Vintage Seiko Television Watch

Vintage Seiko Television Watch offers 1982 digital technology and has become a collector's edition. This wristwatch has a large, rectangle face with a small time and date in digital numbers across the top. The rest of the screen is for television viewing with a blue screen and gray images. The watch connects by cable to a TV/FM receiver. The watch was seen in the movie Dragnet, where Tom Hanks wore it. It was also featured on the wrist of Roger Moore in Octopussy and seen worn by Ed McMahon on The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson.

History of Seiko

Seiko watches are made by a company originally created in 1881. The company was known as Kintaro Hattori of K. Hattori & Company, Ltd. The company began by producing wall clocks, then moved into producing alarm clocks, table clocks and clocks that played music. In 1913, the first wristwatch was produced by the company. On Christmas day in 1969, they started what they call the "quartz revolution" and pioneered the first quartz watch. Quartz crystal watches are known for time keeping accuracy.

In 1982, the company introduced the first TV watch, which was an amazing innovation at the time. Today, the company produces many different styles of watches and has headquarters all over the world, including the United States of America. Unfortunately, they no longer produce the television watch.

Collector's Timepiece

Since it was introduced in 1982, the now vintage Seiko Television Watch has become a sought after piece every watch collector dreams of adding to his collection. According to The TV Watch Page, the video was transmitted on an ”integral 1.1" blue scale liquid crystal video display." Also included with the watch was a small FM television receiver and a pair of headphones. The receiver is a bit bulky and requires two AA batteries.

First Edition

The first release of the watch was the T001-5000 model. It came with the watch, the receiver, headphones, and a silver pouch all in a silver cardboard box.

Second Edition

Next, the company released the T001-5019 model, which came in a gold box.

The watch would run for about five hours before needing new batteries and could also be used as an alarm clock and a stop watch. The receiver had a design where you would place the small, walkman sized box in your jacket pocket and the wires would run down the inside of your sleeve and to your wrist. There were also wires up to the headphones. Features include:

• 31,920 pixel display
• 10 shades of grey
• Originally cost $495 in 1983

Beam me up, Scottie

Thanks to the trend started by the Seiko TV Watch, manufacturers have dared to try unique ideas and innovations in their own pieces. One notable example would be Dr. Steve Mann, who developed the Linux videophone watch. Dr. Mann worked at the University of Toronto in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering when he developed the watch. The watch is capable of two-way video conferencing. Sony has also produced a full-color television watch that resembles the design of the vintage Seiko television watch but with modern functions and capabilities. There are also many vintage replica watches available for consumers.

Where to Buy

Although there may be newer versions of small televisions and even a new television watch emerging on the scene, if you want something to add to your collection, you will probably want to locate a vintage Seiko Television Watch. These can often be found on Ebay and if you're lucky you may find one in the original packaging. The watches are sometimes traded on forums, such as the one at the TV Watch Page. The watch should sell for around $500 in mint condition, so be careful of how much you bid or offer to pay for this piece.

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