| Much to the consternation of traditionalists in the watch | | | | or fluorescent lights. |
| making world, the introduction of digital watches has | | | | It is thought by many that a Russian, Oleg Vladimirovich |
| literally changed the face of timekeeping. From the | | | | created the first light emitting diode in nineteen twenty |
| very beginning of mechanical timepiece design, clock | | | | six and that his early research was never taken |
| and watch faces have featured analog movements | | | | seriously. The mid nineteen fifties and nineteen sixties |
| with two hands, one showing the hour the other | | | | saw a flurry of additional research on the phenomenon |
| showing the minutes. Eventually a sweep hand was | | | | of electroluminescence found that the chemical |
| added to denote the seconds passing by. | | | | reaction of charged gallium arsenide produced a bright, |
| This configuration remained as the standard for | | | | visible light. The reaction that took place was nearly |
| hundreds of years and is still the dominate feature of | | | | identical to that which takes places in transistors. |
| watches today. The electronics revolution the swept | | | | So by the early nineteen seventies LEDs were being |
| through the consumer products market in the nineteen | | | | incorporated into a number of consumer products and |
| sixties and nineteen seventies was not lost on how | | | | it was not long before the humble wrist watch was |
| watches and other timepieces were designed. There | | | | changed forever. The first watch model to take |
| were two innovations in particular that helped propel a | | | | advantage of the emerging LED technology was the |
| new look and function into the watch market. | | | | Pulsar that was introduced in nineteen seventy two by |
| Having a lasting impact on watch design the first | | | | the Hamilton Watch Company. The first Pulsar was |
| design innovation was the introduction of the electric | | | | expensive but that fact alone did stop its successful |
| watch powered by a battery. The principle advantage | | | | market launch and the watch became popular with |
| to the addition of a battery was eliminating the need to | | | | those buyers who were interested in sporting the |
| mechanically wind the mainspring of the watch. | | | | latest technology. The unique nature of the Pulsar and |
| One perceived disadvantage was that the watch was | | | | its success drove efforts by competitors to reduce |
| not made anymore accurate and whether the addition | | | | the price of this new look in order to increase demand |
| of a battery would have a positive impact on reliability | | | | among consumers. |
| was still somewhat an unknown. The battery as a | | | | It was not long before another emerging technology |
| power source paved the way for another important | | | | came along that improved on the original concept of a |
| design innovation. | | | | watch with a digital readout. Liquid crystal display |
| The second and probably most important design | | | | technology appeared right the heels of the LED watch |
| innovation was rooted in the growing use of light | | | | and the face of timekeeping was changed yet again. |
| emitting diodes or LEDs which were originally | | | | Requiring far less power than the LED, the liquid crystal |
| developed for use in space craft. Power consumption | | | | display resulted in longer life for watch batteries and |
| and conservation are critical factors in the design of | | | | the technology is still a dominate force in all manner of |
| manned spacecraft and unmanned satellites and light | | | | high tech products. |
| emitting diodes brought a sea change in space | | | | LCD technology can be seen everywhere today, |
| exploration. LEDs are a solid state device that was a | | | | often in modern computer monitors, wide screen |
| complete departure from the age old technology of | | | | televisions and other electronic devices such as cell |
| the incandescent light bulb. By design, LEDs consumed | | | | phones and MP3 players and automobile dashboard |
| only a fraction of the power needed by incandescent | | | | displays. |