interesting digital watches

[Kelvinretro]

Any wearers of HP-01s or other interesting digital watches?

i have several LEDs (Pulsar, Omega) but no HP-01s.

[Maximilian Hohmann]

Hello!

(05-10-2024 04:52 PM)Kelvinretro Wrote:  Any wearers of HP-01s or other interesting digital watches?

I would not call myself a "wearer" of the HP-01 but I am the lucky owner of several, stainless steel and gold plated, working and broken.

Apart from these I only have a few cheap LED digital watches not worth mentioning. BUT I am the proud original owner of a "Microma Blade Runner Watch" that I got as a present when I was still at school, maybe 1976, long before Blade Runner was even filmed. My father had a subscription to Scientific American and for years they carried full-page advertisments for these watches which made me badly want one for myself. Microma was Intel's short lived venture into the watch sector to which they introduced some technical advances, most importantly a battery friendly LCD when everyone else was still making LED watches that needed a new battery once a month or even more often if you made a habit of pressing the button every few minutes. Here is an article about it: https://www.chipsetc.com/intel-digital-w...ables.html
I wore mine a lot and it is not very pretty any more, the "crystal" which, like on the HP-01 is made of plastic instead of glass, is missing and the original bracelet also. But it still works!

The watch has since accumulated quite some fame because Harrison Ford, playing the main character "Deckard", wore it in the 1982 movie "Blade Runner", by some, including me, considered to be one of the best science fiction films ever: https://www.watchhunter.org/2017/10/watc...watch.html
This makes the watch almost equally rare and collectible as the HP-01, althogh the collectors do not necessarily belong the the same group. The prices are similar, but I must say that an HP-01 will give you more value for money.

Regards
Max

NB: Over the years I have been able to aquire some spare Blade Runner watches for decent prices, both the black version as seen in the movie and the stainless steel one that Microma made originally.

[xerxes]

The CASIO CFX-20/200/40/400 are interesting for calculator fans, due to their scientific functions.

[Marc van Lemmen]

I occasionally wear a Casio CFX-200 or a Seiko RC-1000. Sometimes I use a Seiko RC-4400, but that is a watch without straps.
I have several Led watches, no HP-01, but I never wear them.

[DGM]

I don’t wear one any more, but I used to have a Timex Datalink watch. It had a sensor to read data from a CRT screen, which was output from Outlook. See this link for more information. I liked the Indiglo backlighting.

[Bill (Smithville NJ)]

I still occasionally wear my Seiko Calculator Watch C153-5007. It's from 1978 and I believe it's the first Calculator watch that Seiko made. It still works great. I wish I had the little stylus that came with it for pressing the tiny keys. But then I really don't use it to calculate with anyway.

73
Bill WD9EQD
Smithville, NJ

[bxparks]

(05-12-2024 02:59 AM)xerxes Wrote:  The CASIO CFX-20/200/40/400 are interesting for calculator fans, due to their scientific functions.

Wow, I did not know that scientific calculator watches were ever made. While doing some searches on those, I came across another interesting model, the Casio CBA-10 which is a financial calculator watch with TVM functionality: https://www.digital-watch.com/DWL/1work/casio_cba-10

Has there ever been a calculator watch using RPN?

Another idle question: Is there an RPN calculator app for a smartwatch (either Android/WearOS or Apple/WatchOS)? I've never been interested in a smartwatch, but an RPN calculator on a watch might make me reconsider. Maybe.

[Maximilian Hohmann]

Hello,

(05-12-2024 07:42 PM)bxparks Wrote:  Another idle question: Is there an RPN calculator app for a smartwatch (either Android/WearOS or Apple/WatchOS)? I've never been interested in a smartwatch, but an RPN calculator on a watch might make me reconsider. Maybe.

I don‘t own an Apple watch (mainly because I don‘t like the form factor and also because it‘s crazy expensive) but I know that there are RPN calculator apps for it.
My smartwatch is from Lidl (German chain of discount stores) but bought from a surplus seller for 20€ (*). It is round (which I like much more than the square Apple Watch) a battery charge lasts for two weeks (and not two days as with the Apple Watch), it works completely independently from one‘s phone and has a GPS receiver. But the calculator is not RPN and very, very basic…

Regards
Max

(*) which really is the maximum amount that a smartwatch is worth for me!

[BobVA]

(05-12-2024 07:42 PM)bxparks Wrote:  Has there ever been a calculator watch using RPN?

Dave Jones (EEVBlog) implemented an RPN mode in his "µWatch" - a DIY watch / calculator kit he developed in 2008. Wayback machine has the details here..

