Chances are, most of us have owned a digital watch at one point or another. And within the world of menswear, they seem to have a resurgence in popularity as of late. But, as we know, fashion is always cyclical, which isn’t always a good thing. So, today, we explore whether digital watches are timeless or just a trend.
Digital Watch History
Since the 17th century, all portable watches have been powered by mechanical movements. This means that everything that’s behind the watch’s face is powered by an intricate system of cogs, wheels, and springs in order to measure the passage of time.
So, indeed, mechanical movements were certainly the way that watches functioned as it took a great deal of time and skill to learn the art of mechanical watchmaking.
It is worth mentioning that digital watches were beginning to become available of a certain kind in the 1920s. These watches changed up the standard 12-hour clock face and, instead, used a rotating system of individual digits to display the hours and minutes.
The most notable design was known as the “Jump Hour watch.” As the time was read by the digits as they passed through the window, it really was a digital watch of sorts. But, keep in mind, these digital watches are powered by mechanical movements.
It wasn’t until 50 years later that the public was introduced to an actual electronic digital watch, which came out in 1972. This was the year that Hamilton introduced the Pulsar P1. This watch was a game-changer in that it had an LED display back behind a synthetic ruby crystal on the watch’s face.
This particular model was finished in 18-karat gold and carried an exorbitant price tag of $2,100, which with modern-day inflation is over $12,000 in today’s currency.
The Hamilton Pulsar was also quite power-hungry as it utilized a little button that you had to press in order to display the time because, if it was shown continuously, it would drain the battery immediately.
Hamilton kept working on things and, the very next year, a new version of the Pulsar was available. This model was in stainless steel and it retailed for $395, which is about $2,300 today.
So, this watch was still a bit expensive and it was also featured on the wrist of some secret agent who’s pretty stylish. It was also touted by the King of Sprezzatura, Gianni Agnelli.
While digital watches quickly became a hit, they weren’t really affordable for mass-market consumption. Things would change pretty rapidly for digital watches in the 1970s with not only the prices coming down but also dramatic changes in the functionality and the looks.
1973 not only saw the Pulsar P2, but also the Seiko O6LC. This Seiko was the world’s first LCD or liquid crystal display watch.
Three years later, Hamilton continued to innovate and brought to market the Pulsar Calculator Watch. The actual calculator buttons were so small that you needed a small stylus in order to operate it.
And in 1977, we really saw digital watches be released in full force with Texas Instruments releasing a digital watch in collaboration with the release of Star Wars. The Texas Instruments Star Wars watch retailed for only $17, which is a huge reduction coming from the original digital watches.
This drop in price was mainly due to the watches being able to be manufactured more cheaply and with cheaper materials such as plastic. This is in complete contrast to the world of mechanical watchmaking, where materials are chosen based on their strength and reliability.
There was a problem with cheaper materials. Manufacturers realized that the digital watches would work fine until people needed to get a new battery for them.
As quartz batteries can last for a few years at a time, there really wasn’t a need for consumers to bring those watches back to the manufacturer. This is unlike what they would have to do with a mechanical watch, which would require regular servicing. So, the solution was to add extra functionality to digital watches.
Casio introduced the Game-10 in 1980. This watch not only told time but allowed you to actually play a three-line version of Space Invaders. Casio also reinvented the calculator watch, making it in plastic and calling it the C-80.
This race to include the latest functionality led Seiko to introduce the TV watch in 1982. This digital watch was an idea that was ultimately limited by the technology of its time.
In 1994, Timex made big strides in the world of digital watches with the Data Link 150. The watch included an optical sensor that allowed data to be transferred to the watch by holding the watch to the monitor of a PC, which would flash in a pattern that the sensor could read.
Casio struck again with the Wrist Camera in 2002. This digital watch had a built-in camera that could capture a 120 x 120 pixel in grayscale.
Speaking of image resolution, apple watches have been on the scene since 2015. The future of the wristwatch was looking a little uncertain! But, nowadays, there’s a whole host of options when it comes to digital watches.
You may choose an inexpensive Casio, an integrated digital and analog watch from Frederique Constant, or whether you want to have everything synced together electronically with an Apple Watch.
Pros and Cons of Digital Watches
Although we’ve briefly touched on the number of innovations with digital watches, there’s no denying that they really hit their peak in the 1980s and 1990s. These decades are also having a popularity surge as of late as a lot of our media and culture is tied into that time period.
