# Let Me Throw These Out There For Discussion...



## Mechanical Alarm (Oct 18, 2010)

Seems like I can kill a topic... let me see if I can get one started. Some of my 'more fun watches'.

I apologize for the really crummy pix as they really don't do them justice as all of the watches all real minty. Have original boxes, paperwork, etc.

For Search Purposes they are:

Hewlett-Packard HP01 HP 01 HP-01 (Gold & Stainless versions). This watch as far as complications - is the winner hands down! Besides all of the 'normal' functions it actually calculates/integrates time and data where you can see the digits counting down, etc. Fuel consumption, time and distance, etc. AMAZING for 70's technology, give it a date and it will respond back with what day of the week it was (what day of the week were you born on, what day is that concert, etc.). Alarm, stopwatch - you know the routine.

Terribly sorry - this was supposed to go under the

Then a Bulova Computron Driver.

And certainly last but not least is my Synchronar 2100 put out by the genius Roger Riehl.

I was pretty nuts back in the '70's!





































So not only do I like the full mechanical watches a few purely electronic ones have crept in as well. I like these for their massive sizes especially the HP01's! They also always look very classy on and always get noticed. This is the ONLY watch I can truly say that about. Non-believers wouldn't know a Patek from a Croton (just an example) and could care a less.... but the HP01 - that's another story.

Now I just need to get that GOOD camera.

*Terribly sorry... this was supposed to be listed under the electric/electronic category - please move.*


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## sparky the cat (Jan 28, 2009)

Yes I suppose - as you say - we were pretty nuts in the '70's. I cant remeber what such watches cost but in relative terms I bet it was a lot. An very interesting theme for watch collecting - interesting

But being someone that was there, (god that sounds old) it's now 40 years later and these old eyes  can't ready the bl**dy things now.


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## harryblakes7 (Oct 1, 2010)

Mechanical Alarm said:


> Seems like I can kill a topic... let me see if I can get one started. Some of my 'more fun watches'.
> 
> I apologize for the really crummy pix as they really don't do them justice as all of the watches all real minty. Have original boxes, paperwork, etc.
> 
> ...


Going green with envy here........ the Hewlett watches go for serious money, you could swop it for an aircraft carrier!! i like the first one on the left, does it do anything on the top two red panels?


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## stradacab (Nov 15, 2006)

The top two panels are the solar cells I think, time reads from the side like the Bulova drivers.

Really nice to see some vintage LED stuff. I have a collection of Omega LED's. I've got a Stainless TC2, a stainless and gold-filled Constellation LED, and a SS Digital 1. Been wearing the TC2 the last couple days. I really MUST get my camera out and do some piccies.

The HP's look great, I've never seen one in the flesh though.


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## Chromejob (Jul 28, 2006)

Mechanical Alarm said:


> ...
> 
> Hewlett-Packard HP01 HP 01 HP-01 (Gold & Stainless versions). This watch as far as complications - is the winner hands down! Besides all of the 'normal' functions it actually calculates/integrates time and data where you can see the digits counting down, etc. Fuel consumption, time and distance, etc. AMAZING for 70's technology, give it a date and it will respond back with what day of the week it was (what day of the week were you born on, what day is that concert, etc.). Alarm, stopwatch - you know the routine....


Sounds a bit like the old Casio CQ-1 (IIRC), which I wish I still had. It was a superb little timekeeper/calculator/alarm/calendar.

Back in that day, if it wasnt LED or LCD and didn't do lots of computations, it just wasn't a watch. No wonder mechanical watches from Switzerland fell out of fashion. Pity. I remember my first LED watch, which could hardly be read in the daylight, but at night ... magical.


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## Mechanical Alarm (Oct 18, 2010)

Thanx for the comments guys!

You should see the HP's in person they are really impressive and I think really good looking. A beautiful style with the way the bracelet blends in with the bezel, etc. The bracelet was really ingenious incorporating the stylus with the clasp. Did I mention HUGE? ~43x37... it looks a lot bigger. I remember paying a lot for the Synchronar. It was @ one of the high end jewelers in town and I walked in with jeans, T-shirt and tennies. They treated me well though over the years. As far as the HP's - I was working @ HP at the time and they had a huge employee sale going on (only way I could afford it at the time) and I was already contemplating the SS so then I knew I had to have both!

