Once upon a time, Bond, James Bond didn’t wear Omega. He wore a Pulsar LED watch, something so strange, so futuristic, that it could have come from Q’s workshop. LED watches were everything that was right about the 70s — their bright red numerals glowing out of a dark case offered a promise of a bright, yet slightly menacing future, one full of folks who didn’t need to know the time ALL the time. Only when they pressed a little button.
This magic has been recaptured by the folks at LED-Watches.com, a UK company that has recreated the majesty of the LED watch using new movements and stylish new cases. The Space watch is an excellently styled LED piece made of stainless steel that brings to mind a moon pillow in the lair of Duran Duran.
The watch comes in a handsome aluminum box padded with foam. The kit includes a small instruction booklet and warranty and is ready to go out of the box. It runs on a standard, replaceable battery.
Setting this watch is simple. You begin by pressing a small recessed button on the left side. Then you select either the upper hour or lower date button. Once the numerals begin flashing, you can set them with the same hour and date buttons. Usage is even simpler: press one of the hour or date buttons and the readout flashes red for 3 seconds, offering a glimpse at a fleeting decade.
This is obviously built for style, not for substance. I would rank the quality on par with a good Fossil. However, the unique styling and old school movement are a great conversation starter. Wear it with a suit and a martini… shaken, obviously, not stirred.
Pick it up for about $150 here
It seems that a few brands have their own LED models now, including Fossil, Adidas and the newest one I’ve seen is DKNY.
For all their retro appeal, they have the same basic problem: When the LED display is not on, the watch face is just this blank screen which is rather ugly.
Only Ecko seemed to have addressed this problem. The steel face is made up of the Ecko rhino logo, which looks pretty cool by itself. When you press the button, the LED time is displayed through the rhino. Very nice.
I own this original Pulsar in the first model year it was introduced. It looks identical to the LED watch pictured above except it is gold toned as opposed to silver. It works perfectly and still has the magnets needed to set the time and date. I’m glad to see this style returning.
I purchased one of these replicas and was very disappointed. I once owned one from the 70s and this one is no way close to the original. I am surprised the company who made them hasn’t done something about this. Those old ones were so well built, not something I can say about this one . . . . Sorry.
Honestly….the space watch is a cheap knockoff of the original pulsar. It is a blatant ripoff in an attempt to capitalize on an iconic style. I am suprised that pulsar has not sued these guys yet.
I agree, I purchased one of the above and then sent it straight back. This watch is very cheap and nasty!
I bought one too. It gave out after a few days. Maker of the watch in the UK refused to answer my e-mails. I sent it back and am still waiting for a new one.
Update:
The returned the watch fixed with a new LED. Not same LED as original but brighter and a little less sharp. Looks to be an Adidas LED module as it is same look as Adidas LED.
Satisfactory result in my view.
We have never sold SPACE watches to anyone with the above names, they are quite simply competitors bad mouthing a product that took a long time to develop and that many hundreds of customers are very happy with. If any of our customers has a problem we always deal with it and we absolutely always answer emails. This is simply somebody anonymously using this blog for slandering us.
I just received my watch (I live in Australia), the X-Ray Gun Metal and it is absolutely 100% BRILLIANT! The workmanship is AMAZING!!! I don’t have the Space version but I WILL DEFINATELY be ordering it. If the X-Ray Gun Metal version is ANYTHING to go by the workmanship is amazing!!!! It is NOT cheap and nasty it is EXACTLY like a watch from the period would have been! I very impressed by it. I plan to buy several more!
The only thing I wished for is that it arrived sooner than two weeks via airmail. The product itself is amazing!
I bought one. The case had a deep scratch on it, and the minutes place was very light. Must have been made in China along with the dog food and baby formula!
Whoever owns this, I would like to say that he has a great idea of choosing a
topic.
I recently purshased a SPACE LED WATCH fom the led Watch Store, I am very pleased, the quality is excellent, well made, looks the part, the service from the Watch Store is second to none. I plan on buying another one in stainless steel. So all you whingers take a hike!!!!