Editing Watch (section)

== Display ==

=== Analog ===
[[File:Poljot-Aviator-3133.jpg|thumb|[[Poljot]] [[chronograph]]]]
[[File:Casio AE12.jpg|alt=Casio AE12|thumb|Casio AE12 LCA (liquid-crystal-analog) watch]]
Traditionally, watches have displayed the time in analog form, with a numbered dial upon which are mounted at least a rotating hour hand and a longer, rotating minute hand. Many watches also incorporate a third hand that shows the current second of the current minute. In quartz watches this second hand typically snaps to the next marker every second. In mechanical watches, the second hand may appear to glide continuously, though in fact it merely moves in smaller steps, typically one-fifth to one-tenth of a second, corresponding to the beat (half period) of the balance wheel. With a ''duplex'' escapement, the hand advances every two beats (full period) of the balance wheel, typically {{frac|1|2}}-second; this happens every four beats (two periods, 1 second), with a ''double duplex'' escapement. A truly gliding second hand is achieved with the ''tri-synchro regulator'' of [[Spring Drive]] watches. All three hands are normally mechanical, physically rotating on the dial, although a few watches have been produced with "hands" simulated by a [[liquid crystal display|liquid-crystal display]].

Analog display of the time is nearly universal in watches sold as jewelry or collectibles, and in these watches, the range of different styles of hands, numbers, and other aspects of the analog dial is very broad. In watches sold for timekeeping, analog display remains very popular, as many people find it easier to read than digital display; but in timekeeping watches the emphasis is on clarity and accurate reading of the time under all conditions (clearly marked digits, easily visible hands, large watch faces, etc.). They are specifically designed for the left wrist with the stem (the knob used for changing the time) on the right side of the watch; this makes it easy to change the time without removing the watch from the wrist. This is the case if one is right-handed and the watch is worn on the left wrist (as is traditionally done). If one is left-handed and wears the watch on the right wrist, one has to remove the watch from the wrist to reset the time or to wind the watch.

Analog watches, as well as clocks, are often marketed showing a display time of approximately 1:50 or 10:10. This creates a visually pleasing smile-like face on the upper half of the watch, in addition to enclosing the manufacturer's name. Digital displays often show a time of 12:08, where the increase in the number of active segments or pixels gives a positive feeling.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/28/business/media/28adco.html|title=Why Time Stands Still for Watchmakers|work=[[The New York Times]]|access-date=28 November 2008|date=28 November 2008|archive-date=16 April 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090416220236/http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/28/business/media/28adco.html|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=The Ten Ten Tenet|url=http://www.snopes.com/business/market/clockhands.asp|work=Snopes.com|publisher=Barbara and David P. Mikkelson|access-date=14 July 2013|author=Barbara Mikkelson|date=13 May 2011|archive-date=3 July 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230703114724/https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/the-ten-ten-tenet/|url-status=live}}</ref>

==== Tactile ====
[[Tissot]], a Swiss luxury watchmaker, makes the Silen-T wristwatch with a touch-sensitive face that vibrates to help the user to tell time eyes-free. The bezel of the watch features raised bumps at each hour mark; after briefly touching the face of the watch, the wearer runs a finger around the bezel clockwise. When the finger reaches the bump indicating the hour, the watch vibrates continuously, and when the finger reaches the bump indicating the minute, the watch vibrates intermittently.<ref>{{cite web|title=Tissot Silen-T User's Manual|url=http://support.tissot.ch/usersmanual/137-en.pdf|website=Support.tissot.ch|access-date=28 October 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303230208/http://support.tissot.ch/usersmanual/137-en.pdf|archive-date=3 March 2016|url-status=dead|df=dmy-all}}</ref>

