A Pulsar on its way, and now it's here!

[vpn]

After I've read Dutchsiberia's thread about his latest (and amazing) catch, I thought that I have to share my joy with you all, since I also have a fine watch on its way to Italy. It's a Pulsar P2 that I've bought on Ebay. The watch was sold as untested, because the seller bought it at an estate sale, so he didn't know if the watch was working or not. I've been lucky, since I've managed to get it for 168$...
When I won the auction, I asked the chap to open it, in order to see if there were the original batteries and if they leaked acid (I was already thinking to send it to Hanno when it would've arrived in Italy...), but thankfully, the watch didn't have any battery inside.

This made me more optimistic about the condition of the module, so I asked the seller to put a pair of new batteries, and he did so, despite he didn't have the spacers. And here's the great news. Here's an excerpt of what he said:

(...) "The good news is the watch works" (...)

When I've read his message, I was overjoyed. Yes, it didn't have the spacers, but reading that the watch was brought back to life with a new pair of batteries relieved me a lot. So, I've made the spacers by myself, with a sliced rubber pipe. I asked to the seller to take the batteries out, in order to not damage the watch, and he included them into the package. Now, I'm waiting the watch since eight days, and I'm so excited that I can't wait to receive it! Meanwhile, here are the pictures taken by the seller, and forgive me for this ultra-long thread. I'm too much excited about this catch!






I'll post new pictures of the watch (along with a picture that shows the watch in action) as soon as I'll receive it. I'm so excited to think that I've bought my first Pulsar!

[dutchsiberia]

Very cool looking watch :) original bracelet?
I got my pulsar P3 in an "untested" watch lot. Also cheap :)

Only the digit on the right is a bit weak.

[vpn]

Yep, everything original, same for the bracelet. The watch has only few light scratches, nothing so exposed. The setting magnet should be there too, otherwise I can always use a fridge magnet, waiting to save some money to get a spare one. Lovely P3 you got too!

[Ade51]

Good find vpn - great that the watch works. Looking forward to pictures of it working.

[vpn]

After 22 days of waiting for the watch, the Pulsar P2 is finally here! I've received it just one hour ago, I just had to clean the crystal and the clasp a bit, and then, I've just added the new batteries into my homemade spacers, et voilà! The watch works great, displaying a nice and bright 0:00, which I've promtply set to 11:34 (when I've received it).

The watch is in very good conditions, and it also has the original ferrite magnet into the clasp. I didn't know that setting a LED watch with a magnet was so tricky though, I had to keep my hand very firmly to set the P2, otherwise it would go in time mode and display the seconds until I'd keep the magnet away from the watch!
But after I've found the proper angle and position, I've managed to set it without problems, it's just a matter of hands positions and movements accuracy I see.

Here are the pictures, I'm wearing it right now, and the bracelet is incredibly comfortable. The watch itself has a great quality look too, although I thought it'd be bigger than how is in reality. I must confess that I'm very excited about this acquisition, for a novice collector like me, buying an untested Pulsar (and my first one!) at low price, and finding out that works perfectly, is something that makes me super happy.

Here are the pictures of the P2, I know, I'm not a skilled photographer, but I have to share my happiness with you all.

[Ade51]

That is one fine watch - I'm glad its arrived safely and all is well with it.

I bet you won't want to take it off your wrist for quite a while.

Unfortnuately this may start a 'must have another Pulsar' syndrome which can turn into an Omega plague.

[Kasper]

congrats...it's strange..i buy 2 watches a week and till now never had any luck with pulsar. Maybe some day

[vpn]

Thank you Kasper and Ade51! I can't stop smiling when I look at it, if only I think that owning a P2 was just a pipedream of mine, and now it's at my wrist, it's just like a dream that came true!

[Phasar66]

What a good feeling, I just got mine too, is a little tight on the wrist
but isn't it nice? Congrats on your new catch.

[bruce wegmann]

congrats...it's strange..i buy 2 watches a week and till now never had any luck with pulsar. Maybe some day

That's almost certainly because you're not buying them from me. If you guys keep playing the eBay lottery, buying five watches to get one "bargain", you have to expect that to happen; overall, I think it's a losing proposition. As I've said, I NEVER buy non-workers any more...with these exceptions...solid gold ones, or minty GF ones (original, minty GF cases are very rare, and because of the thin, soft surfaces, GF is virtually impossible to restore...and even then, it has to be at a very good price). I just bought a non-working (but cosmetically excellent) P1, but at least, this is something I KNOW I can fix! My personal standard is, that unless EVERY feature of an LED watch functions properly, I consider it a NON-working watch, and buy accordingly.

