1 00:00:04,200 --> 00:00:07,200 Speaker 1: Get in touch with technology with tech Stuff from half 2 00:00:07,240 --> 00:00:14,680 Speaker 1: stuff works dot com. Hey there, and welcome to tech Stuff. 3 00:00:14,720 --> 00:00:16,919 Speaker 1: I'm Jonathan Strickland and I'm Lauren, both of them, and 4 00:00:16,960 --> 00:00:21,480 Speaker 1: it's time for a new intro. Okay, guys, So we 5 00:00:21,520 --> 00:00:26,240 Speaker 1: recorded just now an epic episode about smart watches. And 6 00:00:26,280 --> 00:00:28,360 Speaker 1: when I say epic, I mean it was over an 7 00:00:28,440 --> 00:00:31,880 Speaker 1: hour long. As as it turns out, there's a really 8 00:00:31,960 --> 00:00:35,519 Speaker 1: fascinating and very long history about not just watches, that 9 00:00:35,600 --> 00:00:38,800 Speaker 1: digital watches and the technology that has led up to 10 00:00:38,960 --> 00:00:42,120 Speaker 1: what we are currently calling smart watches. Right. So with 11 00:00:42,200 --> 00:00:44,640 Speaker 1: that in mind, we decided to split this episode into 12 00:00:44,680 --> 00:00:47,720 Speaker 1: two to make it more fun sized for all of 13 00:00:47,720 --> 00:00:50,239 Speaker 1: our listeners out there who may want to listen to 14 00:00:50,360 --> 00:00:54,240 Speaker 1: podcasts that don't have me talking on them. I don't 15 00:00:54,280 --> 00:00:57,640 Speaker 1: know why you do that, but anyway, we have decided 16 00:00:57,680 --> 00:01:00,120 Speaker 1: to split this up. So in this first episode, we're 17 00:01:00,120 --> 00:01:03,960 Speaker 1: going to really focus on the development of wrist watches, 18 00:01:04,560 --> 00:01:07,880 Speaker 1: into the development of digital watches, and then leading right 19 00:01:08,000 --> 00:01:12,399 Speaker 1: up to the the very birth I would say, of 20 00:01:12,600 --> 00:01:15,640 Speaker 1: what would become smart watch, the point at which these 21 00:01:15,720 --> 00:01:19,920 Speaker 1: devices started um getting interconnected, right, and a little bit 22 00:01:19,959 --> 00:01:30,440 Speaker 1: more than just about time. So smart watch I guess 23 00:01:30,480 --> 00:01:34,840 Speaker 1: it's a watch that does things betther than time. Yes. 24 00:01:35,040 --> 00:01:37,440 Speaker 1: Here's the thing about smart watches is that the definition 25 00:01:37,560 --> 00:01:41,600 Speaker 1: is somewhat vague, and it's probably because we've got a 26 00:01:41,640 --> 00:01:45,920 Speaker 1: lot of different ways that people are coming at the 27 00:01:47,319 --> 00:01:51,280 Speaker 1: smart watch design. It's kind of a convergence really, which 28 00:01:51,320 --> 00:01:53,120 Speaker 1: is for those of you who have been listening to 29 00:01:53,120 --> 00:01:55,320 Speaker 1: tech stuff for a long time, you remember that's one 30 00:01:55,320 --> 00:01:58,600 Speaker 1: of my favorite words in the whole wide world. Convergence, 31 00:01:58,880 --> 00:02:03,680 Speaker 1: this idea of very previous types of things converging into 32 00:02:03,760 --> 00:02:07,880 Speaker 1: a single form factor. And we're seeing this across multiple platforms, 33 00:02:07,920 --> 00:02:10,640 Speaker 1: not just with watches obviously. Sure sure, I mean you know, 34 00:02:10,680 --> 00:02:14,160 Speaker 1: as as technology as is letting UM chips be smaller 35 00:02:14,160 --> 00:02:17,959 Speaker 1: and more powerful, and as displays are getting um more 36 00:02:18,120 --> 00:02:23,239 Speaker 1: energy efficient and um more more capable of show and stuff. Yeah, exactly. 37 00:02:23,280 --> 00:02:26,839 Speaker 1: You know, as as the touchscreen capabilities are getting better, 38 00:02:27,000 --> 00:02:30,560 Speaker 1: voice recognition capabilities are getting better, it's making the smart 39 00:02:30,560 --> 00:02:33,560 Speaker 1: watch more of a reality. Although, as we'll see, the 40 00:02:33,639 --> 00:02:35,840 Speaker 1: idea of a smart watch, or at least a watch 41 00:02:35,880 --> 00:02:38,000 Speaker 1: that is able to do more than just tell time, 42 00:02:38,400 --> 00:02:41,000 Speaker 1: is not exactly a new idea. It's actually been around 43 00:02:41,080 --> 00:02:46,520 Speaker 1: for several decades, but really defining it as tough really 44 00:02:46,560 --> 00:02:51,160 Speaker 1: because as we add more capabilities to watches, we then 45 00:02:51,200 --> 00:02:53,280 Speaker 1: have to have the discussion of does this make it 46 00:02:53,400 --> 00:02:56,679 Speaker 1: a smart watch? And more frequently than not, I see 47 00:02:56,720 --> 00:02:58,720 Speaker 1: people say, no, that's not really a smart watch. So 48 00:02:58,800 --> 00:03:00,720 Speaker 1: really a smart watch is more about what a watch 49 00:03:00,800 --> 00:03:03,400 Speaker 1: isn't rather than what a watches right right, And you know, 50 00:03:03,480 --> 00:03:05,119 Speaker 1: it's if we were talking a little bit before the show, 51 00:03:05,120 --> 00:03:07,240 Speaker 1: and I kind of think that the you know, if 52 00:03:07,280 --> 00:03:10,480 Speaker 1: we can define a smart phone as um as as 53 00:03:10,480 --> 00:03:15,000 Speaker 1: a phone that lets you, um access the internet and 54 00:03:15,040 --> 00:03:17,880 Speaker 1: access the power of the Internet through various things like 55 00:03:18,000 --> 00:03:22,480 Speaker 1: apps and browsers. But but but furthermore, choose what software 56 00:03:22,560 --> 00:03:25,160 Speaker 1: you put on it, most watches are not really at 57 00:03:25,200 --> 00:03:28,280 Speaker 1: that point yet, even I mean most smart watches, even 58 00:03:28,360 --> 00:03:30,160 Speaker 1: you know, there are a few. There are a few 59 00:03:30,280 --> 00:03:33,160 Speaker 1: instances of smart watches that are running something like the 60 00:03:33,200 --> 00:03:37,080 Speaker 1: Android operating system that allows you to install apps, although 61 00:03:37,120 --> 00:03:41,320 Speaker 1: the utility of those apps is somewhat compromised by the 62 00:03:41,360 --> 00:03:44,280 Speaker 1: fact that the watch form factor is pretty small. So 63 00:03:44,520 --> 00:03:46,480 Speaker 1: using a lot of apps that are designed for a 64 00:03:46,520 --> 00:03:49,240 Speaker 1: screen that's at least the size of a smartphone, if 65 00:03:49,240 --> 00:03:53,200 Speaker 1: not a tablet makes it problematic when you're getting down 66 00:03:53,280 --> 00:03:55,960 Speaker 1: to the smartphone size. Yeah. Yeah, So so I would 67 00:03:55,960 --> 00:03:58,120 Speaker 1: say that a smart watch is probably more like something 68 00:03:58,160 --> 00:04:01,440 Speaker 1: that um that allows you to have connectivity to your 69 00:04:01,440 --> 00:04:04,880 Speaker 1: other devices, right, it might be a second screen experience 70 00:04:04,960 --> 00:04:08,040 Speaker 1: for something like a smartphone. Uh. It's really you know, 71 00:04:08,200 --> 00:04:12,640 Speaker 1: getting into this era of wearable computers, and we're seeing 72 00:04:12,680 --> 00:04:15,880 Speaker 1: that grow year over year, and I think the watch 73 00:04:15,960 --> 00:04:18,800 Speaker 1: is going to be probably one of the earliest examples 74 00:04:18,880 --> 00:04:21,200 Speaker 1: of a wearable