Windward Instruments Barometer and Thermo Hygro now Available

Windward Instruments new Brass Barometer, and Thermometer Hygrometer are now available. The instruments are both priced under $50.00 and are available for immediate order. Windward has named these instruments the "Dinghy" collections, and plans to add a matching quartz clock to the line soon.

The instruments will be available exclusively at WindwardStore.com, and BellClocks.com.

About the Windward Instruments Brass Barometer: FEATURES: Lightweight Lacquered Brass Case with Open Back (suitable for wall or plaque mounting) - Classic Dial Design - Full Circumference Display - Gold Tone "Set" Needle to track change - Easy Access Set Screw on Rear - Heavy Shatter Resistant Plastic Lens. DIMENSIONS: 3 3/4" Dial, 4 1/4" Base (rear flange), 1 3/4" Deep. DISPLAY RANGE: 28 - 31.99 Hg, 940 - 1069 hPa. Includes 3 mounting screws. 1 Year Warranty. Made in France.

About the Windward Instruments Brass Thermo Hygro: FEATURES: Lightweight Lacquered Brass Case with Open Back (suitable for wall or plaque mounting) - Displays F and C Temperature - Classic Euro Dial Design - "Normal" range indication for RH - Heavy Shatter Resistant Plastic Lens. DIMENSIONS: 3 3/4" Dial, 4 1/4" Base (rear flange), 1 3/4" Deep. THERMOMETER DISPLAY RANGE: -4 to 140 F, -20 to 60 C. HYGROMETER DISPLAY RANGE: 0 - 100% RH, with "normal" range indicated (40% - 70%). Includes 3 mounting screws. 1 Year Warranty. Made in France.


BellClocks
a Division of Windward Instruments

Windward Instruments to Launch own Weather Instruments

Windward Instruments brand weather instruments will be available online at The Windward Store upon launch, and will be available at BellClocks.com shortly thereafter.

Windward Instruments will initially offer 2 weather instruments which match each other in size and design and offer very affordable pricing - below $50.00 (pictured above).

The instruments include a Barometer, and Thermometer Hygrometer (hydrometer) or "comfortmeter".

Both will feature a lightweight lacquered brass case in open back design, with shatter resistant plastic crystal lens, and french movements. Dial size will be around 3 3/4", with a rear diameter of around 4 1/4" and depth of 1 3/4". The instruments will include mounting screws, and will carry a 1 Year Warranty.

The Windward Instruments Barometer will feature the popular "old fashioned" dial design, with "change" at center top of dial.

One feature of the Windward Instruments barometer which is unique in this price range is that it utilizes the full dial for display of measurements similar to some higher priced hi-sensitivity units. The advantage is that small changes in pressure are very evident, as the indicator moves further to indicate change.

The Thermo Hygro favors an easy to ready "European" design, with separate indicators for temperature and humidity. Temperature will be displayed in the upper dial, and humidity displayed lower dial. Humidity range indicates "normal" range for comfort.

More information will be released soon.

BellClocks.com
a Division of Windward Instruments

Christmas Shopping Online Volume 3

Reposted from 2006 by popular request!

Welcome to Volume 3, our last installment of BellClocks Christmas Shopping Online. This volume will focus on "too good to be true" and online security.

Please review the first 2 Volumes, as they work hand in hand with the information we'll present today to help keep you safer while shopping online.

Every year the number of online shoppers increases, and the money spent increases exponentially. The vast majority of shoppers use credit or debit cards to make purchases, over 90%, and the majority of merchants don't accept checks or mailed payments. Most credit card companies offer some form of protection against fraudlent charges, so our suggestions will focus on common sense ways to protect yourself even more.

1. "Too good to be true" deals are usually just that. Chances are not likely that you will find a $1,000 item for $9.95 with free shipping - but you'll see "deals" like this advertised all over the web. Simply put, we recommend ignoring these "offers". These cons are normally designed to collect information via an order form or similar instrument, many times including credit card information, and the result is never good.

2. Phishing/fake websites: These are websites that are designed to collect personal information through a number of scams. Many are designed to appear like an online store. We suggest that you look for business information as described in Volume 1. Unless you are comfortable with the site, don't fill out any forms at the site.

3. You can take an additional step in verification by verifying business information with the State they are located in. Nearly every State requires retail merchants to complete a licensing procedure, and many States now provide that information via a State website. This is an invaluable resource to shoppers that is not utilized often enough.

4. Many online shoppers are beginning to use the new Internet Explorer 7 browser which features a "phishing" filter built in. There are several problems being reported with this filter, genuine sites are being identified as "phishing" sites - while phishing sites are not always being identified as a threat. The best way to know, is to verify information yourself - and with the tools we've mentioned, this can be done with little effort.

5. Looking for "secure" areas where you input your credit card information.

Most browsers has some indication of a secure connection. Most have a picture of some kind
(a padlock, safe, etc.) and/or the colors yellow or red (the address bar on your browser will feature a
color to indicate a secure connection). When you have done your shopping, and are checking out with the perfect Christmas present, you should see some indication of secure connection when you get to the credit card input area.

