Don't call it a comeback: digital watches are coming back into fashion

What is a digital watch? Close your eyes and imagine one, and it’s most likely something cheapish and battery-powered. It is the watch equivalent of a Prius – you buy it for the job it does, not because you love it. But there is much more to digital than that.

Back in the 1880s, a man called Josef Pallweber patented a jumping hour mechanism. Instead of the analogue display of hands pointing to numbers, the hours appeared in a window, thanks to a little rotating wheel behind the dial. This was the world’s first digital movement and was put into production in pocket watches made by IWC and others.

These early digital watches were popular for a while but faded out of fashion. As the watch moved from pocket to wrist in the early 20th century, most favoured analogue hands. Then, in the 1970s, electronic watches began to appear, and by the 1980s – led by brands Seiko and Casio – the LCD digital watch we know today became the budget watch of choice.

In the 1990s, the mechanical watch market enjoyed a renaissance that shows no sign of letting up. It looked for new creative directions and different ways to display the time. Manufacturers went big, went small, experimented with different materials and... revived the posh digital watch. Brands like AP and Cartier started making high-end mechanical watches with jumping digital displays, and they’ve recently been joined by others.

Pro tip

Don’t diss quartz. The reason it took over in the 1980s is partly because of cost, but also because it outperforms clockwork in any way you can measure. It’s cheaper, lighter, more accurate and more robust. Even fancy brands like Cartier use it in some of their watches. People prefer mechanical for the feel and craftsmanship, but you’ll have to pay more for the privilege.