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Confessions of a Sundial Caveman

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grenchat

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Confessions of a Sundial Caveman

Post02 Sep 2014, 13:52

Greetings fellow LED enthusiasts!

Like many of you, my first exposure to LED watches occurred during their heyday of the ‘70s decade. The year was 1975 to be exact when one of the teachers from my JHS wore a Pulsar that he had received as a graduation present. I’ll never forget how the kids would excitedly request that he show them the time on his state-of-the-art watch when they saw him on the grounds. He initially acquiesced, eager to show off his technological marvel, but soon thereafter declined their requests when he learned how short-lived the batteries were.

By the late ‘70s, prices on the high-end LEDs had dropped considerably, many more watch makers/importers had cashed in on the trend, and low priced clones coming out of Hong Kong and Asia were in abundance. I purchased a stainless steel space age clone at very low cost in 1978. Since I was still a student in those days, I really enjoyed knowing that the girl sitting next to me in Social Studies class couldn’t peek over my shoulder to see how much longer we had to endure. Instead, they would now have to gesture so as not to cause a disturbance during the boring lecture – such fun! Like my teacher of only a few years prior, I had no inclination to attempt my own battery replacement, mistakenly thought that such was only suited for factory trained service technicians, and grew disenchanted with having to make frequent trips to the department store to have the batteries changed. I soon thereafter reverted to a primitive sundial, and while I’ve owned quite a few quartz and Eco-Drive tickers, haven’t purchased another LED until now.

I first began experimenting with LEDs in my college electronics courses during the early ‘80s, am something of an LED flashlight fanatic, and thought I should have at least one LED ticker for nostalgic value. I selected a unique very early example that appears to be in excellent condition though unfortunately sans band. Thanks to this most informative website, I’ve already identified my module, and will post pictures once I’ve cleaned it up, changed the gasket and installed a new band.

B.T.W. – Does everyone apply a thin film of silicon grease to the case gasket of the vintage LEDs? I do this on all of my analog tickers that don’t have a sealed case and feel that it greatly helps to keep the environment out of the movement.

Happy Collecting!
Jason
"We are showroom dummies"- Kraftwerk
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Kasper

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Re: Confessions of a Sundial Caveman

Post03 Sep 2014, 21:46

Welcome Jason from all us. Interesting read..most of us even used it as a light at night :-D looking forward to your pictures.
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grenchat

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Re: Confessions of a Sundial Caveman

Post03 Sep 2014, 22:01

Thank you, Kasper!

:pimp: I'm quite excited about finally owning a LED watch after all these years. Can't wait 'til it arrives.

Cheers!
Jason
"We are showroom dummies"- Kraftwerk
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wzy-hman

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Re: Confessions of a Sundial Caveman

Post04 Sep 2014, 02:13

"Does everyone apply a thin film of silicon grease to the case gasket of the vintage LEDs?"

This should be same for all watches (anyone know differently please chime in)
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grenchat

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Re: Confessions of a Sundial Caveman

Post04 Sep 2014, 08:19

The stress on the thin edges of the case back from being pried open again and again to perform battery changes can significantly reduce the watch’s water resistance. The thin case gasket is really your only protection against moisture and the resulting dreaded corrosion. Not only does the silicon grease keep the gasket supple; it also creates a much better seal than the gasket alone provides. That said, I really much prefer screw-back cases for this reason. Keeping moisture out of the button recesses on LED/LCD models is also a concern.

Regards,
Jason
"We are showroom dummies"- Kraftwerk

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