computer, but we're going to see this 75 00:04:21,400 --> 00:04:25,240 Speaker 1: implemented into lots of stuff, uh in the future. We 76 00:04:25,240 --> 00:04:28,480 Speaker 1: we've got activity trackers, which we've talked about in previous podcasts, 77 00:04:28,880 --> 00:04:31,719 Speaker 1: and in fact, activity trackers and smart watches are converging 78 00:04:31,760 --> 00:04:35,640 Speaker 1: as well, just not just the smartphone and watch models, 79 00:04:35,720 --> 00:04:38,000 Speaker 1: or even the computer and watch models, because because a 80 00:04:38,000 --> 00:04:39,800 Speaker 1: lot of these smart watches coming out have some of 81 00:04:39,839 --> 00:04:43,720 Speaker 1: those um, you know, GPS tracking components are a pedometer gyroscope, 82 00:04:43,760 --> 00:04:46,839 Speaker 1: but will let you, um right right track whatever you're doing, 83 00:04:46,960 --> 00:04:49,800 Speaker 1: whether how many steps you're taking or whatever. And we'll 84 00:04:49,839 --> 00:04:52,039 Speaker 1: talk about a couple of those one in particular as 85 00:04:52,040 --> 00:04:55,520 Speaker 1: we go on in this podcast. So so we're kind 86 00:04:55,520 --> 00:05:00,000 Speaker 1: of narrowing down the definition. But to really understand about 87 00:05:00,000 --> 00:05:02,159 Speaker 1: aren't watches, it would help for us to kind of 88 00:05:02,200 --> 00:05:07,080 Speaker 1: take a trip through time. Ha ha, since we're talking 89 00:05:07,120 --> 00:05:09,240 Speaker 1: about time anyway, Lauren is just going to be shaking 90 00:05:09,240 --> 00:05:12,080 Speaker 1: your head through this whole episode because which I'm like, 91 00:05:12,160 --> 00:05:15,880 Speaker 1: electricity lends itself to lots of puns. Yeah, that's why 92 00:05:15,920 --> 00:05:17,960 Speaker 1: you know it's gonna be a good episode when Jonathan 93 00:05:18,040 --> 00:05:21,960 Speaker 1: opens the show and I just go yeah, yeah, yeah, 94 00:05:21,960 --> 00:05:24,440 Speaker 1: I know that she's already shaking her head twice and 95 00:05:24,480 --> 00:05:28,120 Speaker 1: we haven't really gotten started yet. Anyway, Let's let's look 96 00:05:28,160 --> 00:05:31,560 Speaker 1: at the history of watches and clocks in general. So, 97 00:05:32,080 --> 00:05:34,800 Speaker 1: first of all, clocks date back hundreds and hundreds and 98 00:05:34,839 --> 00:05:37,080 Speaker 1: hundreds of years, especially if you're going to things like 99 00:05:37,160 --> 00:05:40,440 Speaker 1: water clocks or hour glass anything that is used to 100 00:05:40,520 --> 00:05:43,520 Speaker 1: track the passage of time. But if you want to 101 00:05:43,560 --> 00:05:47,080 Speaker 1: talk about watches, something that's a wearable clock, you really 102 00:05:47,080 --> 00:05:49,400 Speaker 1: got to go all the way back to the sixteenth 103 00:05:49,680 --> 00:05:54,640 Speaker 1: century hundreds. So this is the same century where Henry 104 00:05:54,680 --> 00:06:00,040 Speaker 1: the Eighth wed and wived, and wood and beheaded and 105 00:06:00,800 --> 00:06:03,200 Speaker 1: lots of other stuff round around that same time. This 106 00:06:03,240 --> 00:06:05,360 Speaker 1: is the time at which Shakespeare would have gone like, man, 107 00:06:05,400 --> 00:06:08,480 Speaker 1: that's a minute ago. Yeah yeah, Actually Shakespeare for the 108 00:06:08,560 --> 00:06:11,400 Speaker 1: for the earliest watches would have gone, I'm not born yet, 109 00:06:12,160 --> 00:06:16,760 Speaker 1: but yeah yeah. Watches at this time were mostly coming 110 00:06:16,760 --> 00:06:19,360 Speaker 1: out of Germany. There are a couple of cities and 111 00:06:19,839 --> 00:06:23,920 Speaker 1: well what would be Germany and uh. The watches at 112 00:06:23,920 --> 00:06:28,719 Speaker 1: those times were these big, heavy things made out of 113 00:06:28,800 --> 00:06:31,560 Speaker 1: bronze that really only had our hand. They didn't have 114 00:06:31,600 --> 00:06:34,599 Speaker 1: a minute hand at all. And because they that, the 115 00:06:34,640 --> 00:06:38,040 Speaker 1: mechanism um would have been some kind of um. I 116 00:06:38,160 --> 00:06:41,039 Speaker 1: was pretty primitive. Like this was before they had invented 117 00:06:41,440 --> 00:06:46,440 Speaker 1: screws for things like watches, so they're like giant pegs 118 00:06:46,480 --> 00:06:49,440 Speaker 1: holding this stuff together. Really, the watches were these enormous, 119 00:06:49,640 --> 00:06:53,600 Speaker 1: heavy pieces of jewelry that weren't meant to help you 120 00:06:53,720 --> 00:06:57,120 Speaker 1: keep time. It wasn't. I mean that's what they were 121 00:06:57,160 --> 00:06:59,640 Speaker 1: supposed to do, but that's not what they actually did. 122 00:06:59,640 --> 00:07:02,960 Speaker 1: What they really did was they acted as status symbols. 123 00:07:03,160 --> 00:07:05,600 Speaker 1: So flavor. Flavor would have been perfectly at home at 124 00:07:05,600 --> 00:07:07,760 Speaker 1: this time, because that's how you wore them. Under these 125 00:07:08,200 --> 00:07:10,760 Speaker 1: you have an enormous chain holding it up a big 126 00:07:11,000 --> 00:07:15,720 Speaker 1: what I'm from the street, Well, I'm from a street anyway, 127 00:07:16,000 --> 00:07:20,040 Speaker 1: big heavy watches that were meant to show off status, 128 00:07:20,440 --> 00:07:22,760 Speaker 1: wasn't you know, because they were expensive, they were very 129 00:07:22,800 --> 00:07:26,440 Speaker 1: difficult to make, they didn't work so well. Uh, which 130 00:07:26,480 --> 00:07:28,480 Speaker 1: really when you get down to smart watches, kind of 131 00:07:28,960 --> 00:07:32,920 Speaker 1: mirrors the development of the smart watch. So but at 132 00:07:32,960 --> 00:07:36,000 Speaker 1: any rate that they were just wearable clocks, so so 133 00:07:36,200 --> 00:07:38,679 Speaker 1: not a wrist watch at all. These things were heavy 134 00:07:38,680 --> 00:07:43,160 Speaker 1: and you warm around your neck and on a big chain. Eventually, 135 00:07:43,920 --> 00:07:48,520 Speaker 1: the the technique for making watches improved, you began to 136 00:07:48,680 --> 00:07:53,280 Speaker 1: see more precision in watches and clocks as well, and 137 00:07:53,440 --> 00:07:59,120 Speaker 1: they began to get smaller and lighter and so yeah, 138 00:07:59,160 --> 00:08:02,320 Speaker 1: and they were still in his pendants really until the 139 00:08:02,440 --> 00:08:07,240 Speaker 1: late sixteen hundreds, So around the sixteen seventies or so, 140 00:08:07,640 --> 00:08:11,720 Speaker 1: that's about the time that the waistcoat became a fashion statement. 