Hi.
I was just reading an article about Japan's most notorious crackpot, "Dr." Yoshiro Nakamatsu or "Sir Dr. NakaMats" as he likes to be called. Among his claims to inventions like the floppy disk, the CD, the taxi meter and, of course, the perfume "Love Jet", he also claims to have "invented" the world's first digital watch around the year 1950.
From Smithsonian:
"In 1953, three years after his floppy breakthrough, he invented a wristwatch with a digital display. It would be another two decades before the Hamilton Watch Company marketed the Pulsar, widely touted as the first digital timepiece."
http://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-n ... 76641.htmlFrom Japan Inc:
"Hamilton Watch Corp.'s 1970 Pulsar is recognized as the world's first digital watch with its LED display, but NakaMats says he was the first to invent such a timepiece. After working in marketing at trader Mitsui & Co., he went on to found the Dr. NakaMats Hi-Tech Innovation Corp. and built up his staff to 110 scientists in several countries who help him with prototypes. "
http://www.japaninc.com/article.php?articleID=653Even if there is some truth that he had this vague idea of a digital watch, I'm guessing that there were no attempts to build anything. It's not clear that there were any patents either. Anyone know anything about the supposed NakaMats digital watch?
-abe.