Eone Timepieces, a Washington D.C.–based company, launched its first tactile analog wristwatch, the "Bradley", on 11 July 2013 on the ''[[Kickstarter]]'' website. The device is primarily designed for sight-impaired users, who can use the watch's two ball bearings to determine the time, but it is also suitable for general use. The watch features raised marks at each hour and two moving, magnetically attached ball bearings. One ball bearing, on the edge of the watch, indicates the hour, while the other, on the face, indicates the minute.<ref>{{cite web|title=Innovative Tactile Watch Helps You 'Feel What Time it Is'|url=http://mashable.com/2013/07/13/tactile-watch-bradley/|work=Mashable|access-date=14 July 2013|author=Anita Li|date=14 July 2013|archive-date=16 July 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130716000923/http://mashable.com/2013/07/13/tactile-watch-bradley/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Thanks to Kickstarter, tactile watch debuts|url=https://www.bostonglobe.com/business/2013/07/11/watch-for-blind-kickstarter/0dt8VUnqc0hZ3z3gxUXROP/story.html|access-date=14 July 2013|newspaper=The Boston Globe|date=12 July 2013|author=Callum Borchers|archive-date=14 July 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130714122829/http://www.bostonglobe.com/business/2013/07/11/watch-for-blind-kickstarter/0dt8VUnqc0hZ3z3gxUXROP/story.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

=== Digital ===
A digital display shows the time as a number, e.g., 12:08 instead of a short hand pointing towards the number 12 and a long hand 8/60 of the way around the dial. The digits are usually shown as a [[seven-segment display]].

The first digital {{em|mechanical}} pocket watches appeared in the late 19th century. In the 1920s, the first digital mechanical wristwatches appeared.

The first digital ''electronic'' watch, a [[Pulsar (watch)|Pulsar]] LED prototype in 1970, was developed jointly by [[Hamilton Watch Company]] and Electro-Data, founded by George H. Thiess.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.texascooppower.com/texas-stories/people/all-in-good-time|title=All in Good Time: HILCO EC director donates prototype of world's first working digital watch to Smithsonian|work=Texas Co-op Power|date=February 2012|access-date=21 July 2012|archive-date=9 February 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130209021425/http://www.texascooppower.com/texas-stories/people/all-in-good-time|url-status=live}}</ref> John Bergey, the head of Hamilton's Pulsar division, said that he was inspired to make a digital timepiece by the then-futuristic digital clock that Hamilton themselves made for the 1968 science fiction film ''[[2001: A Space Odyssey]]''. On 4 April 1972, the Pulsar was finally ready, made in an 18-carat gold case and sold for $2,100. It had a red [[light-emitting diode]] (LED) display.

Digital LED watches were very expensive and out of reach to the common consumer until 1975, when [[Texas Instruments]] started to mass-produce LED watches inside a plastic case. These watches, which first retailed for only $20,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://invention.smithsonian.org/centerpieces/quartz/coolwatches/20watch.html|title="TI $20 Watch", The Jerome and Dorothy Lemelson Center for the Study of Invention and Innovation, [Smithsonian Institution]|website=Invention.smithsonian.org|access-date=28 October 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110818043131/http://invention.smithsonian.org/centerpieces/quartz/coolwatches/20watch.html|archive-date=18 August 2011|url-status=dead|df=dmy-all}}</ref> reduced to $10 in 1976, saw Pulsar lose $6&nbsp;million and the Pulsar brand sold to [[Seiko]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://pocketcalculatorshow.com/nerdwatch/|title=Nerd Watch - Vintage Electronics Have Soul – The Pocket Calculator Show Website|website=Pocketcalculatorshow.com|access-date=28 October 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171029012925/http://pocketcalculatorshow.com/nerdwatch/|archive-date=29 October 2017|url-status=dead}}</ref>

[[File:DBA-800.jpg|thumb|A Casio DBA-800 databank watch with phone dialling capabilities, c. 1987]]

An early LED watch that was rather problematic was [[Black Watch (wristwatch)|The Black Watch]] made and sold by British company [[Sinclair Radionics]] in 1975. This was only sold for a few years, as production problems and returned (faulty) product forced the company to cease production.