Yes the top panels are solar cells... seemed like the ultimate solution to the LED power hogs (especially when in time/data mode for the HP's!). The readability problem was solved with the side shaded readout as well. The two sliders on the top were used for time, stopwatch, alarm, day & date, etc. There were a lot of combinations with the sliders - the only problem was you had to remember them all.

Interesting - Do 4 watches constitute a collection?? Hmmm... maybe another question for another forum (I promise to get it in the right category!). I never really thought of myself as a collector of LED watches. The wife's going to love that!

I wish a moderator would move this for me to the electric/electronics category. Sorry again and thanx everyone!


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## sam. (Mar 24, 2010)

Very nice and interesting collection,and a joy for me to see something different :thumbsup: ,

I remember my first led watch,i must have been about 7 or 8,i thought it was amazing to just press a button and the time came up for a few seconds,i had never seen anything like it,i really thought i was a secret agent! h34r: :assassin:


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## harryblakes7 (Oct 1, 2010)

Here's my old one, just does the seconds & date in red, love that other watch top left, so futuristic!!


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## Mechanical Alarm (Oct 18, 2010)

I remember that Zenith... wish I woulda picked one up! It is so stark against the analog face. Kinda like the old Nixie tubes - anybody familiar/remember??



















They had wires in the shape of numbers that lit up once voltage was run thru them so the numbers seemed to be 'floating' in front or behind each other. These have so much depth and 3D effect to them! It is pretty cool to sit and watch them turn. These are about the coolest of cool! Plus they're TUBES - I guess I'm just into 'old school'.

Edit: There was actually someone out there that made a wristwatch out of these (downsized Nixies - of course) - I believe it ran on a AA battery or 2. Yep it is LARGE! I want one of those too!


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## stevieb (Feb 12, 2010)

I love the HP's you've got, i was given a hp scientific calculator at the end of the 70's to do my math "O" and "A" levels [british exams], still got it and after reading your post last night i fitted a new battery.

Built to last is all i can say. It fired up no problem. Its got a lot more character that my current casio so i'll take it to work tomorrow.

As for the Nixie tubes, we had them on a radar i used to maintain in the 80's.

steve


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## Mechanical Alarm (Oct 18, 2010)

Very Cool Steve...

I have several LED/LCD calculators all scientifics as well. A lot of these are now collectors items. Glad to hear you took it out of the mothballs and are using it! If the HP-01's were only RPN........ ahhhhhhh! I always have to stop and think about the 'plus-equals' stuff everytime I use one!

Glad I could be at least, a little bit of an inspiration!


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## Sir Alan (Sep 10, 2010)

I agonised for a very long time about buying a HP41CV calculator. It really was the BMW of the day as far as calculators go (that is when BMW's were, well BMW's!!).

I just couldn't really get my head around Reverse Polish, so in the end got one of the first Casio programmable calculators.

That was of course when Casios had those plastic straps that had the annoying habit of just snapping after a year or so - that put me off plastic straps for good (though I'm sure they're much better these days).


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## martinus_scriblerus (Sep 29, 2008)

Sir Alan said:


> I agonised for a very long time about buying a HP41CV calculator. It really was the BMW of the day as far as calculators go (that is when BMW's were, well BMW's!!).
> 
> I just couldn't really get my head around *Reverse Polish*, so in the end got one of the first Casio programmable calculators.
> 
> That was of course when Casios had those plastic straps that had the annoying habit of just snapping after a year or so - that put me off plastic straps for good (though I'm sure they're much better these days).


I love my HP12C financial calculator (so much that I have four of them). Use it every day, and once you get used to RPN (Reverse Polish Notation) you swear by it.


