A calculator watch is a digital watch with a built-in calculator, usually including buttons on the watch face. Calculator watches were first introduced in the 1970s and continue to be produced, despite falling from their peak popularity during the 1980s. The most dominant brands were the

Casio Databank Casio Databank (often styled as CASIO DATA BANK) is a series of digital watches and electronic personal organizers manufactured by Casio. The watches allow data storage for names and telephone numbers, memos, and in late editions, email addres ...

series and Timex. Most calculator watches perform only basic arithmetic operations (addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division). However, there are several models with additional functions: scientific, including transcendent and

trigonometry Trigonometry () is a branch of mathematics that studies relationships between side lengths and angles of triangles. The field emerged in the Hellenistic world during the 3rd century BC from applications of geometry to astronomical studies ...

, in models Casio CFX-20, CFX-200, CFX-400 and Citizen 49–9421, financial functions (Casio CBA-10) and also TV remote control functions (CMD-40B and CMD-30B). Usually, calculator watches operate with eight-digit numbers; however, calculator watches can work with six digits (for example, Casio C-801) or ten-digit (Casio CBA-10).

History

Calculator watches first appeared in the mid 1970s introduced by Pulsar (1975, then a brand of the

Hamilton Watch Company The Hamilton Watch Company is a Swiss manufacturer of wristwatches based in Bienne, Switzerland. Founded in 1892 as an American firm, the Hamilton Watch Company ended American manufacture in 1969. Through a series of mergers and acquisitions, th ...

)"History of LEDs - Chapter 1"
at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute website. and Hewlett Packard. Another popular calculator watch was the Time Computer Calculator 901, which could perform basic arithmetic functions. The 902 models had additional functions such as percentage calculations. The Time watches carried a high price tag (US$4,000) because they were made of solid gold and operated by a stylus pen owing to the small size of their buttons. Popular watches include those from

Seiko , commonly known as Seiko ( , ), is a Japanese maker of watches, clocks, electronic devices, semiconductors, jewelry, and optical products. Founded in 1881 by Kintarō Hattori in Tokyo, Seiko introduced one of the first quartz watches and the ...

and Citizen, some of which had innovative functions. Japanese electronics company

Casio is a Japanese multinational electronics manufacturing corporation headquartered in Shibuya, Tokyo, Japan. Its products include calculators, mobile phones, digital cameras, electronic musical instruments, and analogue and digital watches. I ...

produced the widest variety of watches. In the mid-1980s, Casio created the Databank calculator watch, which performed calculator functions and stored appointments, names, addresses, and phone numbers. The calculator watches made by Casio earned much fame due to their appearance in movies and also due to being celebrities' choice during public events. Mass-produced calculator watches appeared in the early 1980s, with the most being produced in the middle of the decade. Their popularity began to fade in the mid-1990s with the introduction of cheaper mobile phones and PDAs, which could perform the same functions. The calculator watch is now a collector's item, and notable watches such as the Timex watches and some special variants of Casio calculator watches such as the CFX-400 command a high premium in the used market.

References

* ^ ''Collectors Guide to Pocket Calculators''. by Guy Ball and Bruce Flamm, 1997, – includes an extensive history of early pocket calculators and highlights over 1,500 different models from the early 1970s, including several of the early calculator watches. The book is still in print.

External links

Programmable calculators
- Specifications and descriptions

- Section on calculator watches {{Smartwatch Computer-related introductions in 1975 1980s fashion Watches Calculators Consumer electronics

History

See also

References

External links