29 Dec 2016, 04:09
The first actual, functioning electronic digital watches were the six Hamilton prototypes built in 1970 (the official announcement from Hamilton was on May 6, 1970). They were over-complicated and impractical (using, as they did, TTL logic, which consumed too much power to give useful battery life), but they were a solid proof-of-concept watch. Though most probably still exist, only one or two are definitely known to be in collectors' hands.
The first commercially-viable electronic digital was the P1 Limited Edition, which first went on public sale on April 4, 1972. Much controversy swirls around the exact number made, but it seems most likely the original plan was an edition of 500, which, under constraints of time, combined with manufacturing problems, was scaled down to 450, with only about 400 being actually completed and sold. Until recently, all were thought to have been done in 18K gold, but a single 14K specimen is now known. Of those, only about 50 are known in collections (the great majority of the rest probably being consigned to the melting pot in 1980, at the peak of gold prices, as by that time, they were technologically obsolete, no longer being serviced, out of style, and worth more as scrap than the original purchase price).
The original ED (Electro-Data) modules either had a design flaw in the circuit, or were constructed with chips of marginal reliability, as P1s began failing in the field almost immediately. At some point, probably just a few months after their initial release, a recall letter was sent to all registered P1 owners offering a module replacement and warranty extension (to 3 years). More than 90% were returned and refitted with an updated module (the 201-1, which was used in the early P2 models). Later returns were fitted with the 201-2 (which used a smaller circuit board and dual-trimmer adjustment system; only a few P1s are known with this variation). Only a relative handful of the ED modules survive; after being replaced, most were accounted for and destroyed at the Lancaster factory.
... its the only opportunity i will ever have to feel it around my wrist 
