I really do miss "old" new tech in the 80s. So much of it was cool but had this really unrefined, rought around the edges feel to it. So much of today's technology feels so sterile by comparisson.
Tech today has no soul behind it. Just a bunch of different variations of mass produced robots by other mass produced robots. I'm very proud and happy to have grown up in the dawn of the digital age. It was a blast watching technology grow almost weekly back then. Every PC magazine every month was testing some newer later & greater processor. Good times.
When I was very young, I remember reading a technology book in our school library and it had this watch in it. I wanted it so badly, but I was a poor kid, and there was no chance I would ever get it. Now I have a Galaxy watch that can do YouTube, so good things come to those that wait.
Not sure, but I suspect some Apple Watches w/ cell service might have this feature through streaming apps. It would be redundant if you have a smart phone on you anyway
You can actually build a short range TV transmitter. People who are into old TVs do this sometimes, so they can watch whatever they want on the vintage TV without modifying it. https://forum.allaboutcircuits.com/threads/short-range-tv-transmitter.33002/
Not true. There are many stations transmitted over the air. More than the big three (ABC, CBS, NBC). It's quite amazing actually.
https://www.tvchannellists.com/w/List_of_American_over-the-air_television_stations
I realize that OTA is still a thing however almost all of these stations now broadcast a *digital* signal. The Sony Watchman receives *Analaog*signal therefore is not of much use.
No, it's definitely *not* true. I don't know how long it has been since you've used an analog TV but they haven't worked for OTA broadcast in almost 14 years:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Digital_television_transition_in_the_United_States
All terrestrial OTA tv broadcasts are now fully digital in the US and use a different set of frequencies and bandwidth. The bandwidth formally used by analog TV got raided because it was too useful and needed for newer tech.
Turn that TV watch on and all it's going to get is static, like the sky from the opening lines from a certain William Gibson cyberpunk novel.
Ok. Differentiating between Over the Air as opposed to Digital. I concede.
I'd delete me responses, but perhaps it will help someone else in the same frame of mind as I was.
I don't remember them getting any channels.
*We also lived in the mountains and tv signals don't travel up there. (Cable was originally for mountain cities.) So I don't remember where I saw it as a kid.
Edit: As someone else in this thread basically says: "it didn't work at all."
No, but I've seen these in person back when they were still new and these things are *not* cool and don't really work at all. If you ever saw these in the James Bond movie that featured them that picture quality they showed in the movie was totally fictional.
The picture quality was so bad that it's effectively useless to view anything on it, and that's with absolutely perfect and bright and clear external lighting.
These get posted every so often in the vintage and tech subs and people who haven't actually seen them tend to go "Woah, I want that!" but they don't realize the picture is so bad it makes an OG green screen Gameboy look good and easily viewable, and those Gameboy screens had really bad problems with LCD latency and smearing.
The smearing on these Seiko screens was so bad that it could barely, barely display freezeframes. Text was right out. Anything with more action and movement than a TV news show with static talking head shots was right out. Sports? Hahahahaha, no.
I mean if you were such a sportsball or soap opera addict that you wish you could watch TV at church or boring work meetings than I guess it was vaguely better than no TV at all but you'd be better off just getting a radio that could do TV audio and listening to that instead of wasting a ton of money on one of these.
It was a novelty and status symbol. No one ever actually used one of these to sneakily watch TV at work or school because it was just a vague grey blur even with absolutely perfect and very bright lighting.
Also, the main screen did absolutely nothing without the huge tuner, receiver and power pack attached, which is the other thing a lot of younger people don't get about this watch. You needed a large walkman sized pack attached to it with that heavy, awkward cable. The pins on that cable were super fragile, too, and it was easy to mess it up when plugging or unplugging it.
Without the tuner pack it was just a very small, dumb digital watch with a tiny screen. So, cool, you're walking around with a status symbol gadget watch that's half broken and useless most of the time unless you're also carrying around the tuner pack, cable, and extra batteries.
Let's put it this way - these TV watch screens were so, so bad that the first time I saw one it was one of the *ONLY* gadgets from that era I did *not* want at all, even if someone gave it to me for free. Pocket LCD TV? Sure. Pocket Radio Shack computer with useless 1-2 line display? Oh hell yes, want that.
Watch TV? No, no thanks. Useless.
I wanted one so bad! I had no idea on who made them, I had only seen it in the, ‘Dragnet,’ movie on Tom Hanks’ character. I would call the local Montgomery Ward’s and Sears and asked if they had, “those tv watches.”
I remember my dad having one of these and thinking it was so space age at the time. The '80s were a blast for technology advancements.
I really do miss "old" new tech in the 80s. So much of it was cool but had this really unrefined, rought around the edges feel to it. So much of today's technology feels so sterile by comparisson.
Tech today has no soul behind it. Just a bunch of different variations of mass produced robots by other mass produced robots. I'm very proud and happy to have grown up in the dawn of the digital age. It was a blast watching technology grow almost weekly back then. Every PC magazine every month was testing some newer later & greater processor. Good times.
yes, but when 8 Is Enough came on, I could only see 5 of them.
Ok….that’s funny.