141 00:08:12,000 --> 00:08:15,800 Speaker 1: So once the waistcoat became a fashion statement, also pockets 142 00:08:15,960 --> 00:08:19,120 Speaker 1: became a thing, and that's when we started seeing the 143 00:08:19,200 --> 00:08:24,640 Speaker 1: pocket watch. So the next step in the evolution of 144 00:08:24,680 --> 00:08:29,040 Speaker 1: the wrist watch was the very first wrist watch. Now 145 00:08:29,320 --> 00:08:33,199 Speaker 1: there's some reports that say that people began to modify 146 00:08:33,360 --> 00:08:36,200 Speaker 1: pocket watches so that they could be worn around the wrist, 147 00:08:37,040 --> 00:08:40,680 Speaker 1: mostly for the ladies, because gentlemen like to have a big, old, 148 00:08:40,760 --> 00:08:44,600 Speaker 1: unwieldy pocket watch because it showed how again wealthy and 149 00:08:44,679 --> 00:08:47,680 Speaker 1: important they were. Right. But but as ladies did not 150 00:08:47,800 --> 00:08:51,080 Speaker 1: necessarily wear waistcoats, I imagine that was a that was 151 00:08:51,120 --> 00:08:54,080 Speaker 1: a fashion thing. Where again you're just going like, look, 152 00:08:54,080 --> 00:08:56,760 Speaker 1: I've got twenty eight yards of dress, zero pocket, right, 153 00:08:56,880 --> 00:08:58,880 Speaker 1: I need I need a way to show off that 154 00:08:59,000 --> 00:09:01,400 Speaker 1: both one I'm important and too I need to know 155 00:09:01,440 --> 00:09:04,559 Speaker 1: what time it is. Uh So, in eighteen sixty eight, 156 00:09:04,880 --> 00:09:09,640 Speaker 1: a Swiss watch manufacturer named Petick Philippe created the first 157 00:09:09,880 --> 00:09:14,000 Speaker 1: documented wristwatch. Now, again, there may have been wristwatches before this, 158 00:09:14,040 --> 00:09:17,000 Speaker 1: but this is the first time that anyone actually bothered 159 00:09:17,000 --> 00:09:19,880 Speaker 1: to say this is this is it? This was designed 160 00:09:19,920 --> 00:09:23,360 Speaker 1: to be worn upon the wrist, and it was jewelry, 161 00:09:23,440 --> 00:09:26,120 Speaker 1: it was ornamentation. It was meant for a lady. In fact, 162 00:09:26,120 --> 00:09:29,520 Speaker 1: it was a very important lady, the Countess Costcowitz of 163 00:09:29,600 --> 00:09:33,760 Speaker 1: Hungary and h Other watches again may have been adapted 164 00:09:33,760 --> 00:09:35,280 Speaker 1: for bracelets, but this is the first one that was 165 00:09:35,320 --> 00:09:38,920 Speaker 1: designed for that purpose and actually documented as such. That's 166 00:09:38,920 --> 00:09:42,200 Speaker 1: according to the Guinness Book World Records. By the way, now, 167 00:09:42,480 --> 00:09:45,600 Speaker 1: if you go up to the eighteen eighties. That's when 168 00:09:46,080 --> 00:09:50,880 Speaker 1: another Swiss watch manufacturer began to mass manufacturer wrist watches 169 00:09:51,080 --> 00:09:55,040 Speaker 1: for German military officials who wanted to have a way 170 00:09:55,200 --> 00:09:59,320 Speaker 1: of of of synchronizing time, but not have something so 171 00:09:59,440 --> 00:10:02,199 Speaker 1: unwieldy as a pocket watch. Now, if you want to 172 00:10:02,240 --> 00:10:06,040 Speaker 1: talk about a wristwatch designed for the general consumer and 173 00:10:06,040 --> 00:10:08,800 Speaker 1: not just the military, you have to get up to four. 174 00:10:09,160 --> 00:10:13,360 Speaker 1: And that's when Louis Cartier designed the first wrist watch 175 00:10:13,440 --> 00:10:16,360 Speaker 1: for a man that was not designed as just a 176 00:10:16,400 --> 00:10:20,920 Speaker 1: military wrist watch. It was for Alberto Santos Dumont, who 177 00:10:20,960 --> 00:10:23,240 Speaker 1: wanted a time piece he could use while he was 178 00:10:23,280 --> 00:10:28,680 Speaker 1: also operating his marvelous flying machine, because while piloting a machine, 179 00:10:28,679 --> 00:10:30,880 Speaker 1: he wanted to have both his hands available at any 180 00:10:30,920 --> 00:10:34,520 Speaker 1: time and not fumble for a pucket watch. That's fair, Yeah, 181 00:10:34,520 --> 00:10:37,920 Speaker 1: I can see that. So Cartier created a wrist watch 182 00:10:37,960 --> 00:10:41,479 Speaker 1: for his buddy, and he called it the the Santo 183 00:10:41,920 --> 00:10:45,680 Speaker 1: and they began to manufacture them in mass amounts around 184 00:10:45,840 --> 00:10:49,400 Speaker 1: nineteen eleven, and that's when we started seeing wrist watches 185 00:10:49,520 --> 00:10:53,920 Speaker 1: hit the actual general public. And then we have to 186 00:10:53,920 --> 00:10:56,680 Speaker 1: skip ahead to digital watches. So the first digital watch. 187 00:10:56,760 --> 00:11:00,600 Speaker 1: That's why like what the nineteen seventies, the twenties say 188 00:11:00,720 --> 00:11:03,559 Speaker 1: what say what? Yeah, no, no, it was it was 189 00:11:03,600 --> 00:11:06,560 Speaker 1: a mechanical digital watch. So we're kind of stretching the 190 00:11:06,600 --> 00:11:09,240 Speaker 1: definition here, but um, but but by digital I mean 191 00:11:09,440 --> 00:11:13,880 Speaker 1: showed numbers on its face that moved, rather than a 192 00:11:13,880 --> 00:11:17,520 Speaker 1: watch hand that that aund circulate around the face. So 193 00:11:17,640 --> 00:11:20,400 Speaker 1: we're talking about digits like the way you would think 194 00:11:20,440 --> 00:11:22,800 Speaker 1: of an analog pinball machine where he had the little 195 00:11:22,800 --> 00:11:26,160 Speaker 1: digit counters which would fall when you use your supple 196 00:11:26,200 --> 00:11:30,160 Speaker 1: wrist to play pinball better than anyone down in soho, 197 00:11:30,840 --> 00:11:33,040 Speaker 1: what was basically going on was was instead of having 198 00:11:33,120 --> 00:11:35,480 Speaker 1: having watch hands move, it would be a little dial 199 00:11:35,640 --> 00:11:38,120 Speaker 1: with numbers that would that it would would turn right. 200 00:11:38,640 --> 00:11:42,880 Speaker 1: So so this was designed by well, it was the 201 00:11:42,960 --> 00:11:46,680 Speaker 1: court to bear digital wristwatch in the nineteen twenties. Just 202 00:11:46,720 --> 00:11:50,080 Speaker 1: like saying that word. Yeah, so spoiler alert here, guys. 203 00:11:50,120 --> 00:11:52,400 Speaker 1: I actually didn't know about this, but only because I 204 00:11:52,440 --> 00:11:56,760 Speaker 1: had looked it up just before Laurence started talking. So um, yeah, 205 00:11:56,880 --> 00:12:00,720 Speaker 1: So the nine twenties first digital wristwatch do for digital 206 00:12:00,760 --> 00:12:02,920 Speaker 1: being that the digits are written down as opposed to 207 00:12:02,920 --> 00:12:05,680 Speaker 1: and the digits move as opposed to uh, an actual 208 00:12:05,720 --> 00:12:08,120 Speaker 1: watch hand sure right, um, And and now other other 209 00:12:08,120 --> 00:12:11,720 Speaker 1: stuff was going on in the early twentieth century with 210 00:12:11,720 --> 00:12:16,280 Speaker 1: with watch technology. Um. The quartz movement was invented in 211 00:12:16,280 --> 00:12:18,719 Speaker 1: the nineteen thirties in larger clocks not at all and 212 00:12:18,800 --> 00:12:21,640 Speaker 1: risk watches yet and and quartz movement UM just means 213 00:12:21,679 --> 00:12:25,480 Speaker 1: that that when you hook up a quartz crystal to 214 00:12:25,760 --> 00:12:32,079 Speaker 1: an electric battery, the it will vibrate a very specific frequency. Yeah, 215 00:12:32,280 --> 00:12:35,280 Speaker 1: it's it's the piece of electric effect. That is what 216 00:12:35,360 --> 00:12:38,360 Speaker 1: it's called, thank you. And when you when you you know, 217 00:12:38,440 --> 00:12:42,400 Speaker 1: hook up a bunch of gears mechanisms to this quartz crystal, 218 00:12:42,559 --> 00:12:47,080 Speaker 