On whose wrist did we not meet the first LED display watch in history? Born in 1970, but marketed two years later, the Hamilton Pulsar has been worn by Elvis Presley as well as Keith Richards, Elton John or Jack Nicholson. It must be said that at the time, its display, its avant-garde cushion case and its futuristic look clashed ... and that it was worth more than a family car (or a Rolex) with its price of $ 2,100!
It was on May 6, 1970 that the very first digital watch was unveiled in New York. Straight out of a SF novel, it even gets its name from neutron stars, whose pulses emit light rays at ultra-precise frequency. After a first consumer series in 1972, the Pulsar P2 watch in stainless steel was finally launched in 1973, with better autonomy, in a case with a more rounded design than its predecessor and with an improved chip. It will be enthroned on the wrist of Giovanni Agnelli as of the American president Gerald Ford. And especially Roger Moore, once again in the skin and costume of James Bond for Live and Let Die. He wears a Hamilton Pulsar P2 2900 LED on his wrist, with which agent 007 checks the time when M knocks on his door. Bond then presses the button on the side of the watch to activate the LED display.
Broccoli
Already, in 2010, had reinterpreted its watch with LED display with a Pulsomatic with a design very close to that of the Pulsar P2, although a little wider, with an LCD screen and an automatic movement. This year, the Pulsar is back, with a Hamilton PSR available in two models: one in bare stainless steel, the other in stainless steel with yellow gold PVD coating, in a limited edition of 1970 pieces.
Hamliton
The large cushion shape of the case recalls the style of the P2 and even takes up its dimensions of 40.8 mm x 34.7 mm. These watches are water resistant to 10 bar (100 meters). However, in terms of time indication, the PSR has a hybrid display, combining a reflective LCD screen (liquid crystal display) and an emitting OLED screen (organic light emitting diodes).
Hamilton
Pressing the button again displays the bright red OLED numbers in the classic "12:34" style, while the LCD screen ensures perfect readability thanks to daylight. This display combination without backlighting allows the screen to keep a very low energy consumption.
Hamilton PSR steel € 695, gold limited edition to 1970 copies € 945