Most watches with LED displays required that the user press a button to see the time displayed for a few seconds because LEDs used so much power that they could not be kept operating continuously. Usually, the LED display color would be red. Watches with LED displays were popular for a few years, but soon the LED displays were superseded by [[liquid crystal display]]s (LCDs), which used less battery power and were much more convenient in use, with the display always visible and eliminating the need to push a button before seeing the time. Only in darkness would a button needed to be pressed to illuminate the display with a tiny light bulb, later illuminating LEDs and electroluminescent backlights.<ref>{{US Patent|4096550}}: Walter Boller, Marco Donati, Juerg Fingerle, Peter Wild, ''Illuminating Arrangement for a Field-Effect Liquid-Crystal Display as well as Fabrication and Application of the Illuminating Arrangement'', filed 15 October 1976.</ref>

The first LCD watch with a six-digit LCD was the 1973 [[Seiko]] 06LC, although various forms of early LCD watches with a four-digit display were marketed as early as 1972 including the 1972 [[Gruen Watch Co.|Gruen]] Teletime LCD Watch, and the Cox Electronic Systems Quarza. The Quarza, introduced in 1972 had the first Field Effect LCD readable in direct sunlight and produced by the International Liquid Crystal Corporation of [[Cleveland|Cleveland, Ohio]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://pocketcalculatorshow.com/magicalgadget/index3.html#teletime|title=Casio TA-1000 Electronic Clock & Calculator|work=Magical Gadgets, Sightings & Brags|publisher=Pocket Calculator Show|access-date=17 January 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120415005859/http://pocketcalculatorshow.com/magicalgadget/index3.html |archive-date=15 April 2012}}</ref> In Switzerland, Ebauches Electronic SA presented a prototype eight-digit LCD wristwatch showing time and date at the MUBA Fair, [[Basel]], in March 1973, using a [[twisted nematic]] LCD manufactured by [[Brown, Boveri & Cie]], Switzerland, which became the supplier of LCDs to [[Casio]] for the ''CASIOTRON'' watch in 1974.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://ethw.org/First-Hand:Liquid_Crystal_Display_Evolution_-_Swiss_Contributions |title=First-Hand:Liquid Crystal Display Evolution - Swiss Contributions |author=Peter J. Wild |publisher=ETHW |access-date=23 October 2011 |archive-date=3 July 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170703123209/http://ethw.org/First-Hand:Liquid_Crystal_Display_Evolution_-_Swiss_Contributions |url-status=live }}</ref>

A problem with LCDs is that they use [[polarized light]]. If, for example, the user is wearing polarized sunglasses, the watch may be difficult to read because the plane of polarization of the display is roughly perpendicular to that of the glasses.<ref>{{cite book |title=Inquiry into Physics |first1=Vern |last1=Ostdiek |first2=Donald |last2=Bord |publisher=Cengage Learning |year=2012 |isbn=978-1-133-71150-6 |page=343 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=YeYJAAAAQBAJ&pg=PA343}} [https://books.google.com/books?id=YeYJAAAAQBAJ&pg=PA343 Extract of page 343]</ref><ref>{{cite book |title=Physics |edition=illustrated |first1=Jim |last1=Breithaupt |publisher=Nelson Thornes |year=2001 |isbn=0-7487-6243-4 |page=151 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=uSPzV9R08nsC}} [https://books.google.com/books?id=uSPzV9R08nsC&pg=PT151 Extract of page 151]</ref> If the light that illuminates the display is polarized, for example if it comes from a blue sky, the display may be difficult or impossible to read.<ref>{{cite book |title=Transflective Liquid Crystal Displays |first1=Zhibing |last1=Ge |first2=Shin-Tson |last2=Wu |publisher=John Wiley & Sons |year=2010 |isbn=978-0-470-68906-6 |pages=39–40 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=1Sp1avgTedMC}} [https://books.google.com/books?id=1Sp1avgTedMC&pg=PA39 Extract of page 39-40]</ref>