1: then it will vibrate the the mechanism, the mechanism in time, 219 00:12:47,120 --> 00:12:49,320 Speaker 1: which is how we get ticking watches. And because it's 220 00:12:49,440 --> 00:12:52,120 Speaker 1: such or ticking clocks, yeah, because it's such a a 221 00:12:52,200 --> 00:12:55,839 Speaker 1: regular occurrence, then it kept time in the level of 222 00:12:55,880 --> 00:13:00,520 Speaker 1: precision that had not been really affordable for any up 223 00:13:00,559 --> 00:13:03,440 Speaker 1: to this point except for the very very wealthy. Because 224 00:13:03,440 --> 00:13:07,920 Speaker 1: I mean, like the Swiss clockmakers were famed for their precision, 225 00:13:08,400 --> 00:13:13,600 Speaker 1: but this was tear springs and by hand, I mean, 226 00:13:13,640 --> 00:13:16,600 Speaker 1: this is like not a mass manufacturing kind of way. 227 00:13:16,640 --> 00:13:18,800 Speaker 1: And making sure that making sure that add that that 228 00:13:18,880 --> 00:13:21,199 Speaker 1: you could wind it in a way that would not 229 00:13:21,480 --> 00:13:26,120 Speaker 1: decrease the accuracy. Yes, because as as this mechanism would 230 00:13:26,120 --> 00:13:28,560 Speaker 1: wear down, it would become less accurate over time, less 231 00:13:28,559 --> 00:13:32,600 Speaker 1: precise over time. So the because precision and accuracy being 232 00:13:32,640 --> 00:13:35,800 Speaker 1: related but different things. Yeah. Now, if we get up 233 00:13:35,800 --> 00:13:40,400 Speaker 1: to nineteen six, that's when a character who was becoming 234 00:13:40,720 --> 00:13:44,160 Speaker 1: quite well known in the comics strips the funny papers, 235 00:13:44,679 --> 00:13:48,720 Speaker 1: Dick Tracy, plain clothes cop. You may have heard of 236 00:13:48,760 --> 00:13:51,440 Speaker 1: this character, if you're not familiar with him. Uh, he 237 00:13:51,559 --> 00:13:55,120 Speaker 1: was a crime fighting cop who had lots of different 238 00:13:55,120 --> 00:13:58,600 Speaker 1: adventures throughout decades and decades of stories that the comics 239 00:13:58,559 --> 00:14:01,480 Speaker 1: are actually debuted in nine thirty one, Right, there was 240 00:14:01,559 --> 00:14:05,960 Speaker 1: a movie with Warren Batty in something around there, right 241 00:14:06,080 --> 00:14:09,400 Speaker 1: when Madonna did all the music. Right, Yeah, she played 242 00:14:09,520 --> 00:14:12,600 Speaker 1: one of the characters. Yeah, that happened. Dick Tracy had 243 00:14:12,679 --> 00:14:15,400 Speaker 1: lots and lots of adventures. Well six, that's when he 244 00:14:15,440 --> 00:14:20,680 Speaker 1: got his infamous two way wrist radio. Now, this was 245 00:14:20,840 --> 00:14:24,280 Speaker 1: one of those examples of using something like the wrist 246 00:14:24,280 --> 00:14:28,840 Speaker 1: watch had now become something of a fashion item by 247 00:14:28,880 --> 00:14:31,280 Speaker 1: the forties, and so now this was taking it to 248 00:14:31,320 --> 00:14:33,600 Speaker 1: the next step, having a two way radio on your 249 00:14:33,720 --> 00:14:35,800 Speaker 1: on your wrist as opposed to some sort of enormous 250 00:14:35,920 --> 00:14:38,760 Speaker 1: radio that you're carrying around um and it gave Dick 251 00:14:38,800 --> 00:14:42,000 Speaker 1: Tracy that edge over some of the nefarious evil doers 252 00:14:42,000 --> 00:14:45,040 Speaker 1: they would face off against. In nineteen sixty four, he 253 00:14:45,160 --> 00:14:48,080 Speaker 1: upgraded his two way wrist radio to a two way 254 00:14:48,480 --> 00:14:53,200 Speaker 1: TV screen so you could actually see stuff and be 255 00:14:53,360 --> 00:14:59,200 Speaker 1: recorded back, obviously decades ahead of any real world technology 256 00:14:59,200 --> 00:15:00,960 Speaker 1: that would allow you to do do this now. I 257 00:15:00,960 --> 00:15:03,840 Speaker 1: should also point out that in nineteen six, this is 258 00:15:03,880 --> 00:15:08,480 Speaker 1: before anyone outside of a few laboratory folks had any 259 00:15:08,520 --> 00:15:12,240 Speaker 1: inkling that a transistor would even be a possibility. So 260 00:15:12,360 --> 00:15:15,880 Speaker 1: transistors are what actually allowed us to go the route 261 00:15:15,880 --> 00:15:21,440 Speaker 1: of miniaturization and have technology that's that's that's tiny. Other 262 00:15:21,560 --> 00:15:24,440 Speaker 1: before that, I mean you you're talking about vacuum tubes 263 00:15:24,440 --> 00:15:29,280 Speaker 1: and enormous pieces of of of electronic equipment. That's one 264 00:15:29,320 --> 00:15:32,400 Speaker 1: of the reasons why we didn't have that quartz movement 265 00:15:32,560 --> 00:15:36,160 Speaker 1: in uh in wrist watches yet because it's hard to 266 00:15:36,200 --> 00:15:39,720 Speaker 1: get that manaturization. But it was starting to to follow 267 00:15:39,760 --> 00:15:44,760 Speaker 1: through um so in in nineteen fifty four, Popular Science 268 00:15:44,840 --> 00:15:49,280 Speaker 1: showed off a prototype wrist radio, so already people were 269 00:15:49,320 --> 00:15:53,960 Speaker 1: talking about it being like Dick Tracy's uh wrist radio, which, 270 00:15:54,000 --> 00:15:56,160 Speaker 1: by the way, to this day, when you see smart 271 00:15:56,200 --> 00:16:00,440 Speaker 1: watches announced, there's about a seventy chance there's gonna be 272 00:16:00,480 --> 00:16:03,480 Speaker 1: a Dick Tracy reference in there somewhere. I mean, I 273 00:16:03,520 --> 00:16:05,640 Speaker 1: remember seeing those in two thousand nine, and I'll get 274 00:16:05,680 --> 00:16:07,640 Speaker 1: to that when we get to that part of the podcast. 275 00:16:07,680 --> 00:16:11,040 Speaker 1: But I think that must be a law. It's really 276 00:16:11,120 --> 00:16:14,880 Speaker 1: enduring image. It is. So the one in that Popular 277 00:16:14,880 --> 00:16:18,120 Speaker 1: Science showed off was designed by Sylvania and it had 278 00:16:18,160 --> 00:16:21,880 Speaker 1: a transmitter, so it wasn't just a radio as in 279 00:16:21,960 --> 00:16:24,200 Speaker 1: a receiver where you could listen to the radio on 280 00:16:24,280 --> 00:16:26,920 Speaker 1: your on your wrist. I've seen other radios that were 281 00:16:27,120 --> 00:16:30,119 Speaker 1: designed that way, wrist radios, but they were just receivers. 282 00:16:30,280 --> 00:16:33,040 Speaker 1: So it's like having a pocket radio, except reward on 283 00:16:33,040 --> 00:16:35,880 Speaker 1: your wrist instead of in your pocket. Uh. This was 284 00:16:36,120 --> 00:16:40,200 Speaker 1: a transmitter as well, so you could actually communicate with somebody. 285 00:16:40,400 --> 00:16:43,480 Speaker 1: But again, just to prototype wasn't meant for mass consumption. 286 00:16:54,160 --> 00:16:58,880 Speaker 1: It wasn't until that we even had a watch that 287 00:16:59,040 --> 00:17:01,240 Speaker 1: ran off of a battery instead of needing to be wound. 