Before Smartwatches, There Was The Hamilton Pulsar Time Computer – SlashGear

To really appreciate the importance of the Pulsar, it’s important to understand the turmoil that was going on in the watch industry of the early ’70s. The development of inexpensive, highly accurate quartz-regulated watch mechanisms transformed horology. The best mechanical watches might gain or lose +/- 10 seconds a day, whereas even a fairly cheap quartz model will typically lose or gain less than that in a month. So why would anyone spend money on an expensive mechanical timepiece?

The so-called “Quartz Crisis” threw traditional watchmakers into a tailspin, and nowadays it’s remembered as a primarily Japanese success story. But things could have been very different — arguably, it was Hamilton, an American manufacturer, that really embedded quartz watches in the public consciousness with the futuristic Pulsar, which introduced the world to a brand new concept: a digital time display.

The Hamilton Watch Company was founded in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, and by the time Carson threw its latest prototype over his shoulder, it had been making watches since the late 1800s. It was also in serious financial trouble. The Pulsar was a risky bet for the struggling watchmaker. Rather than a conventional dial with hour, minute, and seconds hands, the Pulsar had no moving parts, and its “face” was a flat, dull red synthetic ruby “time screen.” Normally the screen was blank, but at the press of a button, LED characters lit up to display the time digitally, in hours and minutes. A long press of the same button would display seconds. When John Bergey, head of research and development at Hamilton Watch Co., went on “The Tonight Show” in 1970 to show off the prototype Pulsar, he really needed a win. Despite the host’s reaction, he got one.