for backup. One of the data files may be the list of access codes of devices allowed data transfer with the watch 100. The data files may be opened by an application for editing the data contained therein, for instance, adjusting the time spent together with one another. New data files relating to new members of the specific group may be created and access codes in the data file containing the list of access codes may be added to allow the new member. Usernames being displayed on the watch can also be edited by changing the data filenames. Other Bluetooth enabled devices besides the Bluetooth enabled Notebook as described may include Personal Computers with Bluetooth module installed, Personal Digital Assistants, mobile phones or the like.

Figure 7 shows a flowchart 700 illustrating a method for monitoring the time two or more individuals spent in each other's company according to the example embodiment.

Step 702 involves detecting one or more predetermined watches within a wireless network of another watch utilizing a wireless module incorporated in said other watch; and

Step 704 involves determining a length of time during which the one or more predetermined watches detected are in the wireless network of said other watch utilizing a timing unit that is coupled to the wireless module. It is appreciated that the watch 100 may include other modes such as Geographical Time Zone display mode i.e. displaying time across different time zones, Alarm Mode for user to store a time to alert himself or herself, Countdown Timer Mode, Stopwatch Mode, or the like. More examples of features of other possible modes are data recording, heart rate measurements, Global Positioning System detection, Thermometer, or the like.

It is also appreciated that the watch 100 may include features such as a dedicated display screen to enable users to shutdown the discovery process of the Bluetooth wireless network by the watch 100. This is useful for saving battery power in the continuous polling process undertaken by the wireless module 1 10. This feature may be enabled for instance when the user is very sure that he/she would not be spending time with his/her lover or group of friends or family for a period of time.

It is further appreciated that the casing 102 and the back cover 144 of the watch 100 of the example embodiment may be made waterproof or shockproof using known methods.

It will be appreciated by a person skilled in the art that numerous variations and/or modifications may be made to the present invention as shown in the specific embodiments without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention as broadly described. The present embodiments are, therefore, to be considered in all respects to be illustrative and not restrictive.

Claims

1. A watch comprising: a wireless module for detecting one or more predetermined watches within a 5 wireless network of the watch; a timing unit coupled to the wireless module for determining a length of time • during which the one or more predetermined watches detected are in the wireless network of the watch.

10 2. The watch as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the watch further comprises a memory module for storing one or more access codes associated with the one or more predetermined watches, and the timing unit matches the access codes stored in the memory module with access codes of one or more devices detected in the wireless network.

15

3. The watch as claimed in claim 2, wherein the timing unit starts measuring the length of time when one or more devices having access codes matching the access codes stored in the memory module are detected by the wireless module and stops measuring the length of time when said one or more

20 devices are no longer detected.

4. The watch as claimed in claim 2, wherein the timing unit starts measuring the length of time when a wireless connection is established between the watch and one or more devices having access codes matching the access codes stored in the

25 memory module and stops measuring the length of time when the wireless connection is broken.

5. The watch as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the length of time during which the one or more predetermined watches detected are in

30 the wireless network of the watch is accumulated every time the one or more predetermined watches detected are in the wireless network.

6. The watch as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the watch further comprises a display unit for displaying the length of time during which the one or more predetermined watches detected are in the wireless network of the watch.

7. The watch as claimed in claim 6, wherein the length of time during which the one or more predetermined watches detected are in the wireless network of the watch displayed in the display unit can be displayed in different time formats.

8. The watch as claimed in claims 6 or 7, wherein the display unit further displays the date when the one or more predetermined watches first entered the wireless network.

9. The watch as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the watch comprises an alerting unit for alerting a user when the one or more predetermined watches enter the wireless network.

10. The watch as claimed in claim 9, wherein the alerting unit comprises backlight unit for illuminating the or a display unit of the watch when the one or more predetermined watches enter the wireless network.

11. The watch as claimed in claims 9 or 10, wherein the alerting unit comprises a vibrator unit.

12. The watch as claimed in any one of claims 9 to 11 , wherein the alerting unit comprises a sound buzzer.

13. The watch as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, further comprising a transfer unit for transferring data representing the length of time during which the one or more predetermined watches detected are in the wireless network of the watch to other devices.

14. The watch as claimed in claim 13, wherein the transfer unit comprises the wireless module.

15. The watch as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the watch comprises one or more operating modes of a group consisting of: displaying current time and date; displaying time across different time zones; alarm; countdown timer; and stopwatch.

16. The watch as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the wireless network operates with a radius of substantially 10 metres.

17. The watch as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the wireless module is based on Bluetooth Technology.

18. A method for monitoring the time two or more individuals spent in each other's company, the method comprising the steps of: detecting one or more predetermined watches within a wireless network of another watch utilizing a wireless module incorporated in said other watch; determining a length of time during which the one or more predetermined watches detected are in the wireless network of said other watch utilizing a timing unit that is coupled to the wireless module.