So, with that in mind and for the sake of context, we’re going to look at digital watches which are classically inspired, focus on telling the time, and not on gimmicks like a TV watch. We’ll also consider modern-day technology, wearable tech such as smartwatches because for a lot of people that’s what they are choosing to wear.
Pro #1: Affordability
Digital watches with a retro design are relatively affordable and you can pick up classic designs, colors, and shapes for anywhere from $15 to $30.
If you compare that to a luxury watch like a Rolex or an Omega, those brands have increased dramatically with inflation over the years, whereas digital watches still look like, feel like, and function the way they did 30-40 years ago and the retail price is essentially still the same.
Pro #2: Simple Battery Operation
Digital watches are battery-operated, so there’s no mechanical movement. One of the biggest selling features of digital watches is the same as it was back in the day which is a quartz battery.
Although owning a mechanical watch is a great thing, you can appreciate the heritage, the quality, and the craftsmanship, there’s no denying that it takes more user input. Whether that’s setting an automatic watch on a watch winder or manually winding a watch like a Patek Philippe Calatrava.
There’s a much greater degree of awareness that you need to have when owning a mechanical watch, whereas a digital watch has a battery that can last years and it’ll keep running and keeping track of the time.
I personally love that I can take my G-Shock, throw it in the drawer, forget about it for a week or two, and know that, when I pick it back up, the time is still correct because it’s battery operated.
Pro #3: Ease of Use
Some of the features of the digital watch can be a little bit easier to operate than on a mechanical watch. This might be a little divisive but stick with me.
Setting and using features on a digital watch can be easier than doing so on a mechanical one. For example, a traditional chronograph will have a stopwatch function as do many digital watches. It’s awesome to see the sweeping seconds hand on a mechanical watch, but there’s no denying that it’s easier to read as the numbers and digits just climb on a digital watch.
The same can also be said, at times, for the date readout on a mechanical watch. Because, on a mechanical watch, it can be really frustrating when you’re trying to figure out what date it is and then, just by sheer happenstance, you look down right at the time that the hands of your watch are over the date window.
Pro #4: Durability
Quite often, digital watches are a little bit more shockproof and sport-proof. A lot of digital watches are favored by professional athletes and special forces in the military.
They favor the function of the watch like the stopwatch, the day of the week, the month of the year. But, they also know that they can swim with it, crawl through mud, jump in the ocean, jump out of an airplane, run on the soccer field, and the watch is still going to work and function.
![The Casio G-Shock GA2100-1A1 model is shock and water-resistant. [Image Credit: Casio]](https://www.gentlemansgazette.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Casio-G-Shock-1030x561.jpg "Casio G Shock")
Of course, the construction methods of luxury watches continue to improve and there are several out there that can take quite a beating. But, when faced with it, I think we both can agree that you would much rather go rock climbing with a G-Shock than you would with your $20,000 rose gold Patek Philippe.
Con #1: (Sometimes) Childish Appearance
This indestructible nature of digital watches leads us directly into our cons, which start off with the flip side of their tough and durable nature. They can look quite childish and, for all of us who grew up in the 1980s, 1990s, 2000s, a lot of us owned digital watches when we were children. All the pros of a digital watch make it the perfect first watch for a young child.
They’re hard-wearing, inexpensive, and easy to read. Unfortunately, for better or worse, for a lot of people, that connotation of childishness sort of carries over if you wear this watch as an adult. Even if you’re wearing an expensive $600 to $700 Apple watch or Samsung watch, their use of primary colors, rubber straps, sparkly straps really has a childish connotation.
This is where the stainless steel Casio alarm chronograph sort of fits in nicely. It looks a lot more elevated and suitable for adults.
Con #2: (Sometimes) Cheap Appearance
So we know that, historically, digital watches are designed to be inexpensive for the most part, but the majority of digital watches out there really don’t have a refined or elegant look to them. After all, they’re made out of materials such as rubber or plastic and it really doesn’t have that quality to it as the leather and precious metal of a fine mechanical watch.
Con #3: (Sometimes) Dated Appearance
Digital watches also have the opportunity to look quite dated. Honestly, this is one of the biggest drawbacks of digital watches – they can look very “of their time”. Unlike a traditional analog watch face, a digital watch with the features labeled around it has the tendency to look very space-age or at least what people thought space age was at that time.
