An uber cool LED watch from the pioneers of LED, Pulsar, with box and the original sales receipt. Model reference P3.
HOW DO WE DATE THIS WATCH?
From the sales paperwork we can accurately date this watch to being sold in 1975. Don’t be confused by the serial number – this time was long before Pulsar adopted Seiko’s serial number system, as at this point Pulsar were wholly owned by Hamilton.
CONDITION
Hamilton launched the world’s first LED (Light Emitting Diode) watch in 1970, but only 400 were made and they were very expensive – more than a Rolex Submariner. They chose a new brand name for their LED watches, named Pulsar after the ‘lighthouse’ effect produced by these compact stars in the solar system. The P2 followed, and again this expensive and cutting edge watch was expensive – President Ford was criticised for wearing such an expensive watch while in office – and James Bond even wore one in Live and Let Die. The P3 followed in 1974, adding a date feature hence the second button on the left hand side of the case. But LED was being replaced by LCD (liquid crystal display) which was on all the time and had better battery life. By the late seventies Pulsar was sold to Seiko.
This watch has the original receipt, and that shows the purchase price of $312. That is over £1,200 in today’s money, so this was a significant purchase back in 1975. It uses the PLT-1 module, which was also found in Hamilton and Omega watches, and these modules can still be purchased today. This one is working perfectly, and the video shows how the functions for date and constant seconds work. The time adjustment is interesting – the case back has spaces to adjust the hours and minutes by way of a magnet, and the magnet is housed in the clasp. The bracelet has been cleaned in our ultrasonic bath, and while it far from perfect it is structurally sound and a decent length. The P3 can be worn on a leather strap, but the lobster style bracelet is always better to have. The main cosmetic damage is to the glass, which has a large chip from the right hand side. We haven’t been able to find a replacement as yet but if we do we will fit it and the price will increase accordingly. We will install a brand new batteries before sending the watch out to the new owner and set the watch to their time zone.
This watch will be supplied with the original presentation box, papers and our Certificate of Authenticity.
Please see the HD video for more detail. All photos and videos are part of the description and are of the actual watch unless mentioned. We do not photoshop any pictures, and the images are copyright of birthyearwatches.com and should not be used without permission.
SIZE
Width with pushers 42.4 mm
Width without crown 41.0 mm
Between lugs 19 mm
Lug to lug length 46.3 mm
Case Thickness 14.1 mm
Bracelet will fit a maximum wrist size of 185 mm. The bracelet can be sized for you if you give us your wrist size when placing the order.
All sizes are approximate.
Included with this watch is a 3 month guarantee and free delivery to UK addresses. If you live outside the UK we can still deliver to most countries. Please see our Worldwide Shipping information, or Contact Us. Payment can be made by most credit or debit cards, bank transfer or PayPal.
