My grandfather willed me his Pulsar Digital watch - and it is old.
I mean, it may very well be the first digital watch they ever made. It’s in pretty good condition, all things considered, and I’m wondering if it might be worth anything.
Anyone know?
The back of the watch says:
Wow. I don’t know if it’s worth anything on the market, but I used to have one like it. My mom gave me a Croton, that was about 30 years ago. It had a round dark red crystal and you had a push a button to see the LEDs light up for the time. Utterly impractical but a very big “cool” factor. I think Pulsar might have been first to market with this, or at least they had better marketing. I misplaced it somewhere along the way.
There could possibly be a niche collector’s market for these but they are so obsolete I can’t imagine anyone wanting it to actually use it.
You would be surprised, jseigle. Check out this one that recently sold on eBay for $330.00:
14K PULSAR LED P-II TIME COMPUTER WATCH
Now, sdimbert, this doen’t mean your is also worth this much; it depends on the model, how many were made and the condition. Having the original box and user’s manual also affects the price. There have been 34 of them on eBay in the last 30 days, ranging from $1 to $785.00. As for who wears them, I would imagine it is the same guys that are buying the double-knit polyesterleisure suits.
Yes, the Pulsar was the first digital watch ever made. In Japan they have collectors who are insane for early digital watches, and a Pulsar can easily go for $2 or $3000. Hang on to this watch. I’d personally recommend you have the watch battery removed and put it in mothballs for a decade or two. Try to find original packaging and instructions, that will add tremendously to the value.
Oops, I suppose I should clarify that when I say “put it in mothballs” I don’t literally mean to store it with napthalene moth balls. I meant to store it in a cool dry place.
Thanks for the advice, all.
Chas, why should I remove the battery before puttting it in storage?
Remove the battery, because there is always a chance it will leak.
Back in the mid 80’s my college roommate showed me an old digital watch that he had. There hadn’t been a battery in it for over 10 years, but the watch was glowing green. I don’t know what it was, but there was something radioactive in it.
http://www.timezone.com has an excellent multi-forum message board. There are also websites with early digital watch collections. As a heads up price will vary tremendously based on condition. As mentioned Ebay is probably your best price guide.