So, it’s kind of like the second Back to the Future film which took place in 2015, but it was what the 1980s thought 2015 would look like. And while that film is a lot of fun, it aged kind of like a lot of digital watches do, which isn’t so graceful.
Con #4: Disharmony with Formal Tailoring
Lastly, digital watches are impossible to combine with formal tailoring. Whether it’s a beautiful suit or a double-breasted jacket and Oxford shoes, digital watches just look out of place and clunky.
I know a lot of guys wear them because it’s what they wear every day, it’s their go-to watch, but it just doesn’t look elegant.
How to Wear a Digital Watch?
So, if you’re like us, you’re probably not that entertained by adding a digital watch to your wardrobe, but is there a place and can you do it well?
As I just said, pairing a digital watch with formal attire is a no-go. But, that also doesn’t mean that the alternative is just jeans, a t-shirt, sneakers, and a ball cap. So, let’s see how we can incorporate digital watches into classically-inspired everyday outfits.
Outfit #1: Business Casual
This outfit is about as close as we’re going to be able to get to traditional suiting. For more on how to wear jeans with a jacket, you can consult our guide. What’s important here is you really want to have a separate jacket.
As much as we are fans of the spezzato look, you really don’t want to take an orphaned suit jacket as it’ll stick out like a sore thumb.
You’ll also want to stay fairly conservative with your accessories and it’s not very often where we don’t recommend wearing a tie but, instead, wear a pocket square as a nice sartorial touch.
A classic OCBD or Oxford cloth button-down is always a nice choice as we’re going for really relaxed casual menswear pieces here. And, in addition, the barrel cuffs of an OCBD will suit this outfit better than French cuffs on a formal dress shirt.
Instead of wearing sneakers on the very casual side of things, or an Oxford on the formal end, a really nice ground is a chukka boot. It can be in suede, lined or unlined, but it’s a really nice piece of footwear.
Outfit #2: Smart Casual
From the first outfit, alternatively, you can replace the jacket with a nice heavy cardigan, which helps it descend more gracefully into casual attire. Good quality knitwear is essential for any wardrobe and you might be surprised how versatile it can be.
Changing up the Oxford cloth button-down for a more casual shirt or a polo shirt is a great option. Just make sure to have a structured shirt collar so it frames your face nicely.
A classic pair of jeans come into play here and they can be paired nicely with a relaxed loafer or, again, wear the chukka boot.
Outfit #3: Cold Weather
A turtleneck can add some elegant sophistication to a cold-weather outfit. By adding an overcoat over the turtleneck, you can really emulate the feeling of a tailored jacket. Wearing a pair of flannels or corduroys really keeps the outfit on the dressier side, but without looking too much so.
And instead of Oxford shoes, which would be too formal, you could wear a derby, maybe in suede or leather, or stick with the same chukka boot as it has great versatility. Those shoes are still smart enough for the outfit and the open lacing system on both the derby and the chukka makes it a nice casual option.
Outfit#4: Warm Weather
On the face of it, this last outfit might seem rather simple, but consider some of the more sartorial details: you have a pair of shorts that are cut more like trousers, styled like trousers, and a classic warm-weather shirt, whether that’s a camp collar or a polo shirt. And lastly, you top it all off with a pair of boat shoes.
Digital Watches: Timeless or Trend?
When you look at the history of digital watches, it’s flooded with trends from calculator watches to camera watches, TV watches, and watches that sync with your phone. All that has gone on within like a 70-year history, if you put it into perspective.
Although there’s a current trend for digital watches from the 1980s and 1990s, it is hard not to crack a smile when you see an iconic classic digital watch like the Casio chronograph alarm watch.
I personally think that this watch is about as close as you’ll get to a digital watch being timeless. It has a nice balance, a vintage aesthetic, modern appeal, and, for us who are fans of clothing, it’s the easiest to combine with classic outfits.
What that means is that it’s possible to incorporate a digital watch into a modern wardrobe, but certainly not all styles are suitable and the ones that do require traditionally very casual tailoring in order to pull off.
Keep in mind that digital watches, by their very nature, will always sort of have their moment in the spotlight whether that’s a retro design or the latest modern tech.
So, when it comes to whether timeless or trend, there’s a case to be made on both sides.
