Early watch designs as progenitor to the apple watch

[smacrumon]

A forum dedicated to watches preceding Apple Watch that include neat features ahead of their time.

Exhibit A:

Pulsar Spoon Michi Tabi
Circa 1999
Unisex

Full-panel dot-matrix electroluminescent LCD • Two display sizes • Animated Display • High contrast display backlit in vivid Green • Date and day display • 12 and 24 hour time • World Time function displays times in 38 cities in different time zones • Country calling codes • Automatic daylight savings adjustment • Automatic calendar adjustment to 2044 • 5-Channel alarm • 10-hour stopwatch accurate to 1/100th second with 8 lap memory recall function • Countdown timer with preset and adjustable timer functions • Water resistant to 100m • Button operation confirmation light • Auto illuminating light​

PBL005 Silver • PBL001 Red Pearl • PBL029 Olive.​

Demo video


New Face Spoon! ad campaign May 1999
​

 

[OllyW]

I'm not seeing a link with the Apple Watch, it's just a multi-function digital watch with a dot matrix display. The display was probably quite advanced 17 years ago but the rest of the watch was nothing that special.

 

[ardchoille50]

It's just a suspicion, but I don't think Apple was even working on the Apple Watch until around 2010-2011, when we saw people wearing the iPod 6th gen on a wrist band as a type of watch. I found it curious that the physical form of the iPod 6th gen disappeared just prior to the appearance of the Apple Watch.

 

[smacrumon]

I'm not seeing a link with the Apple Watch, it's just a multi-function digital watch with a dot matrix display. The display was probably quite advanced 17 years ago but the rest of the watch was nothing that special.

The link to Apple Watch is, for the time, an advanced display, advanced functionality, marketed as a fashion piece, all like Apple Watch. I'm interested in a discussion around other past watch designs that could have been "early prototypes" of an Apple Watch.

 

[rocknblogger]

It's just a suspicion, but I don't think Apple was even working on the Apple Watch until around 2010-2011, when we saw people wearing the iPod 6th gen on a wrist band as a type of watch. I found it curious that the physical form of the iPod 6th gen disappeared just prior to the appearance of the Apple Watch.

That's because that little iPod was a better watch than the Apple Watch. As a matter of fact I was about to buy one of those just when they pulled it.

 

[waw74]

I think this might be the original prototype iPhone

 

[ardchoille50]

That's because that little iPod was a better watch than the Apple Watch. As a matter of fact I was about to buy one of those just when they pulled it.

Yep, I was saving up for that 6th gen iPod and was able to afford one just after they stopped making that model.

 

[BarracksSi]

Nope, the 6th gen Nano is not a better watch than the AW. You have to push a button to see the time, and it's not waterproof at all -- never mind swimming with it, you didn't want it to be caught in a heavy rain or accidentally splash it when washing your hands.

These two reasons are why I quit trying to wear mine as a regular watch after just a couple days.

However, I do agree that it was more of the prototypical Apple Watch than the Pulsar posted by the OP. It wasn't long before I started thinking, hey, wouldn't it be cool to see my calendar on here?

 

[BrodieApple]

That clickbait was annoying

 

[maflynn]

[MOD NOTE]
Changed the title as its click bait, and made it more inline with the intended topic.

 

[sean000]

I think the vintage 1971 Pulsar watches are a close match. My father had one that I remember being in awe of as a kid. Like the Apple Watch, the display was usually blank. If you wanted to see the time, you had to press the button. Depending on the model you could press the button twice (or long press vs short press) to see the date or time with seconds.