This is a LCD game set up to look like a watch. This did NOT function as a watch, all it did was play a mini game. Made by Tiger Electronics, these are not too common. The Sonic head is also fragile, so you can find broken ones. From the screen shot, you can see that you could dodge badniks (buzz bomber) had lives, and it kept score. Want to see the manual? It's on SonicRetro. MIP, Screen Shot images by ChickenEater, discovered by PiplupFan77

The watch itself is made of hard yellow plastic for the main body and band clip, with a softer yellow plastic for the band and band retainer ring. the 3D image of Sonic is produced in a much softer flexable yellow plastic, and then painted on the outer face only. the painting is fairly good, although on the reviewed item, there was some areas around the right hand where it joined to/became the watch face where the paint wasn't quite up to the line. there are reports that this plastic is fragile and tears easily; it would likely be damaged if someone dug their fingernail into it, but otherwise seems flexable enough to generally remain intact.
The manual shows the watch having five buttons; three coloured ones on the front face, a mode button on the left side which apparently swaps between play and demo, and a sound button on the right (the arrow points to the 3D sonics elbow). however on the reviewed item the sound button was absent altogether, and the mode button was only a slightly raised lump in the chassis casting; also non-functional, suggesting the manual was perhaps printed before the watch design was finalised. the three buttons on the front control Sonics position; back, forward, and jump/start. the speaker is in the back plate, meaning if the plate covering the battery were removed and lost, the game would have no sound. the music itself is typical of most hand held LCD games and amounts to little more than a string of tinny beeps; the tune is perhaps bearable, and beeps whenever one of the buttons is pressed, or if sonic is hit or dies.

Being that it is an LCD game, the 'watch' face doesn't move. it is thus a fairly colourfully painted, slightly metallic factory style scene reminisent of Robotniks base or the Scrap Brain Zone. the actual LCD figures are modelled in good liknesses of the characters. the score and sonics faces (depicting the remaining lives) are drawn in the top left corner.
The badniks and Sonic are slightly animated by virtue of bits of the LCD turning on and off, i.e. Ballhog 'appears' to move his arm, by switching the seperate 'arm' graphic on and off while throwing a grenade. Sonic is thus drawn in a fixed standing pose while on the platforms, and in a fixed spin pose while in the air; due to using several sprites in different positions on the screen while jumping, he appears to jump with feet together and eyes facing upwards in the first sprite, in a spin ball in the second at the apex of the jump, and in a second slightly rotated spin ball in the third on the decent. jumping thus plays all three in order, taking perhaps a second to complete and giving the illusion of motion.

in contrast with most LCD games, the gameplay is actually rather involved, although still very basic by platform standards. sonic stands on one of two platforms while badniks randomly pop onto the screen and depending on the enemy fire at you after a short delay. the rightmost platform is generally reserved only as a place to stand to dodge/avoid fire, as the aerial enemies cannot be attacked from this position, and if enemies such as caterkiller appear while standing there it's instant death. thus 99% of the time the player stands on the left platform.
the manual shows which badnik will turn up in each level, along with how many there are per level; level one sees six of each Buzz Bomber and Batbrain, level two sees nine of both, plus nine ballhogs, stage 3 sees twelve of each plus twelve caterkillers, and level four introduces the orbinaut, with a total of 15 of each badnik.

it should be noted that there is a minor degree of skill when facing the badniks; the Batbrain mostly just sits there waiting to be attacked, while the Buzzbomber fires at the left platform after a short delay. Ballhog appears to the left of the left platform and throws grenades into the area sonic would be in during a jump attack at an aerial enemy; often more than one enemy will be on the screen at the same time, requiring a touch of strategy to defeat them. i.e. Ballhog will fire on Sonic while he's attacking the fliers, who will also shoot at Sonic if he stands on the left platform for too long. caterkiller will often appear if the player is standing on the right platform, but if the player is standing on the left platform when Caterkiller turns up, pressing the right button will attack rather than simply moving to the platform.
Orbinaut turns up with the ring of bombs, however due to the LCD animation limitations these are in a fixed pose; he fires them straight outward (i.e. into the aerial attack space) and the player must wait until after he's fired to attack, or risk injury on the ring, or contact with the fired bomb.

After all the enemies are defeated in each level, Robotnik himself shows up in his eggmobile, again lobbing bombs into the aerial space, which fall towards the left platform; they can be dodged by jumping. Attacking robotnik involves pressing the right button and should be done after the bomb has been jumped, otherwise sonic will usually return to the left platform after the attack while the bomb is still moving through that space. at higher levels (level three onwards), Robotnik also launches flame at the platforms, limiting the time Sonic can attack and forcing him to jump as it passes underneath. four hits to Robotnik sees the good doctor beaten, afterwhich an emerald appears in the aerial space; grabbing it replaces a life and starts the next level.
Unfortunately despite its looks, this item does not function as a watch and cannot tell the time. This is perhaps the only drawback to an otherwise fun item. when not in play, the game acts in demo mode; sonic attacking and occasionally getting hit by random badniks. fortunately the sound remains off in demo mode.

Game Description added by: Lynx Traveller