SEIKO DIGITAL WATCHES: From Pan-Am to Digi-Tuna Vintage and modern Seiko digitals

Wow so this was an intense one. I had NO idea there were so many awesome Seiko digital watches. I’d known some of the big ones obviously like Pan-am , the UC-2000 Wrist Computer and the Seiko TV Watch , but I’ve now found out so many more amazing ones. If you are like me, take a look - I think you’ll be surprised!
We start in the 1970s with their firsts - including the 6 digit 06LC and 05LC , the lemon face and pan-am , and the worlds first LCD digital chronograph. We see some seiko calculator watches like the C153. The sports 100 sports 150 and silver waves - I knew of - but what about the triathlete , racing master , airpro, giugiaro digital watches and more. More recently we look at the cool e-ink models , super runners and the cool prospex digitals like the Arnie , field master and of course the Digi-tuna. I hope you enjoy the video!
#seikodigitalwatch #vintagedigitalwatch
0:00 Introduction
1:26 06LC
1:41 05LC
1:56 0624 Lemon face
2:15 Worlds first multifunction digital watch
2:27 1977
3:17 PANAM
3:27 A239 World Time
3:47 Calculator watches
4:06 Ana-digi
4:49 Memory Bank Calendar - Moonraker Watch
5:09 Solar
5:29 G757 Octopussy Cyborg
6:01 Electrochromic display
6:22 Seiko runner and pulse meter
7:04 Rotocall A829 Space Watch
8:35 TV watch
8:55 Novelty watches
9:30 Giugiaro
9:44 Wrist computers
10:23 Professional sports digitals
11:48 Seiko receptor paging watch
12:04 radio controlled watches
12:29 Alba spoon
12:49 crazy watches
13:28 Super runners
13:59 E-ink
14:29 Digital professional watches
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[@IlluminatingWatches]

For a complete history of Casio digital watches in 10 minutes - click here -> kzbin.info/www/bejne/m6axnnylmp1mfLM

[@LambentOrt]

What a great overview of Seiko digital history! Even though I'm a Casio fanboy, no one can deny that Seiko was a serious innovator of digital watches long before Casio became the digital king. Compared to Casio however, Seiko have always had more to prove to the horological world. And I think it really shows in the seriousness of it being the first to produce digital watches with more and more complications. They also own Alba, which also made a whole slew of digital watches. I find it a bit sad that the Seiko of today has pretty much given up on making digital watches. Is there a Seiko digital watch (that is not an ana-digi) still in production?

[@IlluminatingWatches]

Awesome comment :) they still do some digitals through the pulsar, Alba, Lorus and wired brands. As you say under the seiko brand it’s only really the Arnie ana-digi. I would LOVE a reissued rotocall - one of my fav watches.

[@vladimirdjokic5741]

I have that FieldMaster, amazing watch! Love it ❤

[@WATCHDAVID]

so much information about this stunning watch. Love the vintage vibes & history! Thanks for sharing!

[@IlluminatingWatches]

Thankyou! A really fun area of watchdom. I enjoy making them!

[@yerkodiegoborjakvessitchva2183]

WOW WHAT ' S A VIDEO FRIEND . SEIKO , TOO LOVED SO THIS WATCHS ACURES . HOWEVER OR ALWAYS ☺️ THE DIGITAL WATCHES ARE THE BEST ! ! . GRETTINS FROM SPAIN . CARE YOU . 🙋 ! .

[@IlluminatingWatches]

Really glad you enjoyed. Love seiko digitals!

[@jtmoore662]

There is a lot more to watch collecting than just expensive ones. I wish I would have kept all my watches from my past.

[@IlluminatingWatches]

Amen! My aim is to illuminate all areas of watchdom. Fun to be had in all areas of the hobby - not just in the narrow window you tend to see in most places!

[@choond]

This is an awesome video!

[@garethsigrist8714]

Absolutely awesome episode as always 👏👏👏👏 Given how much us watch fans love Seiko I can’t believe they haven’t got some sort of vintage digital reissue range. I lost count of how many watches in this video I wanted 😂💸 All glory to the subscribe snail 🐌🤣 Oh and yes please to the digital watches in space video please 👨‍🚀🚀

[@IlluminatingWatches]

Thanks man. Fortunately you had already obeyed the subscribe snail , so thanks!!! I know - but when you check the price of some of them - they ain’t cheap!! Space episode in pipeline

[@mason4354]

Other than the C-515, those calculator buttons look absolutely microscopic! Thank you for this upload dude, I hope an armitron video is coming soon for us American subscribers!

