Cardiomonitor from the USSR

[Andrew Babanin]

In the beginning of 80s USSR was not outsider in designing watches. There were quite interesting attempts to make modern and Technically Avant Guard watches.
Cardiomonitor - one of them. Unfortunatedly, the watch hadn't been in mass prroduction, but still a small qty was produced.
In 1981 there was good work done to make new standsard of module in the USSR - two batteries are replaced by one battery movement.
Calibre 30*** for the first time had variant with big display (the only known Elektronika 207 mass produced watch)
http://www.leningrad.su/museum/show_calc.php?n=19
There were attempts to make other watches on this form-factor but in vane.
The next generation started in 1982.
Most common are 208 and 209 models



Cardiomonitor is based on 208-209 formfactor with its own cirquit block and LCD display.
Among other not serial watches



A bit more info about my sample

The cirquit block:




The assembled module with no bipper


In the measuring mode:

Calendar in russian: Month, Date, Day of week

Range of pressure (high, low) - I've chosen myself


Not known for me modes:


The plug to attach measuring elements (pulse and blood pressure)


The case is common to 209 version.
I've met replacement glasses for 208 version of case.

It is known, that there were produced microschemes for this watch, there was a number in catalogue for functions (359 - a watch, measuring blood pressure and pulse), but almost no info about the watch itself. For now - the only known watch with this function.

[dutchsiberia]

Very interesting! The outer design of the cases looks to me a bit like the Seiko's of the late seventies.
You amaze me every time with the rare gems you show, and excellent photos

[fronzelneekburm]

Are tehre any soviet wristwatches with pulsemeter, but not an "external" instrument (Cable or so)?

There were some "pulse" watches from Pulsar, Seiko, casio and so on where you would just put your finger on a spot on the watch and it would measure your pulse. Far from being precise, but interesting feature.

[Andrew Babanin]

You are correct. I've got Seiko and Casio in my collection with pulse meter functions, but guess they are from the end of 80s- beginning of 90s. As to USSR watch - mid of 1982. I've heard about sensors for this watch but do not have them and have no idea how do they look like.

[cybr]

Hi Mr. Babanin,
Congratulations for Your outstanding posts!
I was astonished by Your post regarding the above mentioned USSR early '80 CardioMonitor watches. I did not knew about them, but they are - pure and simply - outstanding engineering work for an early '80s watch/cardiomonitor/BP monitor.
So I will kindly ask You if it will be possible to buy such a watch from Your collection or to exchange one with one of some rare watches from my collection (e.g. an early Casio BP - Blood Pressure Monitor watch, or other type of rare watches).
Because, believe it or not, me and my research team are about to conclude the early development of a non-tonometry based/non-inflating BP/Cardiomonitor wearable device, using today technologies :). So I would really like to have one of the earliest approach in the field, especially one from USSR, that I was not aware that may exist until now :).

With kind regards,

[Andrew Babanin]

A few more pics. In the end of 1986 a few hundreds of Cardiomonitors were produced in small series. I found 3 new watches with serials 300+ and 450+.

[Andrew Babanin]

At the end of 80th there was produced a medical device for dayly wearing for counting heart disfunction

It is based on the same chip like in Cardiomonitor watch

[Adam]

Andrew in my website digital-watch.com was released in 1983 and the BP I have at release date of 1990. There was also the stanford scientific produced in 1980. This is my example

http://www.digital-watch.com/DWL/1work/ ... inc.-pulse


Again thank you for publishing such an interesting post.


Adam

[cybr]

Very very interesting Mr. Babanin, thanks for the info.

I also have wrote about the first commercial success of Polar "professional" Heart Rate monitors from 1982-1984 on newdwf:
Vintage Heart Rate Monitors - when watches had met science
http://www.newdwf.com/viewtopic.php?f=67&t=7973
But, at least according to Doensen:https://doensen.home.xs4all.nl/q3.html there are much more historical facts about the early pulsemeter wristwatches:
"1. 1961: Lockheed USA manufactures a prototype watch with a hand which indicates the number of heartbeats (pulses). The heartbeat was measured at the wrist by electrodes and then amplified.
2. 1977 The Pulsar-Pulse Time computer by Hamilton HMW is sold. When the sensor below the display was touched by a fingertip for a short time, a miniature light transmitter and a photo-transistor were able to detect the changes in the reflected light and would register the number of heartbeats per minute. Only a very few pieces made out of 14 K gold were produced.
3 1980 The 'Chromocardiometer' of Gyropan Diffusion S.A. Switzerland is produced. A LCD screen shows the pulse rate and a second screen indicates both the time and the time of the chronograph."
This would probably be the same watch as Adam's Stanford Scientific Pulse!

And the first commercial success was Seiko Pulsemeter (calibre S229) - cca 1981, followed by the more "professionally" oriented (e.g. for professional athletes training) Polar PE 2000 - cca 1982 and Polar Tester PE 3000 - cca 1984, that even had a PE 3000 TRAINING SYSTEM in a portable suitcase - that included a portable computer (!) and a printer and which had a total cost of more than 20000 USD!!!

After that followed the Casio Pulse (meter) JP 100w and 200w cca 1987-1989.

But the most advanced one was the Casio BP 100 and its variants watch, started cca 1992 - the outstanding and way before its time smartwatch precursor (I have more than 5 in my little collection), which were (and unfortunately still are!!!) the only watches capable - after the proper calibration - to measure quite accurately the systolic and diastolic blood pressure AND in a "non-tonometric" mode (basically by not inflating anything, because the measurements are based on the so-called PWTT - Pulse Wave Transit Time) - image from Adam's outstanding digital-watch.com:


There were also some 1991-1992 Casio HBP 500 portable system, basically the same system, based on PWTT, as the one in the BP 100 watches, but a little easier to use/calibrate (I have also 2 of these outstanding early medical gadgets in my collection ) - an image from Ebay:


Thanks again and best regards,

[Andrew Babanin]

Thanx a lot. For now I know a bit more about Seiko Pulse meter. The next generation after mine even was on the wrists of paratroopers in Aliens (1986).
As to Cardiomonitor from the USSR. First mention in catalogue was in 1983 - Doctor watch. According to Ad (underneath) the watch connected to the box (like MCA-02 but with no LCD). The box had 3 electrodes, also like MCA-02, the watch was only for reading result, not for measurment. You should wear a box with electrodes, connected to your chest for a day or so to count extrasystoles and asystoles. I didn't find measurment box yet :(