[vpn]

What a good feeling, I just got mine too, is a little tight on the wrist
but isn't it nice? Congrats on your new catch.

I totally agree! When I've heard from the seller that the watch works, I was overjoyed, as I'm currently now! I can't stop looking at the watch! Especially to think that it's the first mass produced electronic digital watch ever.

[bruce wegmann]

I'm inclined to think you're right about the P2 being the first mass-produced LED watch. It followed pretty closely on the heels of the P1 (I think I have a P2 with an 8-72 bracelet code), so it would seem that P2s were being sold to the public just four months after the splashly P1 introduction in April, and it was also an instant, runaway success (of course, at that point, Time Computer pretty much had the LED market to itself!). Given the serial numbers I have seen, it is likely as many as 90-110 thousand were produced, in a little over two years (sounds like a lot, but it works out to about 210 watches a day, and they were selling every watch they could assemble and ship). That was surpassed only by the Date/Command, with a production of approximately 140 thousand, in a similar period. Remarkable that, combined, those two models represent about 40% of all the TC Pulsars ever made!

[vpn]

So I guess that the P2 and the P3 are the models that have the highest production amount in TC's life? I've registered my P2 at the Pulsar database, and I've found curious the fact that there's not the "Pulsar" nor the "Time Computer Inc." names printed on the caseback, but just "Stainless Steel" and the serial number. Could mean that my P2 was produced before Time Computer became an autonomous company? Most of the Pulsars I've seen (except the P1) have always the "Time Computer Inc." or the "Pulsar" ones printed on the casebacks.

Please forgive me for this noob-ish question Bruce.

Edit: I've just found out that my bracelet code says 4-74, so I guess that my P2 is from that year!

[holly35]

All (or at least the majority) of p2s had no "pulsar time computer" stamp on the case back but the p3 did. At least you have probably have the case back that was original to the watch.
Buying from a random seller on ebay can very often bring up an "all original " watch .Many others have been assembled through interchanging parts etc to bring together a complete watch.Nothing wrong with that,but there is satisfaction in having an all original watch.

[vpn]

That's interesting! So my P2 has all original parts from what I see. Thank you for the info!

[bruce wegmann]

It is correct that NO P2s had "Time Computer" or "Pulsar" on the caseback. On the other hand, ALL P3s have both those marks. The backs for both models are dimensionally identical and interchangeable, made on the very same stamping machines, in fact (but it is still possible to tell which back goes on which watch). Just a minor added complication...there ARE P2s that have "Hamilton Watch Co." on the back. Like the P1s, this was a clerical error caused by miscommunication between Star (the case manufacturer), and Hamilton, who neglected to inform Star that a new company division (Time Computer) had been organized to market the new digitals. These backs, from what I can gather over the last three years, are very rare, probably less than a thousand made before the error was discovered, and very few surviving (there seem to be more in goldfilled than stainless, with none known in solid gold). It could be said that these unusual P2s, and all the P1s, are the only true "Hamilton Pulsars". My search for additional examples in other collections is covered in another thread in the Pulsar section; so far, none have been discovered, though two have surfaced on eBay, both in 14KGF.

[vpn]

Thank you Bruce, your information are a gold mine for a novice collector like me.

[vpn]

Please forgive me for the double post people, but I'd like to ask you a question: the Pulsar logo on my P2 is a bit faded off, and I would like to restore it. What should I do in order to restore the logo? Shall I use a black nail polish? I've tried to use a black glossy spray paint (I've put the paint into a small bowl, and I've picked the paint with a needle) but I got no luck so far, the needle just didn't apply the paint on the lettering. Maybe instead of a needle should I use a toothpick?

[Kasper]

did you use the search button...we have a nice special "white on black" one in the corner of the page. Most of the time he works, somethimes he has a day off and then you can always ask someone of the staff. They will kick his ass and you will be ready to do your thing again

[vpn]

I've tried to search in the forum for more info about this kind of case logo restoration, but I haven't found nothing, maybe it's me who wrote the wrong key words, not sure. I will try to use a black nail polish, a toothpick and a piece of duct tape just to cover the area around the logo, and to cover the "r" type which isn't faded away, so it doesn't need to be restored. The glossy spray paint dried too fast and didn't manage to stay on the tip of the needle. If everything goes well, with these tools I might be able to restore the Pulsar lettering to its former glory.

[bucko170]

I wasn't looking for perfection but I used a black marker pen to colour the logo back in and just polished away the excess from the outer case.

[vpn]

That's interesting Mick! Did you use a marker with a small needle? And what kind of tool did you use to polish out the excesses?