[@IlluminatingWatches]

Ha thanks! yes I totally need to look at armitron in more detail

[@yerkodiegoborjakvessitchva2183]

@@IlluminatingWatches HELLO FRIEND ! : HOWEVER , AMAZING VIDEOS FROM YOUR CHANNEL . I ' AM NO WORDS . INCREDIBLE EVERYONE MODELS SEIKO DIGITAL . I LIKE SO MUCH THE DIGITAL WATCH WORLD AND ALSO YOUR CHANNEL...; HOW MANY FUNTIONS , HOW MANY MODELS , DESIGNES , TIMES , STYLES...IS A FULLCRAZY , ¿ IT' S TRUE ? . WELL , THANKS FOR YOUR WORK AND TIME , FRIEND . THANKS FOR ALL , FOR SHOW , TEACHING AND LEARN ON YOU . THANK YOU ! . 👍☺👌

[@saltysealion]

This is an amazing video. WOW. Thanks for uploading this!

[@IlluminatingWatches]

Thanks so much ! I’m really glad you enjoyed!

[@mickyday2008]

Great vid. I’m just getting into Seiko watches. It’s mind boggling

[@johno4521]

Wow that was a roller coaster ride, requiring much deployment of the pause button! I've always been a fan of Seiko digitals; I own a D031 dot matrix and until recently an RC4000, both from new.

[@Daud76]

Very nice documentary! I miss the glory days of digital Seiko....

[@IlluminatingWatches]

Thankyou! I totally missed the era annoyingly. I was a timex and casio baby. May need to get my hands on a couple though - absolutely loved learning about all these awesome watches!!

[@Daud76]

@@IlluminatingWatches No worries, friend! Maybe one day someone will invent a time machine and then we can pay a visit to Seiko stands in the jewellery shops of the early 1980s. 😉

[@dataclast]

Great vid. Yes plz do a space digital one!

[@IlluminatingWatches]

Already made it! Enjoy!

[@dataclast]

@@IlluminatingWatches damn that was quick! Thanks!

[@TechNoir333]

Great video as usual ! thanks for the research and effort you put in, I grew up in the 70s and 80s and Seiko in the day were the ‘king of digital watches’ no doubt (this is why they were in so many Bond films..imagine that today)..as a child the closest you’d get to see one was maybe on your dads wrist but no chance of any ‘kid’ having one….then came the 80s and Casio, we then had every bit of tech imaginable, thanks again love your videos 👍

[@IlluminatingWatches]

Thanks so much! Yes that seems to align with the picture I’m building up on the dynamics of the time. Now Seiko are doing Street fighter watches - how times have changed!

[@TechNoir333]

@@IlluminatingWatches My jaw just dropped after looking the ‘street fighter’ series up, they’ve even put ‘Seiko since 1881’ on the advert as if to be proud….I wouldn’t be advertising 140 years of evolution to get to a cartoon watch…sack the entire board :)

[@IlluminatingWatches]

@@TechNoir333 ha ha ha wait till you see the naruto one ….

[@TechNoir333]

@@IlluminatingWatches In shock…

[@Sultan_salt]

I love seiko. Great video

[@IlluminatingWatches]

Thankyou! I love Seiko too - I just hadn’t realised they had such a cool digital catalog until I made this

[@davidrivera414]

I like your video on seiko digital watches I do want that seiko rotocol watch its very rare to find plus its not cheap I have the TV seiko the running man seiko some calculator ones and I have a 1972 seiko pogue its currently under restoration keep up the awesome content 👏

[@IlluminatingWatches]

Nice ! I need to get myself some Seiko digitals. Making this video really wet my appetite!

[@davidrivera414]

@@IlluminatingWatches i always like seiko vintage digitals i also have the seiko drum machine it was given to me by my cousin he bought it from Japan when he was active in the military and he gave me a casio friendly memo watch with the face that changes expressions i always had an obsession with digital watches thanks again for putting up such good channel for us the watch enthusiasts

[@IlluminatingWatches]

I know the friendly memo! Glad you enjoyed and thanks for appreciating the effort!

[@Casios]

Another excellent video, i always learn a lot in this videos.

[@IlluminatingWatches]

Thankyou I’m really glad you enjoyed! More to come this weekend on Casios from 2010-2019!

[@vintagewatches-pk]

I love Vintage Seiko LCD watches

[@manusverzoni2384]

The Seikos were reeeeealllly cool!