[bxparks]

(05-14-2024 01:06 AM)BobVA Wrote:  

(05-12-2024 07:42 PM)bxparks Wrote:  Has there ever been a calculator watch using RPN?

Dave Jones (EEVBlog) implemented an RPN mode in his "µWatch" - a DIY watch / calculator kit he developed in 2008. Wayback machine has the details here..

That is really impressive, and... how do I put it, aesthetically challenged. I think my friends would hurt themselves from laughter if I wore that.

It's now 16 years later, and surely the technology has improved. A question for smartwatch owners (no one in my friends and family circle has a smartwatch): Is the screen large enough for a usable calculator keypad? I guess the home screen needs to show about 12 buttons: 0-9, DecimalPoint, and a +/-. The app could then swipe Left/Right for the other buttons: ENTER, EE, X<>Y, RollDown, +, -, *, /, etc.

[teenix]

A smart watch these days linked to the internet, I'm surprised you can't just voice a problem to solve, no buttons required.

For home built ideas

https://core-electronics.com.au/128inch-...ixels.html

cheers

Tony

[Maximilian Hohmann]

Hello,

(05-15-2024 12:01 AM)teenix Wrote:  A smart watch these days linked to the internet, I'm surprised you can't just voice a problem to solve, no buttons required.

Many smartwatches are either Apple/iOS or Android based. So you can use them to ask Siri or Alexa for answers, basically any question that Google can answer. Including calculations!

And regarding Bob‘s question: No calculator watch (including our beloved HP-01) or smartwatch was ever large enough for a useable keyboard. Even those nerdy DIY calculator watches are a pain to operate…

Regards
Max

[carolinahomes]

I have the trifecta: Kaltor.
Who else here remembers Kronoform watches?
A calculator, a Transformer, and lcd watch all rolled into one!

[Siegfried]

I kept my original Sinclair Black Watch and very early Tissot digital-analog which were interesting at the time but not calculator-related. I don't use them however.

[Mr_F]

(05-12-2024 07:42 PM)bxparks Wrote:  Has there ever been a calculator watch using RPN?

Another idle question: Is there an RPN calculator app for a smartwatch (either Android/WearOS or Apple/WatchOS)? I've never been interested in a smartwatch, but an RPN calculator on a watch might make me reconsider. Maybe.

I have been wondering if the Pine Time watch could run such an app.
https://pine64.org/devices/pinetime/

[striegel]

(05-10-2024 04:52 PM)Kelvinretro Wrote:  Any wearers of HP-01s or other interesting digital watches?

i have several LEDs (Pulsar, Omega) but no HP-01s.

The RED LED watch I received in 1977 as a high school graduation gift is still working and I wear it regularly.

Gillette Reflex Model 305
This watch displays the time automatically when the wrist is turned, instead of requiring a button to be pressed.

I also recently bought a 1977 Bulova Computron.

Alan

[knife31]

I had a Seiko watch with a circular slide rule back in 1975. My buddy bought one and used it as a Flight Engineer on a C-141. Back then they used regular Slide Rules, and he was taking a checkride and would look at his watch to do the calculations. The check Engineer would then ask him to borrow his slip stick. Later that evening in the bar the check Engineer asked why he kept looking at his watch, he thought that he was doing all the calculations in his head and hadn't seen such a watch.
Randy

[Ren]

Around late 1979- early 1980, I walked by a jewelry store in (small town) Langdon, ND.
In the shop window there was an LED watch (a bit late for the era) with a round red crystal.
Around the crystal were quite a few tiny buttons (more than 0-9 and 4 function) I made one of the buttons out to be square root. The price of the watch was way over my budget (student loan, rent, utilities, et al) IIRC $200 USD.
Never saw it again. I just did a search on TAS and didn't see anything like it either.

[edit] A DDG turned up this watch, it sort of resembles the one I recall, but if my old grey matter hasn't failed, the one I saw had more and concave buttons (like for a stylus).
https://www.theledwatch.com/led_watch_ur...lculator_2

[AndiGer]

Maybe LCD?
https://photos1.blogger.com/blogger2/728...lators.jpg

[tuxfish]

Yes, there should be RPN calculator apps still available for smartwatches.
But I am not sure, If these apps are fun to use or not (@ these small SmartWatches). ;-)

1. **Apple Watch**:
- **RPN Calc** and **PCalc**

2. **Wear OS (formerly Android Wear)**:
- **Wear Calculator** and **Scientific Calculator**

3. **Garmin**:
- **RPN Calculator** (-> Garmin Connect IQ Store, for Garmin smartwatches).

Cheerio !