288 00:17:01,440 --> 00:17:06,320 Speaker 1: Holy cow. It's it's still used a balance wheel mechanism. Um. Again, 289 00:17:06,720 --> 00:17:09,960 Speaker 1: the Courts technology had not been miniaturized yet, got you, 290 00:17:10,240 --> 00:17:15,120 Speaker 1: So it's but still we're making progress. We are making progress. UM. 291 00:17:15,600 --> 00:17:20,399 Speaker 1: Nineteen sixty was when Belova released their first Acutron watch, 292 00:17:20,480 --> 00:17:23,600 Speaker 1: and that was that was a kind of a takeoff 293 00:17:23,640 --> 00:17:25,639 Speaker 1: of the Courts movement. UM. It used a nickel alloy 294 00:17:25,760 --> 00:17:28,520 Speaker 1: to to vibrate with the electric current of a battery 295 00:17:28,840 --> 00:17:33,840 Speaker 1: UM at a at a less accurate interval, not as 296 00:17:33,920 --> 00:17:37,000 Speaker 1: precisest quarts, but still better than what had come before. 297 00:17:37,200 --> 00:17:42,960 Speaker 1: Certainly nice. I like Acutron like a very very anal 298 00:17:43,000 --> 00:17:48,600 Speaker 1: retentive robot, like the The Accutron is the is the 299 00:17:48,720 --> 00:17:51,399 Speaker 1: robot that goes on Twitter and starts every tweet with 300 00:17:51,720 --> 00:17:55,720 Speaker 1: well actually, and he knows something. By the time this 301 00:17:55,760 --> 00:18:00,400 Speaker 1: podcast has circulated, someone will have made an Accutron Twitter account, 302 00:18:00,400 --> 00:18:04,480 Speaker 1: if there's not one already, I guarantee it. I certainly 303 00:18:04,520 --> 00:18:07,000 Speaker 1: hope so I will be very disappointed if Acutron is 304 00:18:07,040 --> 00:18:09,600 Speaker 1: not active with a week. Within a week of this 305 00:18:09,640 --> 00:18:12,600 Speaker 1: podcast going live, get on that listener, and every tweet 306 00:18:12,600 --> 00:18:18,119 Speaker 1: has to start with well actually, all right. Seven UM 307 00:18:18,400 --> 00:18:22,720 Speaker 1: was when the c e h the Center Electronic hor Lagger, 308 00:18:23,160 --> 00:18:27,679 Speaker 1: which was a Swiss research lab. The swisss mixing German 309 00:18:27,720 --> 00:18:31,360 Speaker 1: and French together in a way that just defies my 310 00:18:31,400 --> 00:18:35,639 Speaker 1: ability to pronounce things. They that was the year that 311 00:18:35,680 --> 00:18:39,200 Speaker 1: they that they came out with a prototype of a 312 00:18:39,320 --> 00:18:43,480 Speaker 1: miniaturized courts movement clock. Um. It did not hit the 313 00:18:43,600 --> 00:18:47,119 Speaker 1: market because because the I think the Swiss were kind 314 00:18:47,160 --> 00:18:50,520 Speaker 1: of like, we can do so much better with mechanical stuff, 315 00:18:50,560 --> 00:18:53,080 Speaker 1: and then they were doing really well with mechanical movements 316 00:18:53,080 --> 00:18:56,320 Speaker 1: at the time, so um uh yeah. Yeah. The in 317 00:18:56,320 --> 00:18:58,879 Speaker 1: in nineteen sixty nine, that was the first commercial release 318 00:18:59,480 --> 00:19:03,760 Speaker 1: of a quarts movement watch. That was Sacho's um s 319 00:19:03,840 --> 00:19:07,679 Speaker 1: q Astron. Yes. Psacho would become a big name in 320 00:19:07,840 --> 00:19:12,320 Speaker 1: watches over the next couple of decades. It should be 321 00:19:12,359 --> 00:19:16,679 Speaker 1: mentioned that this first uh commercial courts movement watch was 322 00:19:16,720 --> 00:19:19,640 Speaker 1: such a technical failure that it was recalled after only 323 00:19:19,680 --> 00:19:26,080 Speaker 1: a hundred pieces were made. Oh not yet, but but 324 00:19:26,160 --> 00:19:28,200 Speaker 1: it was. It was an important I think it really 325 00:19:28,240 --> 00:19:30,680 Speaker 1: got the world to set up and pay attention and 326 00:19:30,920 --> 00:19:32,440 Speaker 1: go like, oh no, no, no, this is a thing 327 00:19:32,480 --> 00:19:34,879 Speaker 1: that is going to happen and we should start getting 328 00:19:34,920 --> 00:19:37,199 Speaker 1: on it, all right, So let's let's talk about an 329 00:19:37,280 --> 00:19:41,880 Speaker 1: actual electronic digital watch, not a mechanical one that happened 330 00:19:41,920 --> 00:19:49,439 Speaker 1: in seventy two. That was Hamilton's made it, and it 331 00:19:49,520 --> 00:19:54,720 Speaker 1: was called the Pulsar P one Limited Edition Pulsar Um 332 00:19:54,760 --> 00:19:59,800 Speaker 1: it was. It was. It was encased in eighteen gold. Yeah, 333 00:20:00,119 --> 00:20:03,600 Speaker 1: and it was using an LED display with behind a 334 00:20:03,920 --> 00:20:07,680 Speaker 1: synthetic ruby crystal, right, so all the light was kind 335 00:20:07,680 --> 00:20:10,359 Speaker 1: of like it was like a Cylon visor from the 336 00:20:10,640 --> 00:20:14,000 Speaker 1: like a toaster, the classic Galactica, you know, the good one. 337 00:20:14,520 --> 00:20:18,439 Speaker 1: Oh well, okay, that's a whole other conversation. Um uh. 338 00:20:18,920 --> 00:20:21,239 Speaker 1: So it was a little expensive, as I recall it was. 339 00:20:21,280 --> 00:20:24,600 Speaker 1: It was dollars at the time, which equals out to 340 00:20:24,760 --> 00:20:28,480 Speaker 1: about eleven thousand, four hundred in today's currency. So yeah, 341 00:20:28,480 --> 00:20:30,600 Speaker 1: if you got about twelve grand to drop on a 342 00:20:30,680 --> 00:20:33,240 Speaker 1: digital watch, that's the one that you would have bought. 343 00:20:33,560 --> 00:20:36,000 Speaker 1: And and well, you know, it was the only one there, 344 00:20:36,000 --> 00:20:38,320 Speaker 1: so I guess that's I guess that's why I would 345 00:20:38,359 --> 00:20:40,879 Speaker 1: have thought. But and and you know, certainly certainly gold 346 00:20:40,960 --> 00:20:44,280 Speaker 1: gold watches with with you know, all of the fixings 347 00:20:44,359 --> 00:20:46,880 Speaker 1: these days are still quite expensive. That's true. There are 348 00:20:46,920 --> 00:20:51,440 Speaker 1: watches that are well beyond the eleven thousand dollar mark. 349 00:20:51,520 --> 00:20:53,520 Speaker 1: But this was this was pretty expensive. Now I will 350 00:20:53,600 --> 00:20:56,639 Speaker 1: I will say that it was a celebrity watch because 351 00:20:56,680 --> 00:20:59,720 Speaker 1: it was seen in a film, Uh, Live and Let Die, 352 00:21:00,000 --> 00:21:03,320 Speaker 1: which was one of the James Bond movies. Yeah, um 353 00:21:03,359 --> 00:21:05,920 Speaker 1: it was. It was also Yeah, it had it had 354 00:21:05,960 --> 00:21:10,959 Speaker 1: a twenty five chip circuit. Yeah and um and then 355 00:21:10,960 --> 00:21:14,359 Speaker 1: I'm crazy. So supposedly the idea for this watch. Hamilton's 356 00:21:14,720 --> 00:21:19,320 Speaker 1: had done a digital clock for Stanley Kubrick's film two 357 00:21:19,320 --> 00:21:22,480 Speaker 1: thousand one, and um, this is this is according to 358 00:21:22,520 --> 00:21:24,280 Speaker 1: it to a great little article from the BBC that 359 00:21:24,359 --> 00:21:27,200 Speaker 1: all all link on social and um and yeah, and 360 00:21:27,200 --> 00:21:29,720 Speaker 1: and that kind of inspired the team to to put 361 00:21:29,760 --> 00:21:34,600 Speaker 1: together the wrist watcher. Now, uh, you know, we're getting 362 00:21:34,640 --> 00:21:37,240 Speaker 1: to the point here we're still talking about just wrist 363 00:21:37,280 --> 00:21:40,840 Speaker 1: watches here, digital wrist watches, but still just something that 364 00:21:40,880 --> 00:21:45,239 Speaker 1: tells time. But we're slowly working towards the this this 365 00:21:45,359 --> 00:21:47,159 Speaker 1: idea of a wrist watch that can do more. And 366 00:21:47,200 --> 00:21:49,680 Speaker 1: I'll keep in mind we had the examples of the 367 00:21:49,720 --> 00:21:53,000 Speaker 1: two way wrist radio, which wasn't necessarily a watch, but 368 00:21:53,080 --> 00:21:55,879 Speaker 1: was taking the watch form factor and converting it into 369 00:21:55,920 --> 00:21:58,880 Speaker 1: something else. But we're now getting into an era even 370 00:21:58,920 --> 00:22:01,520 Speaker 1: now in the seventy when we're talking about watches that 371 00:22:01,560 --> 00:22:04,680 Speaker 1: could do more than just tell time. Uh. It was 372 00:22:04,720 --> 00:22:08,800 Speaker 1: also the mid seventies when we started seeing the price 373 00:22:08,880 --> 00:22:11,600 Speaker 1: for digital watches start to drop, when other companies got 374 00:22:11,600 --> 00:22:15,240 Speaker 1: involved and began to find ways of mass manufacturing transistors 375 00:22:16,160 --> 00:22:20,760 Speaker 1: at at a price that was way more affordable, right right. Also, 376 00:22:20,800 --> 00:22:23,280 Speaker 1: Ellie l c D was coming onto the scene a 377 00:22:23,320 --> 00:22:26,840 Speaker 1: little bit in in nineteen seventy three, Saco had the 378 00:22:26,880 --> 00:22:30,960 Speaker 1: first liquid crystal display watch UM. And then but but 379 00:22:31,160 --> 00:22:34,480 Speaker 1: it was around seventy six UM companies like like Texas 380 00:22:34,560 --> 00:22:37,919 Speaker 1: Instruments UM started putting out these like twenty dollar digital 381 00:22:37,960 --> 00:22:42,000 Speaker 1: watches UM, and you know, including in seventy seven they 382 00:22:42,000 --> 00:22:44,080 Speaker 1: had like a whole Star Wars license line that was 383 00:22:44,359 --> 00:22:48,600 Speaker 1: you know, it was for seventeen bucks and that's including 384 00:22:48,600 --> 00:22:51,160 Speaker 1: the license fee. So you know, so much much less 385 00:22:51,200 --> 00:22:54,479 Speaker 1: expensive than the than the two thousand watch that came 386 00:22:54,480 --> 00:22:57,439 Speaker 1: out just a few years earlier. And uh so in 387 00:22:57,560 --> 00:23:01,280 Speaker 1: nineteen seventies six, that's what Hamilton's you know, they were 388 00:23:01,280 --> 00:23:03,119 Speaker 1: the ones who got on the on the board with 389 00:23:03,200 --> 00:23:05,240 Speaker 1: the first digital watch. They came out with the first 390 00:23:05,840 --> 00:23:09,560 Speaker 1: calculator watch one of the first ones to hit the market. 391 00:23:09,600 --> 00:23:13,000 Speaker 1: There were a few companies that were vying for the 392 00:23:13,320 --> 00:23:16,160 Speaker 1: time but I think I think Hamilton's might have gotten 393 00:23:16,160 --> 00:23:17,960 Speaker 1: it under the y that the buttons on this were 394 00:23:17,960 --> 00:23:19,480 Speaker 1: so small that they had to be pressed with a 395 00:23:19,520 --> 00:23:22,840 Speaker 1: stylists which was included with the watch, and you would, 396 00:23:23,160 --> 00:23:26,240 Speaker 1: I hope not lose it immediately because if you did, 397 00:23:26,280 --> 00:23:31,080 Speaker 1: it just became a very uh, buttony looking digital watch. 398 00:23:31,240 --> 00:23:33,199 Speaker 1: You couldn't and if you were in the middle of 399 00:23:33,240 --> 00:23:36,080 Speaker 1: a calculation, I assumed that eventually it would fade away 400 00:23:36,119 --> 00:23:39,679 Speaker 1: to whatever the time was. But in HP got on 401 00:23:40,119 --> 00:23:42,840 Speaker 1: with the their version of the calculator watch, which was 402 00:23:42,880 --> 00:23:46,400 Speaker 1: the HP O one. They marketed it as a time 403 00:23:46,720 --> 00:23:50,600 Speaker 1: machine because it was both a watch and a calculator. 404 00:23:51,480 --> 00:23:55,560 Speaker 1: So it cost U fifty bucks for this steel model. 405 00:23:55,920 --> 00:24:00,520 Speaker 1: We wanted it in gold it would be um. But 406 00:24:00,560 --> 00:24:03,159 Speaker 1: then we started seeing other trends follow so it was 407 00:24:03,280 --> 00:24:05,800 Speaker 1: you know, at first it was the calculator watch, but 408 00:24:05,840 --> 00:24:11,400 Speaker 1: we started seeing other kinds of specialized digital watches. Right 409 00:24:11,600 --> 00:24:16,399 Speaker 1: right right in there was a a gaming watch and 410 00:24:18,520 --> 00:24:21,320 Speaker 1: uh and this this played a little three line version 411 00:24:21,320 --> 00:24:25,080 Speaker 1: of Space Invaders. This is a Cassio Watch. I described 412 00:24:25,119 --> 00:24:27,960 Speaker 1: it thus Lee this is in my notes. Uh, you 413 00:24:27,960 --> 00:24:31,080 Speaker 1: would use a blip that would fire blips at other blips. 414 00:24:32,119 --> 00:24:34,600 Speaker 1: It sounds like a great game. Yeah, from what I 415 00:24:34,640 --> 00:24:38,000 Speaker 1: saw it was it was horizontally aligned, so your little 416 00:24:38,080 --> 00:24:40,959 Speaker 1: blip was on one side and the enemy blips were 417 00:24:41,000 --> 00:24:42,639 Speaker 1: on the other side, and you would fire your blips 418 00:24:42,640 --> 00:24:46,040 Speaker 1: across to those blips before they could destroy you. But 419 00:24:46,080 --> 00:24:48,160 Speaker 1: I also told the time. It also told the time 420 00:24:48,200 --> 00:24:53,160 Speaker 1: gaming watch. This is something else that that keeps me amused. 421 00:24:53,160 --> 00:24:55,679 Speaker 1: I remember there are lots of different comic strips that 422 00:24:56,359 --> 00:25:00,000 Speaker 1: joked about the fancy watch that had all the different 423 00:25:00,000 --> 00:25:02,119 Speaker 1: apps on it, and then they said what time is it? 424 00:25:02,160 --> 00:25:06,800 Speaker 1: And then the responsibly time. Yeah. Either either it would 425 00:25:06,840 --> 00:25:09,400 Speaker 1: take them forever to figure out how to activate whatever 426 00:25:09,440 --> 00:25:12,239 Speaker 1: the time feature was, or the time features just not 427 00:25:12,320 --> 00:25:18,440 Speaker 1: there trombone. Of course, later in the nineties they would 428 00:25:18,480 --> 00:25:21,080 Speaker 1: come out with, um, you know, watches that did miniature 429 00:25:21,160 --> 00:25:24,119 Speaker 1: versions of like Super Mario Brothers and Zelda and like. 430 00:25:24,200 --> 00:25:26,120 Speaker 1: We would see a lot more game watches come out 431 00:25:26,160 --> 00:25:29,080 Speaker 1: after that, but this was the first one. And that 432 00:25:29,160 --> 00:25:32,000 Speaker 1: year was also when Cassio came out with a less 433 00:25:32,040 --> 00:25:36,040 Speaker 1: expensive calculator watch, something that the average person could afford, 434 00:25:36,080 --> 00:25:38,760 Speaker 1: not you know, drop close to a thousand dollars on it. 435 00:25:39,240 --> 00:25:42,280 Speaker 1: It also came out with a watch calculator watch the 436 00:25:42,320 --> 00:25:44,000 Speaker 1: head buttons large enough for you to press with your 437 00:25:44,000 --> 00:25:47,000 Speaker 1: finger and not have to re upon a stylus or 438 