[@IlluminatingWatches]

I know! I totally hadn’t appreciated how many cool digitals they did

[@Zotrax1946]

Awesome 👏 👍🏻

[@IlluminatingWatches]

Thankyou!! You may enjoy the most recent episode I’ve done on Citizen digital watches too :)

[@Zotrax1946]

@@IlluminatingWatches I watched it 👍🏻. Now watching the one about the captain Willard😊

[@brianmsahin]

Excellent video. Digital watches are really coming back. Casio are really benefiting from it. My wife who is generally a Samsung smartwatch user was delighted when I gave her a new generation retro style Casio she had in college! I think Seiko should put more effort into releasing more retro digitals too. 🙂

[@IlluminatingWatches]

Agreed! I think seiko should definitely reissue some of their classic digitals.

[@mayhemarmwrestling]

I had to cheer as I live in my Seiko g757 4050. It's definitely the coolest and most comfortable digital watch ever.

[@imveryharsh]

Another Brilliant video!!! Really good to learn many new information. Yes id love to see a video of 'SPACE WATCHES'

[@IlluminatingWatches]

Thankyou - no made in India seikos that I know of though! There must be a a link somewhere! Even if it’s a celebrity or a film

[@imveryharsh]

@@IlluminatingWatches no i Don't think so.. there aren't any made in india seiko watches that i kno of. But ya , i wl do sm research

[@IlluminatingWatches]

Let me know if you find anything. India watches part 2 still in the pipeline!

[@TickSweep]

Top video and some fantastic digital watched

[@IlluminatingWatches]

Thanks man!

[@watchsixto]

Thanks for making this awesome video giving me flash back to when I use to rock digital watch when I was a kid 😀 can't wait for what you have coming up next

[@WyvernDotRed]

6:15 Seems similar to e-ink displays. Some powder is suspended in a coloured gel of sorts. Electrical charge is used to move this usually darker powder to either the front or back. When up front the section or pixel takes the colour of the powder, when in the back the colour of the gel. As this mostly stays in position without power applied, this makes it persistent and energy efficient.

[@IlluminatingWatches]

The electrochromic thing? I did a video on the evolution of LCD displays that may be of interest the covers (I’m no expert so forgive layman’s view!) the different forms of e-ink display. There are quite a few variants - so unsure how electrochromic fits in vs. The others. It was produced by sharp I think who have done a lot of the E-ink tech so makes sense that they are related

[@WyvernDotRed]

@@IlluminatingWatches Probably, I just looked at the diagrams and noticed the similarity to e-ink. Just got around to watching the LCD video, I've slowly been watching videos on your channel after discovering it as your videos are interesting and unique with the fun associations.

[@JulianM_Col]

Outstanding research and video as usual!!! Seiko has an amazing story in digital watches, those SMGG look unbelievable. The arnie is extremely atractive, although you need an arnie-like wrist to wear it properly. The modern digital tuna is also stunning. On a side note, trying to make an accurate jump with the avatar in ultima viii, both in water and in lava, was extremely frustrating... I saw that short video and remembered the many many many hours I spent trying to make a jump, to find a correct lever combination and to cast pentagram spells properly... Now your videos are not only feeding my watch addiction, but also forcing me to get a good x86 emulator and run ultima viii again. Thanks as always for sharing!

[@IlluminatingWatches]

Ha ha ha me and my friend every year promise each other that this will be the year we finally complete ultima 8. There is a patched version where they fixed the jumping - it is the most rage inducing thing ever!! Ultima 7 basically a perfect game though

[@thetimebombardier]

Excellent vid dude, some superb research to dig these out!!

[@IlluminatingWatches]

Much appreciated Thankyou!!

[@gashmog_1383]

Damn those SMGG look so good ! once again that documentary is so good! It's worth mentioning that the seiko digiborg (the g757) also appears in the video game Metal Gear Solid 5, and was produced again by the "wired" seiko brand

[@IlluminatingWatches]

Thanks so much! I had that fact in the edit and got too tired to do it justice! The wired update metal gear solid watch is very cool .

