interesting Synchronar 2100 advert Dec 1975

[Diginut]

Whilst searching through some old magazines, I found this Synchronar advert I though might be of interest to folks out there in DWF land.

I've shrunk it down from the full size scan, this ones only 700*1000 or so. I've cleaned the image up, and when printed out it looks spectacular.

.. or rather, spec-less :)

But it seems to have a dot-matrix, sorry, dot-array display.

[mrcalc]

Is it okay if use the ad on my www.ledwatches.net site?

Guy

[Diginut]

Sure thing. Perhaps give a credit which points back at the DWF forum ?

The full size scan cleaned up is actually 9 times bigger than the one posted here.

I have hundreds of early watch adverts all scanned, and featuring some nice looking watches long since forgotten. I intend to post them on a forthcoming website featuring loads of pics of LED and LCD watches and other info not commonly found anywhere, including a few watches not found on your excellent site !

We exchanged some emails last year, and I will be emailing those 'missing' ones to you for your site in due course. Theres been a delay becuase like everything in life big ideas take time to do well.

[mrcalc]

Excellent - thanks & will do on the credit. I'd appreciate copies of other ads - anything that shows well in a 600 to 800 pixel width would be great. This one (about 270K in size) was perfect. I try to keep my file sizes down for quick viewing but with text, you really need to balance it to read the information.

When you get a site of your own going, I'd be happy to help promote it on my site. We can use all the help we can sharing this sort of info with our fellow collectors.

Guy

[Diginut]

No Problem.

It'll be a while before I can get everything going as there is much to do, and life is fairly complex for me at the moment. Looong story.

As for the advert - youre right about the text. But I spend a great deal of time digitally tidying up images, as well as optimising the appearance for lower res display. By this I mean filtering out Moire effects of scanning stipple patterned early prints, converting to a uniform B&W appearance, and removing all specs / tears / coffee stains / telephone numbers of twitchy women, etc.

[fronzelneekburm]

Looking forward to your upcoming website. I really enjoy looking at those old advertisings.

[Synchroserious]

Hang in there guys I have plenty to offer in terms of All original and interesting articles and pictures of the watch. The 1975 article is something I have hundereds of copies of including a laminated version. Interesting yet is the pictures of the first L>E>D solid state digital watch I will have for everyone when things pick up and I can get a better camera. I also have the January 1971 news article where the Synchronar is offered to those that could afford $1,750 to one up the dial watchers. This puts the Synchronar 1 year ahead of any other just in case anyone still has been incorectly informed to believe it did not start until the Ragen days of 1974.
Howard Riehl

[fronzelneekburm]

January 1971? That would proof that the Synchronar was the first LED watch ever to hit the market. As far as I know the may 1970 Pulsar was one of the 6 prototypes that were never sold in stores. So the legendary Pulsar P-1 which was made only 400 times was actually the second wristwatch ever sold?

Please do a scan for us, I think that advertisement would be an important document.

[rewolf]

Advertising something and being able to actually deliver it are totally different things. So the really interesting question for me is: when was the first Synchronar SOLD?

I'd love to hear that the Synchronar was first - only because I think it's the more interesting (not necessarily technically better) watch, due to its looks and technical concept. It was produced for a longer time, not in such huge numbers, and it was basically a one-man show. For me, this gives it sort of a *personality*. Just imagine this, Roger Riehl still selling and repairing (well, trying...) the watch, literally until his end! Where were the companies and people involved in the Pulsar development at that time?

[Lordpulsar]

Being offered the watch is no proof the watch was actually sold in 1971. I gather the Synchronar was also flawed with early problems? Unless there is proof one was actually sold in this time period..... The P-1 has to credited the first to be actually sold!

[fronzelneekburm]

I still hope Howard can provide a scan of that ad, no matter what else other people will need as a proof. 8)

And that the P-1 also had some early problems (about all modules were replaced for P-2 modules) doesnt matter? For the Synchronar I cant recall hearing something similar.

[bruce wegmann]

Being a relative, I assume Mr. [H] Riehl has full access to all relevant documents and records pertaining to the development and marketing of the Synchronar. It should therefore be a simple matter to locate, and post for the edification of all Forum members, a valid sales receipt dated prior to April 4, 1972, thus documenting the claim that the Synchronar pre-dated the Pulsar P1 in actual sales to the public. The sales history of the Limied Edition is very well known; the Synchronar far less so. In the absence of equally unambiguous evidence to the contrary, claims that the Synchronar was the first commercially-available LED digital watch should be held in abeyance until such documentation is forthcoming. In that event, I shall [however reluctantly], relinquish my position that the P1 marked the true beginning of the Age of Digital Time. In any event, I will not give ground on the front that the P1 was the most-successful offering, and was actually the watch that put the concept of digital timekeeping firmly in the public consiousness, and opened the floodgate to the [lamentably brief] LED revolution.

