Watch Wearing Wednesday: 90s Vintage Pulsar Day-Date Quartz Watch

Sometimes, you have to fall back on watches that are tried and true. In my case, it's this Pulsar Day-Date watch (below) that I seem to have had forever.

Pulsar Quartz Day-Date Watch

This Pulsar has a stainless steel case and bracelet, a simple dial with batons, and 100-meters of water resistance (when new). It's also unobtrusive, fits under the cuff of a shirt sleeve, and from a Seiko brand. Pulsar seems to have been relegated to the dustbin of Seiko history for now. I've seen articles indicating that the Pulsar brand has been discontinued and, yet, I've also seen a trickle of Pulsar watches being sold through Walmart.com.

Pulsar Day-Date Watch

I first wrote about this watch way back in 2011. I have no idea when I actually got it. No matter what the fate of the Pulsar brand may be, you can usually find a simple day-date watch under the Seiko umbrella between Seiko, Citizen, and Bulova.

Men's Watches with Class

Four Men's Watches With Class

Class is an interesting word when it comes to watches.  As a personal accessory for men, a watch is a chance to express individual style.  But, when it comes to class, there are elements of refinement, taste, and pedigree that must perfectly combine into a timepiece.  While a storied watchmaker can certainly add to the pedigree of a watch, how the wearer sports his timepiece is a key element of class.

President Eisenhower's Rolex Datejust

Some watches are like an end zone dance in American football.  According to old school icons like Bear Bryant, when players score, they should act like they've been in the end zone before.  The end zone dance is just an unsportsmanlike way to rub victory into the faces of the vanquished.  So, while a high end pedigreed watch can make a statement, the demeanor of the wearer changes whether that watch is a score or an end zone dance.  To be classy, a watch should make a subtle, tasteful, statement rather than a gaudy display.

Here are four of the classiest watches in my personal collection:

1. Tissot Carson Powermatic 80.  This watch has the pedigree of a powerful name brand, a traditional automatic movement, and the Swiss Made label.  Yet, it is not so expensive that it lurks outside the realm of imagination.  It's also not in the least bit gaudy.  It's an understated, conservative, watch that looks great with a suit.  You can find plenty of similar Tissot Powermatic 80 watches on Amazon.

2.  Bulova Dress Watch.  My quartz Bulova Dress Watch sports the iconic tuning fork logo and subtly evokes the tech sector with a graph-like grid in the background.  It's simple and tasteful.  While my Bulova is hardly a high dollar timepiece, the brand has historic appeal and luxury connotations for most middle class Americans. 

3.  Pulsar Dress Watch.  My first Pulsar dress watch is all business.  It is simple, elegant, competent, and non-intrusive.  It says that it's told time before and that it's good at the business of telling time.  This watch was minimalist before minimalism was cool.

4.  Seiko University of Florida Dress Watch.  Long, long ago, I graduated from the University of Florida and received this Seiko as a graduation gift.  It features the University's Century Tower and University Auditorium.  By today's standards, it has a rather small dial.  The bezel and bracelet appear to be inspired by the Rolex Perpetual Datejust.  Overall, it's a nice look and lets people know that I am at least somewhat educated.

Wristwatch Review: Men's Pulsar Chronograph Dress Watch with Roman Numerals

Examining a Stainless Steel Chronograph Watch from Pulsar

Power, sophistication, and sensibility are the perfect combination for a man's dress watch. Does the Pulsar Chronograph Model PT3399 demonstrate all three? I received one for Christmas 2013 and will look for those qualities.

Pulsar Chronograph Model PT3399

[This is a re-print of a review that I published on the now defunct Yahoo Voices.  As of 2024, this watch is unavailable, but mine still looks like a million bucks.]

 Watch Style. Roman numerals on a dress watch always up your game. Instead of piloting an aircraft or driving a sports car, a dial with Roman numerals suggests that the wearer is likely to pilot a major corporation or drive an important court case. It's a different kind of power and the Pulsar PT3399 demonstrates it. Roman numerals circle a silver dial with XII exerting its authority with a larger font in blue. The hour, minute, and second hands are done in the same blue. The hour and minute hands have a luminous white insert for night visibility.

This Pulsar has chronograph subdials at three, six, and nine o'clock. The subdials are silver with small black arabic numerals on raised rings. The subdial at three o'clock provides the 24-hour time. Seconds are provided at six o'clock and minutes are provided at nine o'clock. The pushers work well to activate, stop, and reset the chronograph subdials. However, I wouldn't really use this watch to time anything athletic.

A date window is canted and sits between four and five o'clock just inboard of the numeral track. The date and all of the other numerals on the watch are readable even with my aging eyes.

The watch itself is all stainless steel with the bracelet and case elegantly alternating high shine and flat satin finishes. The bracelet has a fold over clasp with push button. It fit me well with a little room to spare, but smaller wrists may need to remove a link or two. I think this watch is very sophisticated looking.

Watch Size. The diameter of this watch is officially 43 millimeters but that's about 45 millimeters counting the crown or pusher buttons. It is 10 millimeters thick and has a wide bracelet that measures 21 millimeters at the lugs and 20 millimeters at the clasp.

Watch Construction. Despite the Roman numerals, this Pulsar is built with a respectable water resistance rating. The watch has a hardlex crystal. It also has a screw down caseback. These features help the PT3399 achieve 100 meters of water resistance. Since Pulsar is a Seiko brand, it has a reliable Japanese quartz movement.

Price. The suggested retail price for this watch is $175. However, with smart shopping at Kohl's, my wife was able to get a considerable discount for this watch on sale.

Overall. I like this Pulsar Chronograph very much. It has the classic, powerful, styling that is seen in many far more prestigious mechanical watches. This Pulsar has Roman numerals to up the sophistication game. Plus, it has a reliable, economical, Japanese quartz movement. The Pulsar PT3399 has everything I look for in a dress watch. This watch will be my go to dress watch for important meetings, job interviews, and other important business functions.

Sources:
www.kohls.com
www.pulsarwatchesusa.com