The clock that did everything now

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The time of our lives began on April 4, 1972. This was the day Hamilton released the first digital clock: the Pulsar Time computer. Originally designed for a Stanley Kubrick film, the prototype was shown in 1970 The evening show with Johnny Carson, although the host was not impressed late at night and mocked the expensive device. He could not imagine how many times would change.

This first digital watch may not look impressive by today’s standards, but its features were new when it debuted. Its blank screen revealed the time at the touch of a button, while another press provided the seconds; its light-tuned sensor, a simple feature now but remarkable then; the use of LED screen was the edge of innovation at that time; and the quartz technology was improving, but this watch sold it. With each purchase of Pulsar, people became attached to a new way of seeing and experiencing the world. He presented a future in the space age. He offered personal time on request. And in that moment everything happened now.

The pulsar appeared in the era of space racing and a future presented as shiny, shiny, smooth – without friction. Moon landings, new household appliances that eliminate forced labor, faster vehicles, the rapid growth of science fiction with aliens and cyborgs, all spoke of the desire to live in existence beyond our planetary limitations. Speed ​​and space require a frictionless design and Pulsar represents this design aesthetic.

Even the name Pulsar was intended to call for a future in the space age. Hamilton’s design was a continuation of the company’s Kubrick digital watch and wristwatch prototypes. 2001: Space Odyssey, although only the clock entered the 1968 film. The fact that the device was designed for an artificial intelligence and evolution film contributed to the need for time itself to look different.

An ad for the 1973 watch boasted that it could withstand shocks up to 2,500 times the force of gravity. People can’t stand anything after 90, but sometimes what is offered is completely irrelevant. New designs often present unnecessary options to make consumers feel that their lives require the extraordinary superhuman gadget. The term “early adopters” describes a population that identifies with the study and use of new technological designs, even if the sites offer little more than an interface redesign.

In the second half of the 20th century, the idea that aesthetics acted as a “consumer demand engine” – that commitment to design was a value in itself, separate from any new application that basic technology could offer – was already recognized in design. . communities. Pulsar’s lack of new functionality was irrelevant because the revolution it made occurred through a digital interface that allowed people to imagine peeking into the future.

The watch visualizes the future for “every man”, as, in particular, it was originally designed for and marketed to men. Although the James Bond watch will soon return to Rolex, the famous British actor Roger Moore can be seen wearing a Pulsar in Live and let him die (1973). Elvis Presley, Sami Davis Jr., Yul Brynner, and political celebrities like the Shah of Iran all wore one in different photo opportunities. Whether their sporty Pulsar was an early example of product positioning or just a preference, the watch has been seen in men who embody a traditional kind of masculine strength and success. In 1974 a Washington Post the photographer photographed President Ford as he testified before Congress about Nixon’s pardon. Keith Richards and Jack Nicholson, both of whom embodied a new kind of machismo, were also spotted wearing a slightly cheaper version. (Curo).

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