Floppy disks, payphones, cassette tapes — these are just a few examples of the countless technologies that have become obsolete and gone the way of the dodo bird. While we may no longer need obsolete tech, a lot of people remember it fondly and want it all the same. This is very commonly seen with vintage computers and video game consoles, where large communities of enthusiasts keep these systems running for future generations to enjoy — and, of course, they play a few rounds of Pong and Space Invaders in the process.
Not every long gone technology has such a large group of adoring fans still singing its praises, however. Take the pocket watch, for example. These watches may once have been a symbol of wealth or high social status, but today there is just no place left for them anymore. Literally. I mean, who has a special pocket set aside just for a watch these days?
Assembling the hardware (📷: abe’s projects)
Well, YouTuber Abe, of abe’s projects, just might. He loves pocket watches, and decided to express that love by building a new one. But he was determined to build it in a way that would also represent his love for vintage tech. The solution was perhaps a bit unorthodox, but proved to be very cool all the same. Abe designed a pocket watch to look as if it had been salvaged from an alternate timeline — one in which pocket watches maintained their popularity into the 1980s.
To bring this creation to life, Abe first put pen to paper and got busy with the design work. When everything started to match the image in his mind, a model was created with Autodesk Fusion 360 before being 3D-printed. Naturally some iteration was necessary to get things just right, then the final case was painted to give it a weathered and aged look.
After choosing to go with a digital display, Abe selected the Seeed Studio Round Display to build the watch around. Aside from a slick 1.28-inch round screen, it also comes equipped with a connector for a rechargeable battery, a socket for a microcontroller, a real-time clock with a coin cell holder for backup, and an SD card slot. Hmm… that sounds suspiciously like nearly everything necessary to build a watch. After adding in a Xiao RP2040 microcontroller development board, the batteries, and a button, the hardware was complete.
Writing the firmware for a watch is pretty straightforward, but Abe did run into a few bumps along the way. Each time the screen was turned on, it would briefly display random noise before showing the intended graphics. After doing some research, this issue was traced to one of the libraries that is responsible for turning on the display. A command was being issued that turned it on before it was supplied with data to display. So, Abe removed that line and relocated it to ensure that data would always be available before turning on.
When all was said and done, this unique pocket watch was capable of showing the time, day of the week, moon phase, battery life, and a mystery “triangle meter.” It does not seem to look especially 80s-esque to me, but that is a matter of opinion — and since the watch comes from an alternate timeline, that may be entirely appropriate. But in any case, this is a very cool build that demonstrates just how easy it can be to hack together a gadget that you can use every day.
