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Vintage Heart Rate Monitors - when watches had met science

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cybr

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Vintage Heart Rate Monitors - when watches had met science

Post24 Sep 2015, 14:16

I'd like to think that I am a collector who really believes that every collectible watch I own, should have it's own story :).
Below it is a watch that is clearly one of the first watches - i think that it is the first one - that was especially created to be used in a scientific manner, for high level athletes training (because of the high price :): the first wireless real time HRM (Heart Rate Monitor) - Polar PE 3000 Sport Tester - 1984, by Polar OY Company, Finland.
pe3000.png

While it was not the first commercial Heart Rate Monitor watch ( the Polar PE 2000 was the first - 1982), it was the first REAL TIME HRM which had a serial computer connection interface - 1984.
http://www.polar.com/en/about_polar/who ... nnovations
sport_tester_pe3000_interfata_canon_x07.jpg

It's technical achievements can be compared only with the Seiko Data 2000 or Seiko UC 2000 from the same timeline (1983-1984), but the Seiko's did not had a demonstrated/commercially available computer interface, even if was one advertised,as one may see below :)
http://pocketcalculatorshow.com/nerdwat ... watch-fun/

The first Seiko "wired" serial connection was only available for the Seiko RC 1000 watch (1984), and only to receive data from a computer (IBM and compatible, Apple etc)...

To make it clear for everyone, the Seiko Data 2000 was the first watch who used "electromagnetic" induction circuits to receive data from a "wireless" keyboard (1983), while Polar PE 3000 (1984) was the first watch able to receive wireless data from a remote chest strap, using a similar approach BUT WITHOUT close contacts between the sender/receiver...:). But the Polar PE 3000 also had a serial interface cable to SEND data to a computer, as Seiko RC 1000 (launched in 1984) had to RECEIVE data from a computer, but Seiko RC 1000 had not a "wireless" induction based interface at all...

So I think that it's safe to say that Polar PE 3000 was the first watch in history that had both a "wireless" connection to RECEIVE input data and a "wired" serial connection to TRANSMIT data to another computer, making it the first ancestor of a "real smartwatch", able to do bidirectional communication using both wireless and wired data transmission/reception !!!

But while the Seiko's were meant to be used by regular persons - just to test an early "wearable computing""as we call it today (e.g. short text writing, some games etc), the Polar PE 3000 was meant to be used by professional athletes and trainers for training analysis, and the price was according to the purpose:
1. Hundreds of dollars for the Seiko
2. Thousands of dollars for the "professionally" oriented Polar PE 3000
Also the full portable computer pack -1985 - THE PE 3000 TRAINING SYSTEM presented in the below picture, had a cost of more than 20000 USD (using a Canon X 07 portable computer and compatible Canon printer)
pachet_polar_pe3000_1984_sport-tester-cphr_2011-2.jpg

The PE 3000 was able to record/display/transmit to a computer as much as 960 samples of HR/time data, recorded at a 5,15 or 60 seconds interval, a performance that was matched only more than 10 years later (the later wireless HRM watches recorded samples only at a fixed interval, usually at 1 minute, for many years after 1984).
It seems that 4 athletes that became Olympic Champions at the Sarajevo Winter Olympic 1984, had used this watch to analyse and improve their training :).
Also it is the first one that used wireless magnetic field transmission from the chest strap to the wrist watch - while the above mentioned Seiko's that used a similar magnetic principle needed direct contact with the transmitter.


If you want more info about this one of a kind watch- basically the first wearable computing device designed to be used for scientific measurement purposes (with more than 400 scientific articles that used it published and available on Google Scholar), please let me know.
Regards,
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Last edited by cybr on 24 May 2016, 08:16, edited 2 times in total.
Every watch should have its own story...consequently, a watch collector has to be a good storyteller :)
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Kasper

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Re: Vintage Heart Rate Monitors - when watches had met scien

Post25 Sep 2015, 18:59

Wow, thats a very nice and interesting post..thx. Learned something new.

Most of my watches are displayed in my workplace and sometimes customers join me there and are amazed seeing my watchcabinet. I always try to keep the watchtour as short as possible but like you said...almost every watch has it story....and yes i like to tell the stories :-D
Maybe i have to visit other watch cabinet storytellers...that would be interesting :lol:
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cybr

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Re: Vintage Heart Rate Monitors - when watches had met scien

Post25 Sep 2015, 22:45

Thanks Mr. Kasper for Your kind words and for your help with my previous little request.
I am positively sure - having a look at some of Your watches presented on this forum - that I'd be also amazed/astonished seeing Your watchcabinet :-) .
So it's clear that you have a lot of "watch stories" to tell.
Regards,
Every watch should have its own story...consequently, a watch collector has to be a good storyteller :)

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