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## Vaurien (Jul 19, 2010)

Sir Alan said:


> I agonised for a very long time about buying a HP41CV calculator. It really was the BMW of the day as far as calculators go (that is when BMW's were, well BMW's!!).
> 
> I just couldn't really get my head around Reverse Polish, so in the end got one of the first Casio programmable calculators.
> 
> That was of course when Casios had those plastic straps that had the annoying habit of just snapping after a year or so - that put me off plastic straps for good (though I'm sure they're much better these days).


My brother and me were in London in 1972, and there we bought a programmable Sinclair. It had polish notation, and I was enchanted by the chance to program such a little things. :jawdrop:

We had nothing comparable in Italy; computers were, then, big IBM 370.

For some time we used the Sinclair a little time each; but then I've lost its traces...maybe my brother has still it... :sadwalk:


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## Mechanical Alarm (Oct 18, 2010)

I am a huge fan of RPN (Reverse Polish Notation). Once you master it you will never go back to the, what I refer to as "plus-equals" garbage. I taught my son to use it in about 15 minutes for all of the general functions. To become really proficient you will probably need a couple of days or a week. Not bad when you consider the benefits. You will be able to do calculations of math, algebra, trig, calculus and physics at least twice as quick as the old plus-equals stuff! I'm not kidding!

Plus there aren't a lot of people that will be asking to borrow your calculator! It's kinda a secret language that people stay away from. Like I say, once it is mastered - you will *NEVER* go back and will have nearly as hard a time using the old method as it took you to learn the RPN. Everytime I am without it I have to enter the equation several times because I have forgotten how 'complicated' the old plus-equals really is. Even simple functions (+, -, *, /)!

*RPN people of the world unite!*


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## JonW (Mar 23, 2005)

LOL, I have a HP41C in my desk, my dad bought it new back in the day, it was the palm sized computer of its day with removable 16k plug ins LOL

I also have a Nixie clock in my living room, have had it for years, it always gets comments from visitors and keeps superb time too.

Love your Synchronar, id like to get one one day... I have a small collection of Omega LED and LCD and love the early digital technology, so well made.

So who wants to teach me RPN in easy steps then? I'll drag out my 41C and find some batteries


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## Silver Hawk (Dec 2, 2003)

RPN?...yeah baby! unk:

Oh how time flies....this post is 5 years old  ---> http://www.thewatchforum.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=9808


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## mel (Dec 6, 2006)

Sounds about Right Paul for us oldies! I remember Nixie Tubes! Oh Yes! :yes:

And large ones they were, we made them up for ue in some of the power stations :yes:


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## azimuth_pl (Aug 17, 2009)

just in case some people don't remember Krusty 

click picture to read about The Nixie Tube Digital Wristwatch!

[IMG alt="watch21.jpg"]http://www.amug.org/~jthomas/watch21.jpg[/IMG]

these were made for fun in a total of 35 back in 2002.

based on Jeff's Thomas project another nerd Dave Forbes created a modern nixie watch that is available occasionally at his website Cathode Corner.

very limited numbers made. click picture to read more.

[IMG alt="nixietubewatch.jpg"]http:...photos/uncategorized/nixietubewatch.jpg[/IMG]


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## azimuth_pl (Aug 17, 2009)

as for the Zenith and HP-01...here are my reviews with a total strip for those technical nerds:

http://www.crazywatches.pl/zenith-futur ... z-led-1975

http://www.crazywatches.pl/zenith-defy- ... z-led-1975

http://www.crazywatches.pl/hewlett-pack ... lator-1977


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## mel (Dec 6, 2006)

We've just had an example of Practical *RPN* I think :lol:

Council decided we needed new fencing round the gardens in the street. Along comes team of *Polish Guys* who dig up edges of gardens and lay lovely sett blocks (cobble stones) in nice patterns. That was last week - this week same team is back to dig up the setts to put in the fence posts for the new fence. After they put in the posts, another team (again Polish) from the contractors come along and cut the setts, re-lay them round the fence posts and concrete them in place! And then yesterday and today, the first team comes back with the fencing sections to find it doesn't quite fit everywhere - guess what? :lol:

It#'s all dug up again :wallbash:

Must be something to do with RPN?


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