Pulsar P3 (Gold-Filled)

The iconic Pulsar

Description:

The Pulsar P3 is perhaps the most well known and iconic of the Pulsar line with its futuristic curvy astronaut helmet shape. The P3 still looks futuristic 40 years later.

The Pulsar P3, the President's Preferred Timepiece in 1973

The P3 "Date Command" was introduced just one year after the first consumer model, the P2 and was the first digital watch with a date capability. The date is displayed by pressing the left button. The P3 has a "smart calander" which keeps track of the number of days in each month so the date never need resetting except after the last day of Feburary in a leap year. The P3 is one of the largest Pulsar models, but it remains comfortable to wear and is surprisingly light for its size.

President Ford in the Oval Office with Betty and his Pulsar P3

The P3 was available in stainless steel, 14 KT gold filled, and solid gold models by special order. The stainless model above was available with either a solid link bracelet or a hollow link bracelet. The solid link bracelet is a bit heavier but also feels a bit more solid, is more durable and is more sought after by collectors. The more common hollow link bracelet is lighter in weight but more fragile.

David Prowse a.k.a. Darth Vader and his Pulsar P3

The gold filled model was worn by President Gerald Ford (with a leather band) until he got in trouble from the press for wearing such a decadent wristwatch. It was deemed improper for the President to have accepted such a luxury wristwatch as a gift.

The stainless Pulsar P3 is the wristwatch of choice for dark rulers of the galaxy such as David Prowse, a.k.a Darth Vader.

Condition:

Case: Good.
This gold filled Pulsar P3 is in good condition with nice brushing. The only mark that detracts from the case is a mark on the bottom left side of the bezel. Note that due to the macro lens, this is much more visible in the photos than in real life. There are a few very tiny marks on the lugs and the case back is engraved with the name of the original owner.

Face / Hands: Excellent.
All LED digits and segments are complete and bright. This module / display is very bright and beautiful. Note also that it has the popular dot type display found only in the earliest LED models.

Crystal: Good / Very good.
The crystal is nice and smooth but has a few small marks on the edges. There is a tiny bite on the lower right edge below the Pulsar logo. Also, there is a tiny mark on the Pulsar logo.

Band / Bracelet: Very good.
The bracelet is very good condition with 13 links and will fit an 8 " wrist. There are a few small scratches on a few of the links and two of the links have very slight dents that can be discerned by examining the specular highlights. This is quite common with these hollow link bracelets and is only barely noticeable. The clasp also has a few light scratches. Overall, it is a very nice bracelet that has seen a bit of use.

Function / Accuracy: All functions work perfectly. The buttons are very responsive. Digital quartz accuracy. Actually, since quartz crystals actually improve with age and the original Pulsar accuracy was a phenomenal 30 seconds per year, these vintage Pulsars usually keep time better than most modern quartz watches!