Xernus Solar

[simone]

Hi all...just finished to fix the module of this Solar Xernus.It appears like any other Otrons solar watch so i had to desoldered the tiny wire bonds contacts to the bord in order to do a full cleaning job: the two old 392 renata cel leaked everywhere...
I had several problem during the cleaning: from no life to faint digits when the last digit second was 2,5 and 6 and when the module was near to be fully working some missing segments...so it was a real pain.
The watch is a classic solar assisted so the battery that power the watch (the other is for the light only) can last 4-5 years...
Overall is a nice 1979 industrial design and in very good conditions

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[cybr]

Hi Simone,
BTW, very nice watch...
I was ready to recommend you to contact the owner of http://www.soluhr.com website, since he is the ultimate source on vintage solar watches.
But, unfortunately, I've seen that the site is down now...
Anyway, I have some very early digital LCD solar watches,thus I may say (without being an expert in the field!) that your watch combines a quite early solar cells design and some late 70's on-the-face buttons, with a LCD specific to the very late 70s-early 80s watch LCDs.
Thus, according with my somehow limited knowledge - at least compared with the owner of soluhr.com - I will date your watch as being 1978-1982.
HOW DO YOU KNOW THAT IT IS A 1979 watch??? . Because I am really curious!
I know this is not much, but I hope that it may help
Regards,

[simone]

I remember to had seen times ago an old adv from THE SHARPER IMAGE dated 1979 ...

[Adam]

Heres an advert from Popular mechanics October 1979 at this point they were reduced from $129 to $69, it could have been a late 78 watch but is certainly a 79 watch, things moved so fast it hard to date them unless they have a serial number with a date code or the movement has a date.

1979 Sunrex Colour Pop mechanics.jpg

[simone]

Thanks Adam
I checked the case and module and there's no date or serial stamped.... so the only way to date some watches are the old adverts and this Xernus is for sure a late 78 to mid 79 released.

[Old Tom]

There are three different versions of the Xernus series 2000 watch. The original model has the 14E201 circuit board watch & us, 6 chip solar cell & uses two batteries- one a proper rechargeable cell, the second a standard Silver oxide (392) and the watch comes in the "fat" case (module marked "rechargeable battery" on small silver label on front of module). The second has the 14E202 circuit board, 6 chip solar cell and uses two 392 cells and, again, comes in the fat case. The final version uses the 14E203 board, uses a single 392 cell, 5 chip solar cell and comes in the "skinny" case. They came out in late 1978 and were gone by late 1980.

[Adam]

I miss your informative posts Tom. Information that may just be lost without you. Do you mind if I add it to the digital watch site with Simones watch thats already up?

http://www.digital-watch.com/DWL/1work/xernus-solar

regards

Adam

[simone]

Thanks Tom... I was chatting today with Adam...do you know any other info about xernus brand? For example where was based?

[cybr]

I had not much time to search for the Xernus brand.
But, from the 1979 advert presented by Adam we may find that "This isn't a small watch company or even a new one "
Anyway, it seems that - at least in early 90's - the Xernus brand was owned by Orient Watch Company.
https://auction.catawiki.com/kavels/11860619-xernus-by-orient-watch-men-s-watch-vintage-1995