In this digital age, the analogue watch face still survives, But WHY?
What is it about a clock face that still appeals and that ensures its survival?
Let’s face it even though we have seen the proliferation of digital watches, many of us still choose an analogue face.
Looking at the history of digital watches points towards why they are so popular:
A Brief History Of The Digital Watch
1920s - first digital wristwatch debuted with mechanical processes to display discrete digits, by Cortebert
1972 - Hamilton released the world's first commercial electronic digital wristwatch, encased in 18K gold, and using a LED display. It retailed for $2,100, equivalent to $14,000 today.
1973 - Seiko releases the O6LC TN LCD display watch, which drives the form factor for the next 40 years.
1976 - Digital watches start to incorporate functional calculators with the release of the Hamilton Pulsar Calculator Watch
1977 - Texas Instruments releases the Start Wars watch, in the same year the original Star Wars movie premiered. Retailing at $16.95, it was the first LED watch under $20
1980 - 1990 Licensed Nintendo game watches arrive, with games like Super Marios Bros & The Legen of Zelda
1982 - Seiko LCD TV watch arrives, unfortunately, it had external tuner.
2002 - Casio Wrist Camera
2015 - Apple Smartwatch Series 1 - revolutionises the digital watch landscape.
The Benefits Of A Smartwatch
The ubiquitous smartwatch is now entangled into every aspect of our daily lives. We tolerate poor battery life, just to have access to our data 24/7, and to support our social media addiction. The smartwatch tracks our health, fitness, serves up our messages, our alarms and calendar alerts.
BUT, many people still choose an analogue watch face.
Why An Analogue Watch Face?
Must sort after Luxury watches are still analogue. Many digital implementations imitate that trend
Analogue allows us to unplug from an overwhelmingly digital world
A digital display requires mental arithmetic to work out how much time you have. We are taught to interpret the position of the hands from an early age.
A digital display has to be read using the centre of the retina, whereas an analogue display can be taken in more quickly using peripheral vision
Personally, I like the nostalgia, and choose a digital watch with an analogue face