Nickel Silver Pulsar P1!

[abem]

Greetings. The postman came today with an extra special package this afternoon. This particular P1 is most unusual. The nickel-silver case is a very strange color midway between silver and gold. Also, the watch feels strange in the hand because it is noticably lighter than it looks like it ought to be. Most peculiar.

Here's an initial set of photos. I tried to get the color balance right to convey the color of the watch, but I didn't start photographing until after dark and so I suspect that it will look different when the sun rises. While the sun was up, it looked almost silvery, but in the light of an incandescent, it's an odd, almost indeterminate color. Sometimes it looks silver and sometimes it looks gold.

The watch crystal appears to be some sort of acrylic and lets in noticeably more light than a standard Pulsar crystal, which makes it quite easy to see the 25 chip module! The 6 digits on this module are quite small - smaller than I expected.

So, anyway, enough ado. Here are some photos:

Note the module clearly visible inside the case:

Note the letter codes identifying each individual chip:
[img]http://img710.imageshack.us/img710/6163/dsc4627900x600.jpg
[/img]
A color comparison between a 14KT gold filled P4 and a stainless P4:

Side view showing the magnet set indentations in the side of the case:

Closeup showing the module:

Note the date on the strap - 7/71!:

P1 with instruction booklet:


-abe.

[charger105]

You're one lucky man Abe !

Looks like you've polished the case up a bit. Looks a lot better.
Do any of the digits light up ? I assume it doesn't work.............you'd be gloating about it if it did

Rgds.

[Led-Time]

WOW...very nice, wouldn't it be amazing if it worked, I can't wait to see the inside..

[bucko170]

Abe, Congratulations on a great find, I can see that it has found a good home with you, please continue to post the photographs!

[charger105]

Is that a P1 manual in one of the shots ? Don't tell me he threw that into the deal too !

The manual shown in the listing has an interesting note stapled on the front. What was this manual, and did it have any other interesting annotations ?

BTW, a year or 2 ago, someone was selling a partially working 25 chip module on Ebay. Some of the digits actually lit up. I didn't save any of the images, but I'm sure someone here would have. Please post them up if you did.

Rgds.

[J Thomas]

[f.e.a.r]

[quote][/quote]

[abem]

Yes, that is indeed an original manual in that photo. It came with a complete manual in perfect condition. Even the delicate tissue paper insert pages are in perfect shape.

The manual has an interesting little note from 1971 still stapled to the front (see below).

Ok, ok, I promise not to submerge the P1 in water!

I'll take and post more photos when I get home from work tonight and this weekend.

-abe.

[rewolf]

...BTW, a year or 2 ago, someone was selling a partially working 25 chip module on Ebay. Some of the digits actually lit up. I didn't save any of the images, but I'm sure someone here would have. Please post them up if you did.

It was Nov 2007. These are not the original auction images, I cropped them and did some contrast and colour enhancement, but no resizing - unfortunately the originals weren't bigger:




Other images:

[LEDluvr]

Awesome find Abem! It's in even better shape than the auction pics indicated -and a complete manual?! You're like an old west prospector that found TWO chunky gold nuggets.

[J Thomas]

[rewolf]

Holy crap, Electro Data was using a face bonded die technique to attach the 25 discrete die to the gold-on-Alumina carrier back in '71?
And accomplished with primitive tools that had + - one mil repeatability.

Apparently, yes. And I bet this is the exact reason why they failed. ~400 connections...
And as can be seen on the 7th image (nov00504.jpg) the die couldn't even lie flat on the carrier because there were epoxy-covered wire jumpers underneath.

[charger105]

Thanks rewolf. They're the images I remember. You must have quite an archive of vintage digital images !

Abe, now you can imagine how your watch would look if your module worked.......or does it ? You've been suspiciously silent on this subject

[abem]

For drooling purposes, here's what it looks like in daylight. Under these lighting conditions, it looks quite silvery. It can't seem to make up its mind what color it wants to be.



Thus far, there have been no signs of life from the module. The back of the watch is glued on, so at the moment, I don't have a way of bypassing the battery holders in case it's just a simple connectivity / corrosion problem. There does appear to be a little bit of corrosion damage at the bottom of the battery compartment. So, chances of it being a runner are very slim, but not entirely zero yet.

-abe.

[abem]

Here's a view through the crystal of those tiny, fragile little wire bonds.

In the user manual under "Pulsar Facts", it says:
"Shock Resistance - Pulsar has been successfully tested to an impact equal to 2,500 times the force of gravity (2,500Gs). Since Pulsar has no moving parts, there are no balance wheels, springs, hands, gears or motors which can be damaged by shock."

Ah, the magic of wishful thinking and marketing!

-abe.

[Led-Time]

The back of the watch is glued on

How are you going to remove it without damaging that precious watch, if you apply some heat it may damage any chance of the module working, or using solvent to soften the glue again damaging the module. This could be a very tricky operation...

A quick question - when Pulsar recalled the P1's to replace those original modules what were they replaced with.

[bruce wegmann]

The "new" standard for P1 electronics was the large-board, single-chip module most often seen in the early P2s. The distinguishing feature is the light sensor being located horizontally diredtly below and on the right end of the LED display. Except for the chip and the display, the layout of these boards is totally different from the later P2 modules [where the sensor is vertical and directly to the right of the display; the circuit board itself is also much smaller, due to the tighter layout of components]. A few straggler P1s left Lancaster with the later [second version] electronics.

