"When the Hamilton Pulsar hit the shelves in 1972, it ushered in a revolution. Indeed, the world's first digital watch - one in which a battery powers a small electronic screen to display the time numerically - changed the horological landscape forever. In conjunction with the advent of the cheap and plentiful quartz movement, it suddenly offered a highly accurate method for tracking and displaying the time that was clearly technologically superior to mechanical watchmaking."
"While a new gold Pulsar famously cost the equivalent of roughly inflation-adjusted $16,000 when it launched in 1972, a G-SHOCK - many times more useful and robust - can be had for well under $100 on Amazon. Highly legible, super water resistant, wonderfully comfortable and chock-full of all kinds of alarms, calendars, stopwatches and other functions, it's perhaps the most utilitarian non-smart watch in the world."
When the Hamilton Pulsar debuted in 1972, it marked the first digital watch with a battery-powered electronic screen displaying time numerically. The rise of cheap quartz movements produced highly accurate, affordable timekeeping that outperformed mechanical watches in technological terms. The Swiss repositioned mechanical watchmaking as a luxury rooted in savoir faire and artistry, preserving its desirability and spawning collecting. Digital watches, by contrast, became plentiful and inexpensive; examples range from expensive early Pulsars to modern G-SHOCKs available for under $100, offering durability, legibility, water resistance and multiple functions. Digital watches differ from smartwatches by lacking connectivity; ana-digi models combine screens and analog dials.
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