[Diginut]

Bruce - I have a question for you...

What is the earliest documented proof you have of Pulsar announcing or showing off their 1st LED calculator in 1975/6 ??? (gold, ss, any version)

I'd appreciate your knowledge on this point. thanks.

[ledwatch]

What with this and also the the much over-heralded new led on the oldpulsars website

[which will turn the digital watch industry upside down]

I can scarcely contain my anticipation much longer.

I will send Howard $10 to buy a scanner or decent camera, do I hear about six other co-investors who will join me, so that he can buy it and post pictures of all this stuff?

Ive heard this debate going on for many years, I would gladly invest a few $ to get it settled once and for all, I can't wait much longer, its killing me!!

[ledwatch]

By the way Digi, the WNEW TV news report of 18 Dec 1975 heralds the 18kt calc. Pulsar always brought out the first of any model in 18kt before launching the cheaper versions. If you want I can send you this one and all the Pulsar videos on CD, PM me with your address cos Ive lost it.

[bruce wegmann]

Bruce - I have a question for you...

What is the earliest documented proof you have of Pulsar announcing or showing off their 1st LED calculator in 1975/6 ??? (gold, ss, any version)

I'd appreciate your knowledge on this point. thanks.

I've been sorting through my limited archive of Pulsar literature, and I found two price lists [I was certain I had others, but at the moment, they elude me]. One, Sept. 1, 1974, lists no calculator models at all, and the other, an extensive listing dated Jul. 1, 1976, shows the 3822-2 at $550, and the 1822-2 at $3950. It is interesting that the 1976 list is labeled as a "Fall" issue. Myself, I have always thought of July as a summer month, but if Time Computer considered it part of the Fall season, it is possibe the first [901] Calculator models appeared as early as July, 1975. If some of you other Pulsar collectors would be so kind as to search their lists and catalogs, we might be able to pin this down much more accurately...

[Lordpulsar]

Bruce

Getting back to the Synchronar, Can I ask a question,more about American law? Back in 1972 Hamilton (TCI) CLEARLY made the statement which is printed in all the sevice manuals and documentation on the P-1 stating "The world's first solid state time computer".. If this were not the case, wouldn't Mr Reihl have had a solid case to file a law suite against TCI and get some money for development on his own project ?

[bruce wegmann]

Simon:

I don't have any of the service manuals or documents that actually accompanied the watch [would love to have copies of these], but I do have the sales brochure, the first sentence of which states "It is the world's first solid-state time computer to be worn on the wrist". That's a pretty definitive statement. If, in fact, it was not actually the case, and there was sufficient evidence, Mr. Reihl would A: Have had a valid case against Time Computer for false advertising, and B: been foolish for not pursuing it, not only because of the potential of a settlement with Hamilton, but because being able to claim they were the "first" would have enormous advertising advantages and thus influence the financial success of the company. The fact that there was no dispute on this point, either public or private, gives me strong reason to think Time Computer had the legitimate claim to pre-eminance. The public is very "first-consious" in the U.S.; so this would not have been a trivial point of contention [look how much passion this has aroused on just this forum, and it is now more than thirty years after the fact!

[fronzelneekburm]

I wouldnt be too sure about this. Roger Riehl did not have an army of lawyers and if you read properly it is not announced as the worlds first digital wristwatch, but as the worlds first "Time computer" which could be a registered trademark. Besides Roger had enough stress to just get the watch on the market, I guess the last thing he was waiting for was wasting his time on court.

[rewolf]

I agree with fronzelneekburm 100%

[Lordpulsar]

Well , with the exeption of our two German readers... The facts still sway heavily towards the Hamilton Pulsar as the worlds first !.. If there were any doubt, I am sure the Smithsonian intstitute would have not credited the pulsar as the first.... , there is no doubt for me... Case Closed !!

[rewolf]

Simon, I think you misunderstood me. I meant I totally agree with fronzelneekburm's 3 sentences in his last posting - nothing more.
This does not mean I believe the Synchronar was first.
It is only declaring the "would have sued TC"-argument as feeble (invalid, IMHO). Arguments like "this must be true, because otherwise he would have done that" are typically used in conspiracy theories. You can't seriously take someone's SUPPOSED motivation why he did NOT do something as an argument. And the Smithsonian institute can err just like any human institution - so this not a real argument either.

I agree with you that the facts (AFAIK) still sway towards the Pulsar - if you read this thread you will notice that I was the first to doubt that an advertisement is a proof (you posted one hour later and repeated my argument).
But I am open to new facts - and there could be some, now that there is a member of the Riehl family that seems to be willing to communicate via internet. We know that Roger Riehl didn't bother about that.

No, this case is not closed, it has just been reopened - provided that Howard Riehl can really bring up anything yet unknown.