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| 1 | 1975 | The first watch with a built-in calculator is the 'Pulsar Time Computer-Calculator', caliber 901, with a light emitting diode (LED) display. Just before Christmas 1975, the first one hundred produced in gold (750/1000) were sold in one day for US $ 3.950,- each. It was shock resistant up to 2,500 times its own weight. Four batteries were required for one year's use. A special command pen was issued with the Pulsar Time Computer-Calculator, to operate the small calculation keys. In 1977, the first steel models with two batteries were sold. In the same year, Pulsar issued three models of a bar shaped calculator pocket-watch with a chain, gold, silver and goldplated silver. |
| 2 | 1975 | At the Basle Fair, Uranus Electronics Inc. New York USA launches the 'Solar LED Uranus'. A watch with solar cells and a calculator. The calculator's keys were arranged around the crystal. The normal edition had a price of US $ 895,- and the gold one a price of US $ 7.500,-. This watch was also sold in 1975 by the mail-order firm 'Quelle' in Germany for DM 1290.-. |
| 3 | 1977 | In the spring, Hewlett Packard manufactures and sells the HP-01 with a LED display, three integrated circuits and three cells. A small pen to operate the calculator was ingeniously hidden in the strap. This watch was equipped with an alarm and a calendar for the next 200 years. In total it possesses 40 functions. |
| 4 | 1976 | Hughes Aircraft manufactures a LED watch with nine calculator functions and four different time functions. The first watches were sold by the North American Foreign Trading Company under the name 'Compuchron'. |
| 10 | 1975 | A prototype of a mini watch-calculator made by Optel Corporation Princetown, New Jersey is presented at the Basle Fair by Eurotime. |
| 11 | 1977 | In August, Citizen introduces the first calculator watch in Japan and the first one in the world with LCD: the 'Citizen Quartz Crystron Calculator ' (caliber 9090 or 909) A year later the sligtly different caliber 9130 (or no. 913) with three integrated circuits (equivalent of 30,000 transistors) and a new kind of display with a resolution two times higher than the original one, was introduced. It had three power cells for two years of time display and 330 hours calculating. The calculator's keys were lined up around the edge of the watch. |
| 12 | 1977 | Seiko releases its first calculator watch, caliber C 153, in three different models. Shorlty afterwards it introduces its C 359. |
| 13 | 1977 | The LCD 'Micro Computer' or 'Chronomat' of National Semiconductor USA receives a tremendous amount of attention at the Basle Fair 1977. It was a truly scientific watch calculator. The watch contained the smallest wrist calculator ever produced at that time. It was sold by a number of different firms: Belltime of the Netherlands, Bell Telephone of Belgium, Chronar Corp. Princeton USA, Marcel Watch Co. of New York, The International Display Centre of Antwerp, Belgium, Bapic S.A. Geneva and Louis Erard of La Chaux-de-Fonds, Switzerland. It was possible to deliver the watch with or without solar-cells. |
| 14 | 1978 | The periodical Europe Star gives an illustration of the 'Mikado Quartz Calculator' in December 1978. Mikado was founded in Japan in 1974. |
| 15 | 1976 | Driva S.A. Geneva Switzerland issues a calculator watch with solar cells, probably a prototype. |
| 16 | 1980 | In February, Casio introduces its first calculator watch: the C-60. |
| 17 | 1983 | In January, Casio markets its first scientific wrist watch calculator, the 'Casio Scientific', caliber CFX 20, with 25 scientific functions. |
| 18 | 1983 | In February, the 'Touch Sensor Calculator' by Casio, the TC-500, is brought on the market, followed in July by the TC-600, which is fitted with transparent touch switches incorporated into the glass. This became the world's first crystal touch-sensitive watch. |
| 19 | 1983 | In December, the 'Janus Cal Read Sensor', caliber AT-550, by Casio becomes available. It has a transparent touch-panel construction, with both an analogue and a digital display. This calculator reads and deduces every numeral and symbol traced by finger on the crystal and shows them on the liquid crystal display. The world's first watch with a read sensor and character recognition. |
| 20 | 1985 | Comodoor, (Zurel Aalsmeer, The Netherlands), produces a watch with a front side for time indication and the back for calculation purposes. |
| 21 | 1986 | Palerma releases a calculator watch with the keys on the strap. |
| 22 | 1992 | In February, Casio's 'Flip Top IA-1000' is taken into production. At first glance the 'Flip Top IA-1000' appears to be a normal analogue watch, however if the lid is flipped over, a hidden digital display is unveiled together with a miniature keyboard for calculation, data input and recall of data. |
Copyright © by Pieter Doensen
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