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In this weekly Throwback Thursday series, we surface memorable TV advertising spots from days past – ones that made us laugh, inspired us, or sparked an affinity for a brand.
Earlier this week, Apple finally revealed the details of its long-anticipated Apple Watch. Now, it seems like it’s the only thing that anyone can talk about. Will it be successful? Will it flop? Will it usher in the new era of technology? The watch will sync to your iPhone will be able to do things like check your email, send quick responses to text messages, order a ride from Uber, and other tasks. The Apple Watch is priced at $349, going all the way up to $10,000 for a gold watch.
Smart watches and wearables have seen a recent revival – everyone like Android, Samsung, Fitbit, and others getting in on the action. They can seemingly do everything – track your heart rate, tell you directions, send you messages, and even give you the time, if you so choose.
With all this talk of smart watches, it got us thinking about the good ol’ days when digital watches were the newest, coolest, geekiest thing. In 1972, Hamilton introduced the first commercial digital watch for the paltry price of $2,100. Three years later, Hamilton also introduced the first calculator watch. But it wasn’t until 1980 that Casio took these digital wristwatches to commercial popularity. Casio debuted a line of “smart” watches – ones that could play basic games, do math calculations, and store phone numbers and other basic information.
Calculator watches, in particular, struck a chord and was popularized by a number of TV shows and Hollywood movies. Anthony Michael Hall wore a calculator watch in the Breakfast Club and who could forget Marty McFly in Back to the Future?
Most recently, the calculator watch got a pop culture boost when our favorite science-teacher-turned-drug-dealer, Walter White in Breaking Bad sported one. We might even go out on a limb and say that the calculator watch is making a comeback. Who knows, perhaps it’ll beat the Apple Watch in sales.
