LED Watches

About Vintage LED Watches

Think 1970s, Saturday Night Fever, The Bicentennial, and... LED digital watches. In 1972 the Hamilton Watch Company launched the "Pulsar-P1", the first ever digital watch, utilizing low-current CMOS technology to show the time in a simple display of red digits. According to the lead engineer on the project, they were inspired by the futuristic digital clock in the 1968 movie 2001: A Space Odyssey.

These 18k gold units (original retail price: $2,100) are the holy grail of vintage LED (light-emitting-diode) watch collecting: the 30 or so examples known to exist trade for five to ten thousand dollars depending on condition, completeness (original box etc.) and documentation...

Also at the high end are early LED calculator watches, like the 1977 Pulsar 3822 or the 1977 Hewlett-Packard HP-01, which can each command several thousand dollars in pristine condition. Expect to pay up to $1,000 for other early LED watches from Pulsar, Bulova, MIDO (Swissonic), Timex, Texas Instruments, HP, Compu Cron and Omega. Models with green displays are also particularly rare, and command high prices.

In the mid-range ($100-$400) are popular models like the Pulsar P2, famously worn by Roger Moore in the 1973 Bond movie Live and Let Die. These are more widely available, and pricing depends upon condition. On the very low end, there are plenty of other LED watches available for under $100.

LED watches, which required holding down a button to see the time because the LEDs drew too much power to leave on, were ultimately replaced by more efficient always-on LCDs in the mid 1970s, when Texas Instruments introduced a mass-produced model for only $20.

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Interviews & Articles

An Interview with Wristwatch Collector, Restorer, and Appraiser Don Levison

I got interested in pocket watches from working on mechanical things. I had an old car, and working on it gave me i… [more]

An Interview With Vintage Wristwatch Collector Jeff Hess

I started with pocket watches as a child, watching old movies on television, watching the cowboys occasionally pull… [more]

An Interview With Vintage Watch and Clock Expert Jonathan Snellenburg

I grew up outside of Philadelphia. I didn’t have any particular interest in clocks or watches as a kid; that came a… [more]



Best of the Web (“Hall of Fame”)

Nerd Watch Museum

Nerd Watch Museum

This gallery of hundreds of LCD and calculator watches from the 1980s includes nerd-friendly brands like Casio, Sei… [read review or visit site]

Old-Omegas.com

Old-Omegas.com

Steve Waddington’s vintage Omega watch site, featuring in-depth pages on models like Omega’s Pilot Line, Chrono… [read review or visit site]

OnTheDash

OnTheDash

Jeffrey Stein's great reference site on Heuer chronographs and dashboard timepieces. This site offers everything yo… [read review or visit site]

Gruen: The Art and Mystery of Watchmaking

Gruen: The Art and Mystery of Watchmaking

Paul Schliesser's elegant site offers a comprehensive history of the Gruen Watch Company of Ohio. The easy-to-navig… [read review or visit site]

The Accutron Watch Page

The Accutron Watch Page

Rob Berkavicius' labor of love for Accutrons and Accutron technical information contains extraordinarily detailed d… [read review or visit site]

Patek Phillipe Museum

Patek Phillipe Museum

This website, from the Patek Philippe Museum in Geneva, gives visitors a satisfying glimpse into the world of watch… [read review or visit site]

National Watch and Clock Museum

National Watch and Clock Museum

This virtual museum, created by the National Association of Watch and Clock Collectors, lets you stroll through tim… [read review or visit site]