00:25:47,359 --> 00:25:50,159 Speaker 1: paper clip, as I'm sure so many people had to 439 00:25:50,920 --> 00:25:54,800 Speaker 1: rely upon once they immediately lost stylus. Yea, I'm just 440 00:25:54,800 --> 00:25:57,600 Speaker 1: assuming that some people are at least some people who 441 00:25:57,600 --> 00:26:01,560 Speaker 1: bought this watch are as irresponsible as I am. You know, 442 00:26:01,720 --> 00:26:04,520 Speaker 1: we all look at the world through our own lens, right, 443 00:26:04,800 --> 00:26:11,520 Speaker 1: and yours is one of irresponsibility. Psacho produced a wrist 444 00:26:11,520 --> 00:26:16,639 Speaker 1: watch with a tiny TV screen. This blows my mind, okay, 445 00:26:16,640 --> 00:26:19,240 Speaker 1: and well, I mean, okay, it kind of sounds impressive, 446 00:26:19,359 --> 00:26:22,199 Speaker 1: but it was. It was a blue gray l c 447 00:26:22,320 --> 00:26:25,480 Speaker 1: D screen and um, it had to have an external 448 00:26:25,600 --> 00:26:27,760 Speaker 1: box hooked up to the top of it so that 449 00:26:27,800 --> 00:26:30,399 Speaker 1: it could actually do the tuning right right, So you 450 00:26:30,400 --> 00:26:33,040 Speaker 1: didn't have a television tuner built into a wrist watch. 451 00:26:33,080 --> 00:26:35,520 Speaker 1: It was. It was a tuner that would attach by 452 00:26:35,560 --> 00:26:39,080 Speaker 1: a port plug it in. Yeah, then you could view 453 00:26:39,240 --> 00:26:41,600 Speaker 1: the t and it's not like a portable TV that 454 00:26:41,640 --> 00:26:44,760 Speaker 1: you could take with you wherever. No. Um, but but 455 00:26:44,760 --> 00:26:48,320 Speaker 1: but it was pretty cool. Um that same year, Cassio 456 00:26:48,359 --> 00:26:50,879 Speaker 1: came out with a watch that also had a thermometer. 457 00:26:51,280 --> 00:26:54,240 Speaker 1: Very useful and it's super super useful. Often wonder what 458 00:26:54,280 --> 00:26:57,840 Speaker 1: temperature my wrist was? And what Hey that that that 459 00:26:57,920 --> 00:27:03,320 Speaker 1: becomes extremely useful and fitness day later on. I'm being snarky, 460 00:27:03,480 --> 00:27:05,600 Speaker 1: but I think this one just told the ambient temperature 461 00:27:05,840 --> 00:27:08,960 Speaker 1: of the room, and so like, why am I sweating? Oh, 462 00:27:09,000 --> 00:27:14,919 Speaker 1: it's three degrees um? And the and and also that 463 00:27:14,960 --> 00:27:17,359 Speaker 1: there was a watch that had from from Cassio that 464 00:27:17,440 --> 00:27:22,320 Speaker 1: had a word Japanese to English translator in it, which 465 00:27:22,400 --> 00:27:24,800 Speaker 1: is which is actually pretty cool for the time. That's 466 00:27:25,040 --> 00:27:29,439 Speaker 1: that's that's actually really interesting, y'all. Yeah. I wonder if 467 00:27:29,440 --> 00:27:32,280 Speaker 1: Sean Connery had one of those in that movie US 468 00:27:32,359 --> 00:27:36,720 Speaker 1: And where he played the Japanese expert. Nothing like Sean 469 00:27:36,720 --> 00:27:41,240 Speaker 1: Connery being a Japanese expert. By the way, The Rising Sun, Okay, 470 00:27:41,560 --> 00:27:44,320 Speaker 1: that Michael, that Michael Creton book. I I remember the novel. 471 00:27:44,359 --> 00:27:47,320 Speaker 1: I never saw them. It was it was an experience. 472 00:27:47,640 --> 00:27:50,359 Speaker 1: We should That's another movie we could do a tech 473 00:27:50,400 --> 00:27:52,400 Speaker 1: stuff episode about because they have a whole thing about 474 00:27:52,480 --> 00:27:58,320 Speaker 1: digital manipulation, which was basically any Michael Crichton book though 475 00:27:58,359 --> 00:28:03,080 Speaker 1: would are. But the way they display digital manipulation in 476 00:28:03,080 --> 00:28:07,160 Speaker 1: this movie it was uh not realistic for the time, 477 00:28:07,520 --> 00:28:09,920 Speaker 1: but it's something we could totally do now. In fact, 478 00:28:10,240 --> 00:28:14,040 Speaker 1: it's something that a Disney ride does right now. So anyway, 479 00:28:14,680 --> 00:28:19,440 Speaker 1: off topic, So getting back to watches, uh, in three 480 00:28:19,480 --> 00:28:21,880 Speaker 1: that's the first time that we had Saco put out 481 00:28:21,920 --> 00:28:24,800 Speaker 1: a watch called the Data two thousand and and this 482 00:28:24,920 --> 00:28:26,440 Speaker 1: and this was a little a little thing that you 483 00:28:26,480 --> 00:28:29,280 Speaker 1: could you could set it on a I think it 484 00:28:29,320 --> 00:28:32,920 Speaker 1: was a magnetically driven keypad and um, and and and 485 00:28:33,040 --> 00:28:36,679 Speaker 1: enter data into the watch from this key pass so 486 00:28:36,840 --> 00:28:39,200 Speaker 1: make it easier to put data in as opposed to 487 00:28:39,240 --> 00:28:43,840 Speaker 1: having to use tiny little buttons or some weird button combination. 488 00:28:44,200 --> 00:28:47,160 Speaker 1: It was. It was still the pictures ever, remind me 489 00:28:47,320 --> 00:28:50,200 Speaker 1: very much of you know, maybe like like the Microsoft 490 00:28:50,320 --> 00:28:55,600 Speaker 1: Xbox keyboard keyboard for the controller. Yeah, so still a 491 00:28:55,640 --> 00:28:58,640 Speaker 1: tiny keyboard, but but bigger, bigger than what you would 492 00:28:58,640 --> 00:29:01,960 Speaker 1: normally see on a watch. Yes, certainly. Um. That's also 493 00:29:02,040 --> 00:29:04,120 Speaker 1: the same year that Cassio came out with the c 494 00:29:04,280 --> 00:29:06,680 Speaker 1: D forty, which was a wrist watch that had twenty 495 00:29:06,760 --> 00:29:10,000 Speaker 1: four buttons that would let you type in short digital notes, 496 00:29:10,240 --> 00:29:12,800 Speaker 1: so kind of like kind of like a little memo 497 00:29:12,920 --> 00:29:18,560 Speaker 1: taking or database type watch, but still you know, self contained, right, 498 00:29:18,680 --> 00:29:20,800 Speaker 1: like everything you put on the watch stayed on the watch. 499 00:29:20,840 --> 00:29:24,440 Speaker 1: There was no way other than transcribing it to get 500 00:29:24,440 --> 00:29:30,160 Speaker 1: the data off the watch. Four saw Saco's UM, a 501 00:29:30,240 --> 00:29:32,760 Speaker 1: kind of advanced version of this of the statatuoe thousand 502 00:29:32,800 --> 00:29:35,160 Speaker 1: called the U C two thousand, and that had a 503 00:29:35,160 --> 00:29:40,080 Speaker 1: slightly more enhanced keyboard and UM would let you program 504 00:29:40,200 --> 00:29:42,880 Speaker 1: on the watch in basic Wow, so you could have 505 00:29:42,920 --> 00:29:45,440 Speaker 1: your own little program where when you run it, AT 506 00:29:45,440 --> 00:29:49,560 Speaker 1: prints out a little picture using asterisks as the the image. 507 00:29:49,680 --> 00:29:52,000 Speaker 1: Because that's what I used to do basic. That's about 508 00:29:52,000 --> 00:29:54,480 Speaker 1: as far as I got in basic programming, which other 509 00:29:54,520 --> 00:29:56,120 Speaker 1: things as well. I'm sure it could be done. And 510 00:29:57,280 --> 00:30:02,360 Speaker 1: that U and that's when Cassio released the t M 511 00:30:02,640 --> 00:30:07,080 Speaker 1: one hundred, which this was the first UH watch I 512 00:30:07,120 --> 00:30:11,080 Speaker 1: discovered while while doing research for this podcast. UM, which 513 00:30:11,320 --> 00:30:14,960 Speaker 1: again takes you right back to the Dick Tracy wrist 514 00:30:15,280 --> 00:30:18,080 Speaker 1: radio because it was a digital watch that had a 515 00:30:18,160 --> 00:30:22,040 Speaker 1: tiny little antenna that you could extend from the launch. 