Digital & Smart Watches: Timeless or Trend?
chances are, most of us have owned a digital watch at one point or another. And within the world of menswear, they seem to have a resurgence in popularity as of late. But, as we know, fashion is always cyclical, which isn’t always a good thing. So, today, we explore whether digital watches are timeless or just a trend.
Digital Watch History
Since the 17th century, all portable watches have been powered by mechanical movements. This means that everything that’s behind the watch’s face is powered by an intricate system of cogs, wheels, and springs in order to measure the passage of time.
So, indeed, mechanical movements were certainly the way that watches functioned as it took a great deal of time and skill to learn the art of mechanical watchmaking.
It is worth mentioning that digital watches were beginning to become available of a certain kind in the 1920s. These watches changed up the standard 12-hour clock face and, instead, used a rotating system of individual digits to display the hours and minutes.
The most notable design was known as the “Jump Hour watch.” As the time was read by the digits as they passed through the window, it really was a digital watch of sorts. But, keep in mind, these digital watches are powered by mechanical movements.
It wasn’t until 50 years later that the public was introduced to an actual electronic digital watch, which came out in 1972. This was the year that Hamilton introduced the Pulsar P1. This watch was a game-changer in that it had an LED display back behind a synthetic ruby crystal on the watch’s face.
This particular model was finished in 18-karat gold and carried an exorbitant price tag of $2,100, which with modern-day inflation is over $12,000 in today’s currency.
The Hamilton Pulsar was also quite power-hungry as it utilized a little button that you had to press in order to display the time because, if it was shown continuously, it would drain the battery immediately.
Hamilton kept working on things and, the very next year, a new version of the Pulsar was available. This model was in stainless steel and it retailed for $395, which is about $2,300 today.
So, this watch was still a bit expensive and it was also featured on the wrist of some secret agent who’s pretty stylish. It was also touted by the King of Sprezzatura, Gianni Agnelli.
While digital watches quickly became a hit, they weren’t really affordable for mass-market consumption. Things would change pretty rapidly for digital watches in the 1970s with not only the prices coming down but also dramatic changes in the functionality and the looks.
1973 not only saw the Pulsar P2, but also the Seiko O6LC. This Seiko was the world’s first LCD or liquid crystal display watch.
Three years later, Hamilton continued to innovate and brought to market the Pulsar Calculator Watch. The actual calculator buttons were so small that you needed a small stylus in order to operate it.
And in 1977, we really saw digital watches be released in full force with Texas Instruments releasing a digital watch in collaboration with the release of Star Wars. The Texas Instruments Star Wars watch retailed for only $17, which is a huge reduction coming from the original digital watches.
