Hamilton Pulsar, one of the iconic designs of the space age era, comes to life again with Hamilton PSR.
One of the most important moments in watchmaking history occurred on May 6, 1970. With a press conference at the Four Seasons restaurant in New York City, Hamilton introduced the first electronic wristwatch to watch enthusiasts. Having no moving parts, no ticking sound and offering an excellent precision made the Pulsar, which takes its name from vibrating neutron stars that emit radiation rays at ultra-precise frequencies, a science fiction object. This 'wrist computer' developed by the brand at its headquarters in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, has introduced a new type of time display.
People first recognized the Hamilton Pulsar prototype in the television show, The Tonight Show, when presenter Johnny Carson told the functions of the watch. When pressing the button on the side of the watch, the red LED numbers that appear on the dark screen to indicate the time, while the seconds were displayed when the button was held down longer. A magnetic rod hidden inside the bracelet adjusted the time.
Hamilton Pulsar, also known as P1, offered a futuristic design that suited its advanced technology. The model with the avant-garde 'cushion' case and 18K yellow gold wristband became the symbol of the luxury product line, with a price of 2100 USD, which equals to the price of a family sedan back in the day. Elvis Presley was one of the lucky owners of the 400 watches produced.
The year after the introduction of Hamilton Pulsar, the wrist computer was ready for the public. The stainless steel Pulsar P2, with a more rounded case and improved chip module, was launched in 1973. The model, which achieved great success, adorned the wrist of names such as Keith Richards, Joe Frazier, Elton John, Giovanni Agnelli, and US President Gerald Ford.
The new Hamilton PSR offers the style and technology of the 1970s. PSR has two different versions of stainless steel and 1970 gold yellow PVD coating. The case of both models comes in P2's 'cushion' style, with a diameter of 40.8mm. The cases are resistant to water pressure up to 100 meters.
One of the differences between the new models and the original is the screens of the watches. Hamilton PSR has a hybrid display that combines reflective LCD and emitter OLED technologies. While the red OLED numbers are lit in dotted digital style, which we are accustomed to when the button is pressed; the LCD screen ensures that the watch is permanently visible even in daylight conditions. Since there is no backlight, the energy consumption of the screen is also very low.
