Smart Watches of the 1950s

Modern "smart watches" can tell you how far you've walked and monitor your heart rate. But watches in the 1950s could also do that. Just in a different way.

The Sedalia Democrat - Aug 13, 1959

     Posted By: Alex - Mon Apr 25, 2016
     Category: Technology | 1950s





Comments
Why didn't they just use their I-Pads?
Posted by Expat47 in Athens, Greece on 04/25/16 at 09:43 AM
Gee, and I thought my brothers self winding watch (no more stem winding) was neato.
Posted by GFinKS on 04/25/16 at 11:24 AM
Sure, but can they make Julienne fries?
Posted by Greg on 04/25/16 at 11:44 AM
I thought that the red light emitting diode displays on a watch were the greatest thing ever! The earliest liquid crystal display types leaked and were useless after a few years.

My current favorite is a Bulova Accutron. It is made with, I kid you not, a tuning fork to make the mechanism work. It doesn't go "tick, tick, tick"" and it is not silent. It hums along and if the surroundings are quiet enough it can be heard humming along.

And, ever wonder why the iPad sounds like the name for a feminine hygiene product?
Posted by KDP on 04/25/16 at 12:04 PM
Yes, but will it open channel D, so you can call Agent 99?
Posted by Virtual on 04/25/16 at 01:02 PM
Dick Tracy had a much better one during that same time.
Posted by BrokeDad in Midwest US on 04/25/16 at 06:20 PM
I guess I'm just a conservative old guy. My favorite watch is a self winding Seiko I got like 40 years ago with a rotating dive time dial. I take my pulse with a finger, count my breaths and know my pace is 3.1 mph standard 2.5 feet for each step. Yes a GPS is nice but I have good situational awareness and never been lost, just confused a few times. And I'm pretty good with a compass and map. But my smart phone is pretty handy just to confirm where I am.
Posted by Gator Guy on 04/25/16 at 08:33 PM
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