The Hamilton Pulsar, the original digital watch, is one of the masterpieces representing the Space Age. Upon its release, its groundbreaking technology captivated many celebrities and fashionistas, including Jack Nicholson, Elton John, and Keith Richards, and garnered enthusiastic support. In 2020, the 50th anniversary of the Hamilton Pulsar's birth, its style is revived as the Hamilton PSR.

From August 12th (Wednesday) to August 25th (Tuesday), the Hamilton Fair will be held on the 5th floor of the main building in the Watch/Promotion area, featuring the innovative models that have made a comeback.

May 6, 1970, is one of the most historic days in watchmaking history. On this day, at a press conference in New York, Hamilton unveiled the world's first LED digital watch. Named the "Hamilton Pulsar" after a neutron star that emits pulsed radio waves at high frequencies, this watch had no moving parts, was silent, and possessed revolutionary durability and precision, giving people the impact of something straight out of science fiction.

The Hamilton Pulsar P1, an early model released in 1972, captivated people with its futuristic design befitting its advanced technology. Featuring an avant-garde cushion-shaped case brimming with space-age vibes and an 18K yellow gold bracelet, this model, despite its price of $2,100 (equivalent to the cost of a car at the time), attracted numerous celebrities due to its rarity and innovativeness. Elvis Presley was among the first to acquire one of the 400 pieces ever produced.

The following year, full-scale general sales began. The "P2," released in 1973, featured a rounded stainless steel case and an improved chip module, pioneering the digital watch market and achieving great commercial success. Keith Richards, Elton John, Joe Frazier, Giovanni Agnelli, and even U.S. President Gerald Ford are known to have worn the "P2."

In 2020, marking the 50th anniversary of the birth of the "P1," Hamilton revives the "PSR" with two new models: a stainless steel model and a limited edition yellow gold PVD model limited to 1,970 pieces.

The design is based on the "P2" released in 1973, recreating its iconic wide cushion-shaped case. The same case size as the original is used. While the crystal has been updated from ruby to sapphire crystal, the three-dimensional form remains the same as the original model, giving it a retro-futuristic feel.

Beyond simply following the historical model, the time display style has evolved significantly from the original. The Hamilton PSR features a hybrid display that combines liquid crystal display (LCD) and organic light-emitting diode (OLED) technology. The LCD enables always-on illumination. By combining it with OLED, a red LED consisting of dots illuminates when a button on the right side of the case is pressed. The fusion of these two technologies has succeeded in reducing the energy consumption of the display.

Unfortunately, the yellow gold PVD model is already sold out, but the stainless steel model is available for pre-order. Hamilton's archive models from throughout its history will also be on display as part of the promotion, so be sure to check those out as well.

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