In simple terms, a secure connection encrypts (scrambles) any information you give - much like "codes"
used by the military. It's done electronically, is then "decoded" by software. Encryption makes collection of your information very difficult, as the "scrambling" effect would make information appear as random text until properly decoded.

We hope hope the information we've provided is helpful in giving ideas on ways to be more secure while shopping online. We invite you to check out our retail site, bellclocks.com, for examples of some of the items we've mentioned. Please contact us through the blog if you have any questions.

Please visit us online at: http://bellclocks.com
a Division of Windward Instruments

Christmas Shopping online Volume 2

Welcome to Volume 2 of BellClocks Christmas shopping online. This article is "reposted" from last year. This volume will focus on policy and service issues. These are especially important if you are shopping online for Christmas gifts and need delivery prior to the big day.

Remember to arm yourself with the information discussed in Volume 1 first, then move into this information.

Customer Service

As you shop online you will notice that nearly every business website boasts of excellent customer service. Since the only meaningful judgement of excellent service is the individual customer, we have some suggestions of easy ways to test these service statements.

1. Send an email or customer service request through the site. This may give you an idea of what to expect. No business is perfect, so be patient but expect a reply. If you're wondering what to say or ask in this message, honestly tell them you are testing their service.

2. Another test could be to contact them by phone. Again, be patient but expect a reply. Many businesses (including BellClocks) utilize voicemail to offer a call back service if you leave your information.

Again, we stress some patience this time of year. Nearly every business gets busy during the holiday shopping season. Patience means allowing a little extra time - not weeks. As you receive replies, you can accurately judge for yourself if the service is acceptable. If not, shop elsewhere.

Business Policies

A business policy is any policy under which a business operates. These include terms of sale, return policies, refunds and exchanges, guarantees, price match, and others. Policy statements are very important to shoppers, as they may obligate a customer to certain conditions, much like a contract.

Like contact information we discussed in volume 1, this information should be located in an easy to find location on any online shopping website, and we strongly recommend a thorough review of posted policies prior to making any purchase. A couple of tips:

1. We would advise shoppers to beware of any shopping site with no published policies.
2. Business policies should be specific to the company you are going to do business with.

To explain policies "specific to the company" - if you are shopping at a site any policy statement should be specific to that site, not a statement that says customers are covered under the policy of a third party or the website host.

As an example, BellClocks.com has policies posted here: http://bellclocks.com/policies.html and they are accessible from various areas of our site. These policies apply directly to BellClocks.com.

In closing Volume 2 of our Christmas online shopping tips, we would like to again point out that most businesses of which we are aware are honest in their dealings with shoppers and customers, and are committed to customer service.

We invite you to our last installment, Volume 3 which will be published on Monday 10/30/06, which will deal with "too good to be true" and secure webpages.

Visit us online at: http://bellclocks.com
a Division of Windward Instruments

Christmas Shopping Online Volume 1

As the Christmas shopping season begins, and shoppers search the web for Christmas and holiday presents, questions of online shopping security become important. It is estimated that online shoppers will spend a record amount in online purchases this year, in the Billions of dollars.

With this in mind, BellClocks.com is going to post some tips over the next few days, to help make online shopping safer for everyone. These tips are not specific to Christmas shopping online, they apply to online shopping throughout the year.

Our first tip will focus on basic credibility of online businesses, and some simple ways shoppers can help protect themselves.

Christmas shopping online tip Number 1:

Before shopping online at any website, always ask yourself: "Is this a real business?". You can usually answer the question easily and quickly by following these simple tips:

Look for the business information, including an address, and phone number. This information is usually located on the main page (at the very least), normally at the top or bottom of the page. Also check for any "contact us" or "about us" or similar pages, which may contain contact information. These areas of a website are normally accessible via tabs, buttons, or text links located on the main or welcome page.

Most businesses want to be sure their customers are able to contact them in the event of any issues with the product or service, as this is the basic foundation of customer service. This allows the businesses to respond to any issue, and fosters communication with shoppers. It also helps protect businesses and customers from fraud and scams.

We strongly recommend shoppers beware of any site which offers contact by "email only", or does not publish contact information including address and phone number.

As one example of acceptable disclosure of business contact information, BellClocks.com maintains contact information in easy to find locations throughout our site, including our welcome (main) page. Have a look at: http://bellclocks.com

One other thing which bears mentioning - U. S. shoppers should be careful when shopping at any site owned by a foreign company. We do not suggest that foreign companies are dishonest. We merely point out that most online purchases are bound by the laws at the "point of sale", normally that means the country in which the business is located. While credit cards provide some measure of protection, serious disputes requiring legal action could be under the jurisdiction of a foreign court.

