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Photo & Video Cameras


$60,000 for a Spy-Like Camera Watch from 1969

Made, of course, by a Swiss company

By Tudor Raiciu, Technology and Science Editor

17th of December 2007, 11:18 GMT

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Kilfitt UKA 659
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We're not advertising this eBay seller, but you have to admit this is one hell of a watch. Even in today's digitized world of super small gadgets, this Kilfitt UKA 659 still makes quite an impression.

Admittedly, it's not the watch itself, but the miniaturized camera that makes the jaws drop. Developed in 1969 by a Swiss company, only one Kilfitt UKA 659 was ever built, making this antique camera-watch even more precious. But before we talk more about how precious it is, let's see some specs.

Kilfitt UKA 659
Enlarge picture
Images are recorded on a special "Camera 8 Picture 5,6 x 5,6 mm" film, but it's likely that you'll never find such a type of medium in today's photographic shops. However, notice that it has a Kilar lens with a 10.5mm fixed focal length and a maximum aperture of f/3. A 10.5mm focal length produces fisheye perspectives on 35mm film and smaller and full-frame digital sensors. This, corroborated with the fact that the watch's spec list say that we're dealing with a telephoto lens, means that this film format produces about the same picture angle as a modern compact digital camera with a tiny sensor.

You can even set the shutter speed from 1/15 to 1/1000 by rotating a dial and it seems that there's also a photo cell to evaluate exposure.

Kilfitt UKA 659
Enlarge picture
The seller says that the camera watch is in mint condition, which is again pretty impressive for such a miniaturized item from 1969. And now, back to the precious part: the Kilfitt UKA 659 retails for around $60,000, which is a lot of money by anyone's definition.

But hey, if you happen to be an eccentric rich dude or dudess, who has a thing for James Bond like devices (old James Bond like devices that is), this might be perfect for you! Just be sure to ask the seller about the exact type of film it uses.

We are just a few, but there are many of you, Softpedia users, out there. That's why we thought it would be a good idea to create an email address for you to help us a little in finding gadgets we missed. Interesting links are bound to be posted with recognition going mainly to those who submit. The address is .

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film camera | watch | Kilfitt
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