Not to be outdone by Pulsar...

In my last post I talked about the first watch to introduce the "digital age".  There were other electronic or electric powered watches, but the first truly digital watch hit the market in 1972 as the Pulsar.  Although developed was started by the Hamilton Watch Co, by the time the Pulsar was ready for showroom floors, the company had evolved in the HMW Inc and a new division, Time Computer, Inc. was the marketing company behind the Pulsar.

It wasn't long before the Hamilton Watch Co, a separate HMW company at the time, got into the digital watch game.  They introduced their own models using the same technology as in the Pulsar line and called them the QED - or Quartz Electronic Digital series in 1974.

Initially they were one trick ponies and you pressed a button to display the time.  They were cased in 14K gold electroplate or stainless steel, depending on the model.   They were not inexpensive - you were looking at $2,500 or more, in today's currency.

By 1976 the model line expanded into men's and ladies models and the number of functions the watches could do expanded as well - so they could have calendars and days of week, etc.  Prices started to come down too but you were still in the neighborhood of over $1000, depending on the model.

Eventually the QED would give way to liquid crystal display (LCD) models and the Pulsar went the way of the dodo bird.

I recently had the opportunity to play with a 1976 QED II with 6 functions.  It was new old stock and originally cost $265 or $1530, adjusted for inflation.

It arrived in it's original box.

The side of the box has a label explaining what was inside.

Opening the lid reveals the clam shell box inside.

Voila, opening the box reveals a red velvet interior with a bright stainless steel case with a red display.

My mind immediately thought of the Cylons from the 1970s Battlestar Galactica TV series.  What a cool watch!

Inside the box is the instruction manual for the 6 functions and the original warranty card.

The case back unscrews like a traditional watch.  It still has it's original label.

I'll have to remove the Hamilton-branded bracelet to access the watch.

I see white fluffy crystals around where I presume the batteries would be.  The first trick will be to remove the battery clip.  It's held by a snap on the right side, just to the right of the circle.

I think these batteries must have leaked over the last 50 year... what do you think.  This is going to be another role of the dice, I suspect.  These are RW44 batteries, based on what I can see through all the fuzz.

RW44 batteries are supposedly equivalent to the 375 batteries I used with the Pulsar.  However, 375 batteries are a lot thicker than the batteries I pulled out of the watch.  I think these 386 batteries are a closer fit, dimension wise and they're the same voltage.

I cleaned up the inside of the module and installed the batteries in the orientation specified.  That's about all I know how to do.

All I can get is the number 8 and then it fades.  I can't even get it to come back.  It was nice while it lasted.

Maybe there's an issue with the module and that's why this was new in the box?  It's another Geraldo Rivera and Al Capone's vault, I'm afraid.  I'll just have to settle for "it looks nice" until I find out if these modules are repairable.