A spectacular breakthrough

Pulsar was born in an age of optimism. In the 1970's, everything seemed achievable through the rapidly growing technological expertise at the world's fingertips. Space flight had been converted from dream to reality, computer science was developing at break neck speed and electronics seemed to deliver new advances every day. Pulsar symbolised the age. It was new and it was bold, it was surprising and it was different. Pulsar, the world's first electronic digital watch, created a sensation when it was unveiled in New York in 1972 and it changed the world's perception of time.

A tradition of difference

When the brand was taken into the Seiko Corporation stable in 1980, it brought further surprises to the world; the first calculator watch in 1980 and the first all-quartz watch line in 1981 were among its industry-leading achievements. And throughout the '80's and 90's Pulsar continued to bring to market new products that were born to be different. The Avant-garde collection in 1980's set a new style in women's watches and Spoon in 1990's were unique designs which further cemented Pulsar's image as an ingenious and surprising watchmaker.

Towards a modernist future

Today, Pulsar remains loyal to its heritage. It was born to be different and it will remain so. Each Pulsar watch has the hint of the futurism and modernity that have always been its hallmark. Pulsar is a brand for the individual who appreciates real value and seeks quality with individuality and flair. Take a look at the latest ranges in the Product Section.Pulsar is a trademark of Seiko Corporation – the world's leading maker of quality timepieces. You can rely on Pulsar's products and on an after sales service network that is at your disposal worldwide. Check out the Contacts section and you'll see!

If you want to know more about the Seiko Watch Corporation and sister brands, check out these sites:

SEIKO Watches

LORUS Watches

Pulsarwatches are inspired by the stars, or to be more precise a particular stage in a star's lifespan.

A Pulsar is actually the core of a collapsed star, like our Sun. When a star burns up all its hydrogen energy source, it collapses with a violent explosion, scattering the outer portion of the star into space. The core that is left after the blast is much smaller and incredibly dense. While a normal star rotates approximately once a day, a pulsar can rotate as quickly as 1,000 times a second.

With each rotation, a pulsar sends out an extremely regular pulse of radio waves. These waves can be detected here on Earth by radio telescopes. These pulses provide an unmatched standard of timekeeping accuracy.

So far, astronomers have discovered over 600 pulsars, some of which are accurate to one second in 10 million years. That would make them more accurate than anything found on Earth, including our atomic clocks.

One pulsar you might be familiar with is the Crab pulsar at the centre of the Crab Nebula. Even though the original star is over 5,000 light years away, the explosion was seen here on Earth, even visible in the middle of the day. This particular pulsar spins 30 times per second, illuminating the entire nebula.

So why are pulsars important to us? It's not just because they are pretty. They've helped scientists understand general laws of physics, and have offered dramatic support for Einstein's theory of relativity. As if we didn't already know the guy was smart, he was also way ahead of his time. Pulsars have also served as incredible navigation tools for astronomers. And of course, they will help in the perfection of timekeeping here on Earth.

If you want to know more, why not visit some of these sites:

NASA

European Space Agency

Hubble Deep Space Telescope

The Sky at Night - UK Television Programme devoted to astronomy

Where time is concerned, Pulsars are the benchmark for all humans. As astronomers unveil more of their secrets; who knows what advances will present themselves to us.