From the 1980s onward, digital watch technology vastly improved. In 1982, Seiko produced the Seiko TV Watch<ref>{{cite web |url=http://hightechies.com/gadgets/the-seiko-tv-watch.html |title=The Seiko TV Watch |publisher=HighTechies.com |access-date=23 July 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141006090525/http://hightechies.com/gadgets/the-seiko-tv-watch.html |archive-date=6 October 2014 |url-status=usurped }}</ref> that had a television screen built-in,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.taschenfernseher.de/doku/doku-seikotvwatch.pdf |title=T001 Instruction Manual |access-date=27 May 2012 |archive-date=30 October 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121030070456/http://www.taschenfernseher.de/doku/doku-seikotvwatch.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref> and Casio produced a digital watch with a [[thermometer]] (the TS-1000) as well as another that could translate 1,500 Japanese words into English. In 1985, Casio produced the [[Casio CFX-400|CFX-400]] scientific calculator watch. In 1987, Casio produced a watch that could dial telephone numbers (the DBA-800) and Citizen introduced one that would react to voice. In 1995, Timex released a watch that allowed the wearer to download and store data from a computer to their wrist. Some watches, such as the [[Timex Datalink#Timex Datalink USB|Timex Datalink USB]], feature [[dot matrix]] displays. Since their apex during the late 1980s to mid-1990s high technology fad, digital watches have mostly become simpler, less expensive timepieces with little variety between models.

<gallery widths="270px" heights="270px">
File:Jumphour.jpg|[[Cortébert (watch manufacturer)|''Cortébert'']] digital mechanical pocket watch (1890s)
File:Cortjump1.jpg|''Cortébert'' digital mechanical wristwatch (1920s)
File:PulsarLED.jpg|A silver [[Pulsar (watch)|Pulsar]] [[Light-emitting diode|LED]] watch from 1976
File:Timex T5E901 Ironman Triathlon 30 Lap FLIX.jpg|A [[Timex Group|Timex]] digital watch with an always-on display of the time and date
File:Casio W-86 digital watch electroluminescent backlight (i).jpg|A digital LCD watch with electroluminescent backlight
File:Galaxy Watch.jpg|[[Samsung Galaxy Watch series]] smartwatches with [[OLED]] displays
</gallery>

=== Illuminated ===
{{more citations needed|subsection|date=June 2014}}
[[File:Seiko Chronograph radium.jpg|thumb|An illuminated watch face, using a luminous compound]]

Many watches have displays that are illuminated, so they can be used in darkness. Various methods have been used to achieve this.

Mechanical watches often have [[luminous paint]] on their hands and hour marks. In the mid-20th century, radioactive material was often incorporated in the paint, so it would continue to glow without any exposure to light. [[Radium]] was often used but produced small amounts of radiation outside the watch that might have been hazardous.<ref>{{cite web|title=Alan's Vintage Watches|url=http://alanwatch.homestead.com/page9.html|publisher=Radium Watch Dial Pattern|access-date=16 April 2015|archive-date=24 September 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150924131942/http://alanwatch.homestead.com/page9.html|url-status=live}}</ref> [[Tritium]] was used as a replacement, since the radiation it produces has such low energy that it cannot penetrate a watch glass. However, tritium is expensive – it has to be made in a [[nuclear reactor]] – and it has a [[half-life]] of only about 12 years so the paint remains luminous for only a few years. Nowadays, tritium is used in specialized watches, e.g., for military purposes (see [[Tritium illumination]]). For other purposes, luminous paint is sometimes used on analog displays, but no radioactive material is contained in it. This means that the display glows soon after being exposed to light and quickly fades.

Watches that incorporate batteries often have electric illumination in their displays. However, lights consume far more power than electronic watch movements. To conserve the battery, the light is activated only when the user presses a button. Usually, the light remains lit for a few seconds after the button is released, which allows the user to move the hand out of the way.

[[File:Backlit LCD display.jpg|thumbnail|Views of a [[liquid crystal display]], both with [[electroluminescence|electroluminescent]] backlight switched on (top) and switched off (bottom)]]
[[File:Timex Ironman Indiglo backlight.jpg|left|upright|thumbnail|Digital LCD wristwatch [[Timex Ironman]] with electroluminescent backlighting]]

In some early digital watches, [[LED]] displays were used, which could be read as easily in darkness as in daylight. The user had to press a button to light up the LEDs, which meant that the watch could not be read without the button being pressed, even in full daylight.

In some types of watches, small [[incandescent]] lamps or LEDs illuminate the display, which is not intrinsically luminous. These tend to produce very non-uniform illumination.

Other watches use [[Electroluminescence|electroluminescent]] material to produce uniform illumination of the background of the display, against which the hands or digits can be seen.