[@timtimecollector9808]

The 'Subscribe Snail' brilliant idea! 👏👏👏 There's loads of awesome watches in there. I think I spotted my old one from the 80s, still kicking myself for misplacing it (can't remember actually binning it) they fetch quite high prices on eBay. I might have to keep an eye out for a Seiko digital, agreed the Robot looks great. Ps. I'm amazed you can deliver your lines so quickly and clearly without tripping over your tongue 👍

[@IlluminatingWatches]

Ha ha yeh I really picked up the pace. When I go faster and louder it keeps people on - the data don’t lie! It does come across as a bit of an all out assault though so may dial it back a bit… subscribe snail! Although from your last video subscribe seagull may have to be next

[@RyderRipps]

great video dude

[@IlluminatingWatches]

Thankyou that is really appreciated!

[@funkykoval2099]

Hi. Great vid! Although I will watch it again few times as it is too fast for me. (I'm not english native). Watches in space is a very cool idea ! (Even polish gerlach was in space with M.Hermaszewski.) All best!

[@IlluminatingWatches]

Thankyou! Yes I’ll definitely be doing a digital watches in space episode. I’ve found that people tend to stick around longer if I up the pace a bit - I don’t want people to miss the fun things later in the video! You can actually reduce the playback speed in the youtube options which may help

[@TheRollerballer]

I have always thought that Seiko is superior to giants like Casio when it comes to digital watches, given its originality, design, technology, etc. It seems to me that some were missing from the count, such as the Seiko A826 Training Timer, with the unique feature of its finger trigger.; the Seiko W444-4000 Final Fantasy, and so on.

[@IlluminatingWatches]

Oooh yes I’ll check those out. I’m a huge final fantasy fan. Final fantasy VII was a pretty seminal moment in my life!

[@hoffmannolsen]

Watches in space, Yes. But also Digital Watches in movies, Arnold Schwarzenegger did wear Casios and Seikos. And Sigourney Weaver had a Casio double (made for the film) in the original Alien movie.

[@Watch4Jay]

A comment for comments' sake. But also I'd love to own a Seiko digital someday!

[@IlluminatingWatches]

All praise the algorithm (and seiko digitals :) )

[@Cyberbanditmx]

I own a seiko sky professional sbdr001 so cool

[@zillsburyy1]

6:42 damn, didnt know that!

[@IlluminatingWatches]

I always hope there will be at least one fact in each video that people don’t know!

[@marcelovasconcellos6067]

As I like digital watches, I had seen a few of their digitals here and there, but I had no idea of the scope of their digital line. Seems like they're tip toeing around the idea of attempting a comeback.

[@IlluminatingWatches]

Thanks! I hope so! A reissue of the rotocol watch would be amazzzzing

[@ashtontroy7535]

You should have added the limited edition metal gear solid watch...

[@IlluminatingWatches]

The wired meta gear solid one? I had it in the script but ran out of steam at the end trying to get the video published before the weekend. It’s a cool watch!

[@urbanaj4472]

Casio is the greatest.

[@yermanoh]

i have a digital tuna , the last watch shown , its very nice however if the tiniest bit of dirt gets between the bezel and shroud the bezel will not turn..thats very annoying and kind of defeats the purpose of having a digital watch with a functional bezel

[@IlluminatingWatches]

Oh that’s a shame! They do look cool though!

[@yermanoh]

@@IlluminatingWatches yup very cool, mine is in the regular rotation

[@izzwizamahjah275]

Seiko really needs to bring back more Ana-digi watches

[@IlluminatingWatches]

They seem to be trying it with the digi-tuna - lets hope there are more (preferably for smaller wrists!)

[@izzwizamahjah275]

@@IlluminatingWatches also with the reissue of the Arnie!

[@stevesibaja3123]

The History of Seiko Watches

[@IlluminatingWatches]

Hope you enjoyed it!

[@stevesibaja3123]

I will Thank You😊😊😊

[@IansModRite]

13:56….what an unfortunate name for a watch

[@IlluminatingWatches]

Ha ha ha yep I thought the same . Was going to mention it but then thought best avoid

[@IansModRite]

@@IlluminatingWatches it’s funnier to leave it as an Easter egg 🤣

[@luisferreira7845]

10:50 SPORTING CLUBE DE PORTUGAL 😁

[@jamesblonde2271]

Fortis is the official watch supplier to the Russian Space Program, I wonder if thats the Soyez watch

[@IlluminatingWatches]

Oh yes many a Fortis watch in space! No digital in their catalogue as far as I know though!

[@momoiunder17]

cal.L250 もお忘れなく！

[@hanscombe72]

The Seiko space watch was also worn by Lea Thompson in the film space camp.

[@teixas777]

SPORTING CLUBE DE PORTUGAL !!!

[@IlluminatingWatches]

Ha ha yes someone mentioned that link before!