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Hewlett-packard Gold Filled Hp-01 Led Calculator Watch$1,025 Ends Sunday 2 bids 21 watchers
Synchronar Mk 4 Vintage Solar Digital Led Watch$305.00 Ends Wednesday 7 bids 25 watchers
Hp-01 Hewlett Packard 1977 Led Calculator Watch Hp01$305.00 Ends Wednesday 2 bids 28 watchers
Omega Vintage Gold Filled Led Watch$285.00 Ends Thursday 1 bid 18 watchers
Rare 1976 Sicura Solar Lcd Watch Post Led Nos $255.99 Ends Monday 8 bids 19 watchers
Nos Vintage Hamilton Watch Led Mint Rare Lnib Nib Mint $202.50 Ends Sunday 10 bids 68 watchers
Vintage Pulsar 3140-2 Lcd Watch Nos Led Era Ss And Box $165.00 Ends Wednesday 1 bid 7 watchers
1970's Era Pulsar Digital Led Wrist Watch $150.00 Ends in 22 hours 9 bids 20 watchers
Vintage Pulsar Led Date / Command 3120 14k Gf Watch Box$126.07 Ends in 15 hours 13 bids 41 watchers
Diesel Digital Retro Black Mirror Led Mens Watch Dz7111$114.50 Ends Monday 19 bids 11 watchers
Very Rare Omega L.e.d. Watch W/ Original Band$100.00 Ends Tuesday 1 bid 29 watchers
Vintage Tiffany & Co Pulsar Led Wristwatch Watch$60.00 Ends in 23 hours 11 bids 40 watchers
Vtg 1975 Pulsar Led Mens Watch 14k 5408-2 Time Computer$56.00 Ends Wednesday 2 bids 27 watchers
Tokyoflash.100100101.led.futuristic Watch.unique.rare$51.00 Ends Monday 9 bids 8 watchers
Swiss Made Vintage Bulova Led Movement Quartz Men Watch$36.00 Ends Monday 8 bids 42 watchers
Nixon The Newton Watch Yellow Rubber 30m Led Mens New$31.30 Ends Thursday 14 bids 18 watchers
Pulsar 4407-2 Date Comm Led W/watch Case/band-nr Mint$24.99 Ends Tuesday 1 bid 11 watchers
Great Survivor Vintage Women's 1970s Red Led Watch!$19.33 Ends in 16 hours 1 bid 2 watchers
Matrix Cuff - Digital Led Watch - Leather & Blue Leds$17.50 Ends Sunday 5 bids 7 watchers
Vintage Red Led Bulova Men's Wrst Watch Works!$15.56 Ends Wednesday 2 bids 18 watchers
Nixon The Newton Watch Yellow Rubber 30m Led Mens New$15.50 Ends Wednesday 17 bids 30 watchers
Vintage Mens Space Age 10k Gold Filled Led Watch$14.99 Ends Sunday 1 bid 5 watchers
Swiss Army Night Vision Led Watch 24070$11.00 Ends Tuesday 4 bids 8 watchers
Vintage Rare Microsonic ? Led Watch Works Great!!$10.57 Ends Monday 5 bids 27 watchers
Led Watch - Tokyoflash - Morse Code - No Audio$10.50 Ends Saturday 7 bids 9 watchers
Vintage Red Led L.e.d. Watch Timex, Texas Instruments ?$10.49 Ends Thursday 2 bids 21 watchers
Vintage Texas Instruments Red Led Wristwatch Watch Mib$10.46 Ends Wednesday 2 bids 16 watchers
Vintage Compuchron Led Wrist Watch Red Stainless Steel $9.99 Ends in 14 hours 1 bid 6 watchers
Vintage Texas Instruments Led Watch Model 403 W/ti Band$9.99 Ends Thursday 1 bid 12 watchers
New Led Light Digital Date Sport Style Lady Men Watch$8.50 Ends in 5 hours 9 bids 5 watchers
Blue Led Light Binary System Men/lady Watch Black Strap$7.55 Ends in 23 hours 2 bids 1 watcher
29 Led Blue&red Light Digital Date Lady Men Wrist Watch$6.50 Ends in 5 hours 10 bids 6 watchers
New Fashion Odm Led Watch Boy & Girl Digital Pink(gift)$6.11 Ends Tuesday 10 bids 3 watchers
Fashion Red Led Digita L Women Men Black Sport Watch$6.05 Ends in 3 hours 3 bids 2 watchers
Unisex Wrist Sport Watch Odm Led Style Gift Black$6.00 Ends Thursday 3 bids 1 watcher
Men's Led Light Watch With Black Leather Strap T0774$5.61 Ends Tuesday 6 bids 2 watchers
New Sport Digital Time Red Led Mens/ladies Black Watch$5.50 Ends in 3 hours 5 bids 4 watchers
New Luxury Sport Style Led Digital Date Lady Men Watch$5.50 Ends in 21 hours 4 bids 3 watchers
New Red Led Digita Women Men Black Sport Watch$5.50 Ends in 3 hours 3 bids 4 watchers
Budweiser Sports Watch Needs Led Battery Working Watch$5.50 Ends in 11 hours 2 bids 2 watchers
Lot Of 6 Misc. Vintage Digital & Led Wrist Watches $5.20 Ends Wednesday 2 bids 6 watchers
Retro Analog Led Digital Date Stainless Steel Men Watch$4.99 Ends in 59 mins 2 bids 1 watcher
Unisex Wrist Sport Watch Odm Led Style Gift Blue$4.75 Ends Monday 6 bids 1 watcher
Bn Fashion Dual 30m Diving Analog Led Digital Men Watch$4.49 Ends in 17 hours 1 bid 1 watcher
Puma Portable Led Wrist Watch (black)$4.25 Ends Monday 5 bids 10 watchers
New Red Led Light Displays Digital Sport Watch T0772$4.25 Ends Tuesday 5 bids 3 watchers

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