It’s amusing how I have reached a point when I begin to think about my past in terms of the “then current” technology. I might look at a VHS cassette tape and think fondly to bygone years when that was how we watched movies. Such nostalgic thoughts are increasing in frequency as mainstream technology quickly goes in and out of modernity. Do you remember the roughly 15-year period from the early to mid 1980s to the late 1990s when it was common to present someone with a mix tape? Even with the advent of compact discs, it was easier to create a mix tape versus a writable CD, as it involved technology that was still complex to use and expensive in the late 1990s. Now the mix tape and the CD (practically) are phased out. We are left with virtually intangible musical playlists that we send and receive. So the concept of presenting someone with a personalized soundtrack still exists, but it is just not the same.

The poorest person with almost no technical knowledge could assort a mix of songs on a tape. It was  thus one of the cheapest and most heartfelt gifts and symbols of affection that one could give to another. That combined with the hand written notes on the tape surface make for emotionally charged, yet obsolete tokens of our past. In response to the positive feelings most of us attribute to mix tapes, Levi’s has released the Mix Tape watch. The relatively inexpensive timepiece cleverly transforms the surface of a tape into a watch face. The two tape reels are turned into a date and day of the week indicator, and simple block hands are used to tell the time. I appreciate how faithfully the shape and look of a cassette tape has been recreated in the watch case. The simple metal bracelet is comfortable and 80’s era stylish.

Levi’s makes a few fashion watches, but this yellow-faced Mix Tape watch is the best of them.  Inside is a quartz movement powering the watch. The nicest touch is the hand drawn emulation of “Mix Tape” on the face of the watch. Prices go for about $150 – $200 depending on where you find them.

See Levi’s watches on eBay here.

See Levi’s watches on Amazon here. [phpbay]levis | mix tape | cassette, num, “14324”, “”[/phpbay]