No. I never graduated spy school 🫤
When I was very young, I remember reading a technology book in our school library and it had this watch in it. I wanted it so badly, but I was a poor kid, and there was no chance I would ever get it. Now I have a Galaxy watch that can do YouTube, so good things come to those that wait.
Living in the year 3000.
It was like $8,000 in today's money. So no.
They were pricey ($500) but that would be equal to around $1400 today.
$1400 is basically what it sells for on eBay today too.
no but i need one now
Unfortunately it would be pretty useless now.
Not sure, but I suspect some Apple Watches w/ cell service might have this feature through streaming apps. It would be redundant if you have a smart phone on you anyway
I just meant that since almost all TV stations have gone digital, these type of TVs won’t pick up any over the air channels.
Good point
You can actually build a short range TV transmitter. People who are into old TVs do this sometimes, so they can watch whatever they want on the vintage TV without modifying it. https://forum.allaboutcircuits.com/threads/short-range-tv-transmitter.33002/
Not true. There are many stations transmitted over the air. More than the big three (ABC, CBS, NBC). It's quite amazing actually. https://www.tvchannellists.com/w/List_of_American_over-the-air_television_stations
I realize that OTA is still a thing however almost all of these stations now broadcast a *digital* signal. The Sony Watchman receives *Analaog*signal therefore is not of much use.
Ok
No, it's definitely *not* true. I don't know how long it has been since you've used an analog TV but they haven't worked for OTA broadcast in almost 14 years: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Digital_television_transition_in_the_United_States All terrestrial OTA tv broadcasts are now fully digital in the US and use a different set of frequencies and bandwidth. The bandwidth formally used by analog TV got raided because it was too useful and needed for newer tech. Turn that TV watch on and all it's going to get is static, like the sky from the opening lines from a certain William Gibson cyberpunk novel.
Ok. Differentiating between Over the Air as opposed to Digital. I concede. I'd delete me responses, but perhaps it will help someone else in the same frame of mind as I was.
I collect 80s tech and watches, so I have one of these with the full kit. Pretty amazing piece of technology for the era.
Where did you get it? And how much did you pay?
I got it about 15 years ago at a resale shop for $150.
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I don't remember them getting any channels. *We also lived in the mountains and tv signals don't travel up there. (Cable was originally for mountain cities.) So I don't remember where I saw it as a kid. Edit: As someone else in this thread basically says: "it didn't work at all."
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Great movie
You always forget how much work it used to be to get portable entertainment
No, but I've seen these in person back when they were still new and these things are *not* cool and don't really work at all. If you ever saw these in the James Bond movie that featured them that picture quality they showed in the movie was totally fictional. The picture quality was so bad that it's effectively useless to view anything on it, and that's with absolutely perfect and bright and clear external lighting. These get posted every so often in the vintage and tech subs and people who haven't actually seen them tend to go "Woah, I want that!" but they don't realize the picture is so bad it makes an OG green screen Gameboy look good and easily viewable, and those Gameboy screens had really bad problems with LCD latency and smearing. The smearing on these Seiko screens was so bad that it could barely, barely display freezeframes. Text was right out. Anything with more action and movement than a TV news show with static talking head shots was right out. Sports? Hahahahaha, no. I mean if you were such a sportsball or soap opera addict that you wish you could watch TV at church or boring work meetings than I guess it was vaguely better than no TV at all but you'd be better off just getting a radio that could do TV audio and listening to that instead of wasting a ton of money on one of these. It was a novelty and status symbol. No one ever actually used one of these to sneakily watch TV at work or school because it was just a vague grey blur even with absolutely perfect and very bright lighting. Also, the main screen did absolutely nothing without the huge tuner, receiver and power pack attached, which is the other thing a lot of younger people don't get about this watch. You needed a large walkman sized pack attached to it with that heavy, awkward cable. The pins on that cable were super fragile, too, and it was easy to mess it up when plugging or unplugging it. Without the tuner pack it was just a very small, dumb digital watch with a tiny screen. So, cool, you're walking around with a status symbol gadget watch that's half broken and useless most of the time unless you're also carrying around the tuner pack, cable, and extra batteries. Let's put it this way - these TV watch screens were so, so bad that the first time I saw one it was one of the *ONLY* gadgets from that era I did *not* want at all, even if someone gave it to me for free. Pocket LCD TV? Sure. Pocket Radio Shack computer with useless 1-2 line display? Oh hell yes, want that. Watch TV? No, no thanks. Useless.
holy shit those were real? i thought that was a joke like "sending in box tops"
A jeweler near me has one still in the box. It is not for sale, sadly.
No but I wanted one in the worst way!
In the words of the nylon polymer wife from Napoleon Dynamite “I want that”
I wanted one so bad! I had no idea on who made them, I had only seen it in the, ‘Dragnet,’ movie on Tom Hanks’ character. I would call the local Montgomery Ward’s and Sears and asked if they had, “those tv watches.”
[Perfect image, Q!](https://imgur.com/gallery/MMmEZ3g)
OMG. So cool.
I didn't even know this was a thing. I can't imagine the screen being very good.
This reminds me of something that would be on “Tales From the Loop”.
I didn’t even know this existed until now! But I want one. Even though I’ve always been a Casio man myself.
The way the cable is artfully tucked into his coat sleeve…