Well folks, after 36 years I finally own another LED watch! My ticker from back in ’78 was a space-age clone with the common line segment display, so I thought I’d start with something a little different this time. This a real early (circa 1974?) Mercury Time sunburst dial with a National Semiconductor WM-01 module (Hours, Minutes and Seconds) dot display.
The omission of a date function on this early module didn’t dissuade me in the least, as I now carry my smartphone wherever I go. Aside from the obvious fact that this watch came sans band, the overall condition greatly exceeded my expectations. The watch had been in transit for about 4 days and arrived keeping the correct time. The glass crystal had some fingerprint smudges that were easily remedied with old fashioned Windex, and now appears new. The tacky gold plate/paint is pretty much completely intact and free from the usual scratches and abrasions common to older timepieces. The springs in the 2 buttons (set and display) have the tension of a new watch and the display is bright enough to blind somebody in a dark room. My attempt at photographing the display was unsuccessful because I have my camera setup for [Auto] and the flash fires, causing light interference with the LEDs. I included the rather dull appearing photo that my seller took.
My photos were taken with my new 16MP camera w/optical zoom, however, it’s nighttime over here and the blasted flash makes the watch look very tacky. It really looks a thousand times nicer than in my photos. I will have a look under the hood when my new watch knife arrives. I’m thinking either high grade dark brown leather or an alligator band.
‘70s watches forever!
Cheers!
Jason ( the born again mod-man)
The omission of a date function on this early module didn’t dissuade me in the least, as I now carry my smartphone wherever I go. Aside from the obvious fact that this watch came sans band, the overall condition greatly exceeded my expectations. The watch had been in transit for about 4 days and arrived keeping the correct time. The glass crystal had some fingerprint smudges that were easily remedied with old fashioned Windex, and now appears new. The tacky gold plate/paint is pretty much completely intact and free from the usual scratches and abrasions common to older timepieces. The springs in the 2 buttons (set and display) have the tension of a new watch and the display is bright enough to blind somebody in a dark room. My attempt at photographing the display was unsuccessful because I have my camera setup for [Auto] and the flash fires, causing light interference with the LEDs. I included the rather dull appearing photo that my seller took.
My photos were taken with my new 16MP camera w/optical zoom, however, it’s nighttime over here and the blasted flash makes the watch look very tacky. It really looks a thousand times nicer than in my photos. I will have a look under the hood when my new watch knife arrives. I’m thinking either high grade dark brown leather or an alligator band.
‘70s watches forever!
Cheers!
Jason ( the born again mod-man)
"We are showroom dummies"- Kraftwerk