[Led-Time]

That's interesting Bruce... so could any P2 module be modified to fit into Abe's watch to get it working again that is if the original is totally dead.

[charger105]

so could any P2 module be modified to fit into Abe's watch to get it working again that is if the original is totally dead.

I don't think you'd want to though. I reckon the real beauty and value in this watch is that it still has the original E/D module intact. FWIW, I think this prototype is too important to modify.

BTW, the gold P1s are soldered shut. Abe, are you sure your's is glued ?

Rgds,
Andrew.

[J Thomas]

[abem]

J Thomas,

I do feel the need to preserve this example as much as possible. I've been told that there are other nickel siver P1s out there, but I don't know how many and I have yet to see one. As clarified below, that does bring up some issues. By "too important to modify", could you clarify what you mean by "modify". I felt ok cleaning the watch and even giving the surface a gentle polishing but now I'm staring at some more difficult questions. I'm torn by the little voice that says to just leave the watch alone and by the desire to (1) find out if the module has any life to it and (2) to restore it as much as possible to "like-new" condition.

In terms of restoration, I see three possible paths:
1) Keep the watch "as found"
I've already cleaned away the surface grime and also cleaned away the glue that was on the back of the watch along the seam (which wasn't nearly as difficult as I had feared). I've also polished the watch gently with a polishing cloth, which removed a bit of the residual electroplate (which was quite thin - this was not gold filled). So, I've already departed a bit from this path, but not enough to make me uncomfortable.
2) Restore to nickel silver finish
The watch currently is mostly nickel silver with a few patchy spots where the gold electroplate is still visible. Also, the gold electroplate that still exists on the band makes the surface slightly uneven. I could even up the finish by polishing and buffing away the residual gold electroplate to make the watch evenly colored and aesthetically beautiful. I'm still mostly ok with this course of action since the gold plate was already damaged and mostly missing when I received the watch.
3) Restore to gold electroplated finish
Another option is to take the next step to return it to its original gold electroplated finish.

At the moment, I'm leaning towards option #2 since (a) it's already almost there (b) it's aesthetically pleasing and (c) it distinguishes this watch, almost seeming to say "I'm even rarer than a standard P1". If you wanted, you could always electroplate it later. This seems like a good balance between aesthetics and preservation.

There is, however, one significant ethical conundrum that I'm struggling with.

The back of the watch is not finished to the same level as the rest of the watch. The band and case front look almost identical to a standard P1 except for the silver hue. However, the back of the watch is noticably rougher than the back of a standard P1. It seems to me that this roughness is not due to wear, but is actually the original finish of the watch - do you agree (photo below)? This would indicate that in the heat of battle getting to market with little time to spare, Hamilton opted to skip the step of polishing the back to a mirror shine like they did on the P1s that were sold. So, it's awfully tempting to polish the back to make it as beautiful as the rest of the watch and to match the finish of the 18kt P1's, but that would probably be departing from its original condition. As I haven't been able to locate any photos of other examples of this type of watch, it's dificult to determine what the original finish was of the back of the watch. I've been able to locate one photo of the front of a salesman's model. I'm not sure if this is a vintage photo or a modern one:
http://www.dwf.cc/viewtopic.php?f=26&t= ... rail#p1423

As this is a photo of the front only, so far I have no way of knowing what the original finish was on the back. If this is the only known example of its kind, then should probably leave the back as-is in its rough form. If there were other models known, then I could see doing a little sanding and polishing to make it match the beauty of a "real" P1 and to match the rest of the watch. As it is, the back of the watch doesn't seem to "fit".

From a historical preservation perspective, refinishing the back would be finishing what was probably originally unfinished (can anyone verify this?), thereby destroying a bit of history in the process. So, there is a clash between aesthetics and historic preservation. If the real value of this watch is in the model and not so much the case, then it would be a lesser issue. However, if it's important to keep the case 100% original, then I'll have to resist the urge to have it be 100% beautiful. Thoughts?

-abe.

The back of the saleman's P1:

[bruce wegmann]

This is definitely not the "last of its' kind". I know of three others, and, like the 18K version, I'm sure there are a few still out there waiting to be found.
As for "restoring" this piece...the roughness does appear to be an artifact of less-than-superlative manufacturing processes, but, it does to look like it was worn, as well, and I have seen stainless steel bracelets pitted and scarred by acidic persperation, and such pits tend to go deep into the metal [way beyond the ability of any simple sanding or polishing to remove]. The plating on these WAS thin, not more than 10 or 20 micron; they were definitely NOT goldfilled. I'm going to play "parrot" here and voice some advice I have heard countless times on the "Antiques Roadshow"...simply, "leave it alone". I can't tell you how many firearms, watches, swords, and pieces of furniture lost significant value because the owner decided to do a "little" restoration and "shine it up a bit". Not that restoring a piece can't enhance value, too, but unless it's done by an experienced, knowledgeable restorer, you're more likely to backslide, rather than make headway, on value [and of course, the more valueable the piece, the more critical that gets]. Personally, it's my feeling that the major component of value here is the E-D module, rather than the case, but in any event, I think this is better left "as-is", at least for the time being.