The first smartwatch: Datalink wristwatch with light signal transmission Light signals Battery life: over 25. 000 hours Article in c’t 27/2020 read middle of the 1990 years a strange picture presented itself in some offices: people sitting motionless in their chairs, holding their wrist for minutes in front of the hectically flickering PC screen. The reason for the strange morning numbness was an innovative wristwatch.

The Timex Datalink was created as a co-production between the US watch specialist Timex and Microsoft. Outwardly, apart from the Microsoft lettering, it is an ordinary digital watch. In addition to a timepiece, however, below the usual segment displays, it offers a small dot matrix display and memory for telephone numbers and appointments.

Manufacturers like Casio have long been selling digital watches with calculators and memory for telephone numbers (and still do so as part of a retro series). However, you have to type in the tiny keyboard integrated into the watch case.

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