The FM Wristwatch Radio was an
LCD digital watch with a built-in FM radio. It was Sinclair's
second attempt at a wrist radio - the first was the
Transrista of 1964 (actually a Micro-6
with a nylon strap).
The watch used a cunning bellows-type arrangement that
enabled the chunky face to be broken into three sections
which hinged where they joined, so they could make some
attempt at bending around your wrist. At the top was
the tuner, the middle section was the speaker and volume
control, and the bottom was the watch itself, with light,
mode and function buttons and the on/off dial for the
radio. The aerial was built into the strap - so as long
as you stood perfectly still with your arm pointed up
in the air you could listen to Radio 1 for at least
30 seconds before you got tired. The battery was hidden
in the clasp, presumably in an attempt to balance out
the considerable weight of the watch.
Sinclair officially launched the FM Wristwatch Radio
at the Las Vegas Consumer Electronics Show in January
1985. However, although Sinclair had tooled up for mass
production of the watch and a small number were produced,
the device never went into full production. The financial
crisis which was to deliver Sinclair into the arms of
Amstrad quickly ended the production run. Perhaps it
was just as well, considering the practical problems
of actually using the thing. This premature curtailment
meant that very few Wristwatch Radios were ever produced,
making them one of the rarest of all Sinclair products.
- Info and photos courtesy of Damien
Burke
|
|