516 00:30:22,080 --> 00:30:24,040 Speaker 1: It was actually cute. You can actually get a little 517 00:30:24,040 --> 00:30:26,240 Speaker 1: extendable antenna that would come out of the watch and 518 00:30:26,280 --> 00:30:29,160 Speaker 1: you could, uh, you could then speak into a microphone 519 00:30:29,200 --> 00:30:32,880 Speaker 1: that was on the watch and transmit radio signals to 520 00:30:33,040 --> 00:30:36,000 Speaker 1: any nearby radio tuned to the right frequency. So you 521 00:30:36,040 --> 00:30:39,280 Speaker 1: had to tune the radio to whatever the frequency is. 522 00:30:39,280 --> 00:30:41,600 Speaker 1: And this is not that unusual. We've seen lots of 523 00:30:41,600 --> 00:30:45,600 Speaker 1: other tech use this. I remember before UM, before it 524 00:30:45,640 --> 00:30:50,719 Speaker 1: became more common to have MP three auxiliary hookups in 525 00:30:50,760 --> 00:30:54,240 Speaker 1: your radio, you would use things that would you would 526 00:30:54,240 --> 00:30:56,880 Speaker 1: hook your your iPod or other m P three player 527 00:30:57,000 --> 00:31:00,560 Speaker 1: up to this little transmitter and the transmitter would transmit 528 00:31:00,560 --> 00:31:04,560 Speaker 1: a very weak signal to a particular UM frequency, and 529 00:31:04,560 --> 00:31:06,440 Speaker 1: then you would tune your radio to that frequency, and 530 00:31:06,440 --> 00:31:09,560 Speaker 1: that would let you listen to your iPod in your car. 531 00:31:09,600 --> 00:31:13,240 Speaker 1: Before we actually got to deeper levels of integration, same 532 00:31:13,280 --> 00:31:16,080 Speaker 1: sort of technology is going on here. The digital watch 533 00:31:16,080 --> 00:31:20,400 Speaker 1: would transmit at a very weak signal at a certain frequency, 534 00:31:20,600 --> 00:31:23,040 Speaker 1: and you could pick it up on nearby radios. Not 535 00:31:23,280 --> 00:31:27,000 Speaker 1: terribly useful, but kind of interesting, Yeah, pretty cool. Never 536 00:31:27,200 --> 00:31:30,720 Speaker 1: never went on sale in the United States. It went 537 00:31:30,720 --> 00:31:33,920 Speaker 1: on sale in Asia apparently, but never in the US. 538 00:31:34,680 --> 00:31:38,000 Speaker 1: UM Also that year, the that that BBC article that 539 00:31:38,040 --> 00:31:40,120 Speaker 1: I mentioned said that Citizen came out with a watch 540 00:31:40,160 --> 00:31:44,640 Speaker 1: that that had some kind of voice reaction software, which 541 00:31:44,680 --> 00:31:47,640 Speaker 1: is pretty cool. I did not come across that in 542 00:31:47,720 --> 00:31:51,440 Speaker 1: my research, but yeah, that's that's really early for any 543 00:31:51,480 --> 00:31:54,000 Speaker 1: kind of voice control type stuff. I'm not sure if 544 00:31:54,000 --> 00:31:57,080 Speaker 1: it was voice controltrol. I yeah, I don't know. That's 545 00:31:57,120 --> 00:31:59,960 Speaker 1: that's that's all I know about it, so we can't 546 00:32:00,040 --> 00:32:02,080 Speaker 1: draw many conclusions. I would hope that it would allow 547 00:32:02,120 --> 00:32:04,240 Speaker 1: you to at least turn the alarm off by screaming 548 00:32:04,240 --> 00:32:09,200 Speaker 1: at it. Only only screaming, right, That's kind of my 549 00:32:09,240 --> 00:32:12,000 Speaker 1: reaction whenever I have anything that has an alarm that 550 00:32:12,040 --> 00:32:14,440 Speaker 1: goes off that I did not remember had been set, 551 00:32:15,240 --> 00:32:18,600 Speaker 1: screaming is usually my follow up. And then something about 552 00:32:19,760 --> 00:32:23,720 Speaker 1: ye Cassio came out with a watch called the Cosmo Phase. 553 00:32:24,600 --> 00:32:29,320 Speaker 1: Um so, uh did it just play back the time 554 00:32:29,400 --> 00:32:33,320 Speaker 1: in Carl Sagan's voice? That would be so cool? Ullions 555 00:32:33,400 --> 00:32:36,440 Speaker 1: and billions of seconds to make your next appointment? It 556 00:32:36,520 --> 00:32:39,640 Speaker 1: had it was an LCD display watch that um that 557 00:32:39,800 --> 00:32:43,080 Speaker 1: was just chock full of planetary data, so um so 558 00:32:43,200 --> 00:32:45,280 Speaker 1: it would it would tell you all kinds of things 559 00:32:45,280 --> 00:32:47,920 Speaker 1: about about the phases of the moon and what planets 560 00:32:47,920 --> 00:32:50,880 Speaker 1: were visible from different things and stuff. That's actually kind 561 00:32:50,880 --> 00:32:53,400 Speaker 1: of cool. I mean, you know, it's it's again self 562 00:32:53,480 --> 00:32:56,400 Speaker 1: contained information, right, It's not like it's it's not connective. 563 00:32:56,400 --> 00:33:00,880 Speaker 1: It's not downloading this off the Internet of eight, right, 564 00:33:00,920 --> 00:33:05,479 Speaker 1: which that did exist, but hardly anyone had any access 565 00:33:05,480 --> 00:33:07,720 Speaker 1: to it when you look at the general population. But 566 00:33:07,800 --> 00:33:09,480 Speaker 1: you know, but but but that's a bunch of information 567 00:33:09,520 --> 00:33:11,719 Speaker 1: to stick in a watch. If you can, you can 568 00:33:11,760 --> 00:33:16,760 Speaker 1: track Hayley's comment from from like nine one through two 569 00:33:16,880 --> 00:33:19,480 Speaker 1: or something like that. Um well, I mean if you're 570 00:33:19,520 --> 00:33:21,200 Speaker 1: if you're marked Twain, you can talk about it just 571 00:33:21,240 --> 00:33:23,600 Speaker 1: by being that's when you were one and when you died. Right. 572 00:33:24,520 --> 00:33:27,440 Speaker 1: So this wraps up the first part of our discussion 573 00:33:27,520 --> 00:33:30,400 Speaker 1: about smart watches. We've got a lot more to talk about, 574 00:33:30,440 --> 00:33:33,840 Speaker 1: including some watches that are actually smart. Yeah, I know 575 00:33:34,440 --> 00:33:37,200 Speaker 1: you wouldn't even know it from the title, right. Well, anyway, 576 00:33:37,240 --> 00:33:40,320 Speaker 1: that episode is coming up soon, so in the meantime, 577 00:33:40,440 --> 00:33:42,760 Speaker 1: if you have any thoughts on things we should cover 578 00:33:42,800 --> 00:33:45,120 Speaker 1: in future episodes of tech Stuff, please let us know. 579 00:33:45,600 --> 00:33:47,360 Speaker 1: You can let us know in an email or I 580 00:33:47,480 --> 00:33:50,640 Speaker 1: just is tech Stuff at Discovery dot com, or drop 581 00:33:50,720 --> 00:33:53,240 Speaker 1: us a line on Twitter or Facebook. Our handle of 582 00:33:53,320 --> 00:33:55,800 Speaker 1: both of those is text Stuff hs W and Lauren 583 00:33:55,840 --> 00:33:57,840 Speaker 1: and I will talk to you again in just a 584 00:33:57,880 --> 00:34:03,320 Speaker 1: little more time. For more on this and thousands of 585 00:34:03,320 --> 00:34:13,520 Speaker 1: other topics, visit how stuff works dot com.