We all know the big names in watches – Rolex, Tag Heuer, Omega, et al. – But, for the sake of this in this article, we don’t care about any of those names, only about digital watches! Some people love their watch to be mechanical and luxurious, and that’s totally fine, but digital watches are a whole new type of cool. With cutting-edge, futuristic designs, sharp LCD displays, and more amazing functions than you know what to do with, these are gadgets for those who love and embrace technology.
There is absolutely no doubt that there are many, many cool digital watches out there, but we wanted to discuss some brands who have manufactured some of the most awesome models available during the course of history. Let’s take a look.
Seiko
Japanese company Seiko was instrumental in bringing digital watches to the fore. In 1973, their 06LC model was the world’s first quartz-powered watch. With a revolutionary LCD screen (as it consumed far less energy), the 06LC also had a lamp that allowed the wearer to see the watch face in the dark. The ability to reset the hour and minute at will was also a fascinating feature at the time. From then, Seiko kept the digital ball rolling with impressive and popular models, all featuring exciting features like chronographs, TV screens and even the option to record sound. Again, not too stunning nowadays, but back in the 70s and 80s, this was big news!
Seiko has since focused on mechanical watches, but their name will always be synonymous with digital watches. Funnily enough, Seiko’s digital watches are quite rare to find when searching on a second-hand watch market, so if you do happen to be the owner of one, you’ve likely got something very special on your hands!
Casio
Like Nike is to trainers and Ferrari is to sports cars, Casio is a brand that is commonly associated with digital watches. More specifically, the F-91W is likely to be the model that springs to mind when first mentioning Casio watches. Cheap, reliable and simple to use, the F-91W has all the features most people expect in a digital watch. Whilst, not the prettiest thing ever made, Casio did attempt to make a somewhat ‘luxury’ watch with their A159WGEA-1EF model. This gold-tone digital watch (definitely not real gold) is cool and retro enough to earn a spot on the wrists of fashion-conscious techies. Casio’s G-Shock range sells well enough, but really, it’s the F-91W that everyone still loves to this day.
Apple
Wearable tech is big business. Smartwatches have taken over the world in a way most of us couldn’t imagine, and it’s Apple who’s to thank. Since 2015, the Apple Watch joined the iPhone, MacBook, iPod, and iPad as hugely popular products sold by the tech giant. Now, in 2017, the Apple Watch is in its third iteration and still as successful as ever.
The ability to run with music but without having to carry your phone, the heart rate sensors, the fitness tracking, the GPS, the waterproof casing, the meditation apps, and even the games are all major reasons as to why the Apple Watch has become a sensation. Proving that digital watches can look incredibly fashionable but still provide useful features, Apple hit a home run with their smartwatch. The watch face can be changed, you can see notifications from your phone, and even send messages and make calls with the Apple Watch.
Where the technology will go from here is anyone’s guess, but one thing is for sure, digital watches are as cool as ever.