In closing Volume 1 of our Christmas online shopping tips, we would like to point out that most businesses of which we are aware are honest in their dealings with shoppers and customers, and are committed to customer service. We also state that none of this is to be considered legal advise in any way.

Watch for Volume 2 tomorrow, which will discuss policies and service issues.

Visit us online at: http://bellclocks.com
a Division of Windward Instruments

NIST Calibrated Instruments now available

NIST Calibrated Instruments are now available at The Windward Store in response to numerous customer requests to be able to purchase the instruments directly from the site. Previously, the service was offered only through direct inquiry. The instruments are also affordable, all priced well under $200.00, as compared to other calibration programs costing more than twice that amount.

The NIST calibration process will require approximately 3-5 business days in the lab prior to shipment. Upon completion, the instrument will receive a calibration certificate to NIST standards. The calibration is performed by Abbeon Cal inc.

The instruments we have made available in our calibration program include:

Abbeon Lufft HTAB 169 and HTAB 176 hygrometer thermometer for those requiring accurate humidity and temperature.

The Abbeon Lufft HTAB 167 hygrometer (hydrometer) is available for humidity.

The Abbeon Lufft 3005.22 thermometer is available for temperature.

Please contact us with any questions.

BellClocks.com
a Division of Windward Instruments

BellClocks.com 2007 Christmas Shipping & Availability

It may seem early to talk about Christmas shopping for this year, but it is already mid October and before you know it, Santa will begin his journey!

We have already identified some products which will require significant lead times for delivery in time for Christmas, making this information valuable to our customers.

Links are provided with each product listed below to allow for quick access to the products.

BellClocks.com will publish our initial 2007 Christmas shipping and availability information at the site by October 15, 2007. That information is included below for the convenience of those finding our site via the blog. This information is also available at another of our retail sites, WindwardStore.com.

BellClocks.com 2007 Christmas Shipping and Availability Information:

BellClocks.com will ship orders as quickly as possible, however, some delays may occur during the holiday shipping season. We recommend ordering holiday gifts as early as possible to avoid delays or out of stock conditions.

The following information is provided to assist our customers with holiday gift shopping. Please check often, as we will update product information as it becomes available. If you have any questions, please contact us.

Ordering: We recommend placing your order online whenever possible to expedite the ordering process. Our toll free customer service line is always available, however, will likely become conjested during the holidays.

____________________________________________

Chelsea Clock Products: Please allow for the following approximate lead times for shipment:

- Ship's Bell Clocks, Shipstrike Clocks, Nautical Clocks (non-striking) - approx. 2-4 weeks. (we recommend ordering by 11/9/07 for possible arrival by Christmas).

- Chelsea Timemaster (Navy Clocks) - approx. 4-8 weeks. (we recommend ordering by 10/22/07 for possible arrival by Christmas).

- Chelsea Mariner, Pilot, and all other Collector Clocks - approx. 4-8 weeks. (we recommend ordering by 10/22/07 for possible arrival by Christmas).

ahortwalk products: Please allow for the following approximate lead times for shipment:

- All products: 15-20 business days (business days are Mon.- Fri.) for standard delivery. (we recommend ordering by 11/23/07 for possible arrival by Christmas via standard air shipment).

- All products: **5-10 business days (business days are Mon.- Fri.) for expedited delivery. (we recommend ordering by 12/3/07 for possible arrival by Christmas via expedited air shipment).

**Expedited shipment charge is an additional $22.00 per instrument. If you require this service, please contact us by email or phone 800-210-0492.

________________________________________________________

Please check frequently for changes to availability, as we will update the information as it becomes available.

We look forward to serving you this holiday season!

BellClocks.com

a Divison of Windward Instruments

BellClocks.com Christmas Gift Shipping

It may seem early to be thinking about Christmas shopping - but it is already October, and Fall is upon us. Before you know it, Santa will make his annual pilgimage - and we are getting ready now.

BellClocks.com will publish the 2007 shipping and availability information during the week of October 8, 2007. This information will be uniform on all Windward Instruments sites. The policy is currently published at The Windward Store.

As in previous years, BellClocks.com will ship all products as quickly as possible, however, we recommend that you make your purchases as early as possible to avoid shipping delays, and out of stock conditions.

BellClocks
a Division of Windward Instruments

BellClocks.com now offering Brunton Binoculars

BellClocks.com is now offering Brunton Binoculars to our customers at competitive prices. The Brunton Echo Compact, Brunton Echo Midsize, and Brunton Echo Fullsize models (pictured) are now available - as are the Brunton Epoch Binocular models.

Our current offerings include the non-camo models only.

Brunton is one of the best made binoculars available, featuring full emerald coatings, ergonomic body armor, and specially designed frames. An outstanding value which provides years of trouble free service.

More optics and binocular brands are forthcoming before the holidays. Brands we are looking at include Olympus, Nikon, and Celestron. We anticipate addition of these optics during October.

Visit BellClocks.com for more details, pricing and availability.

BellClocks.com
a Division of Windward Instruments