Meet the WristMac: Seiko-Apple smartwatch ready to make a splash in auction season
LOFTIt seems auction season hasn't stopped surprising us, but today's article is far from the classic offering. You won't find it at top-tier auction houses, as today we're looking at a unique digital Seiko from the late 1980s. What makes this watch so special is that it could very well be Apple 's first smartwatch. Confused? We'll explain.
On Monday, November 22nd, news broke that an auction website calledComic Connect was listing a battery-powered Seiko with a digital display for $1 USD, with estimates expected to reach between $25,000 and $50,000 USD, according to Apple Insider . The reason for that estimate is that this isn’t just any digital Seiko—it’s the “WristMac” . This watch dates back to 1988 and was designed to connect to a Macintosh desktop computer using a technology called AppleTalk .
But it gets better. The WristMac's claim to fame is that it was on the wrists of the crew of the space shuttle Atlantis , who used it to send emails. It also provided reminders for when they needed to take photos of Earth.
The WristMac, according to a 1991 article in The New York Times , "isn't really a computer, but it can store several days' worth of reminder messages, phone numbers and to-do lists downloaded from a Macintosh."
After reading Hodinkee's review of a 1995 quartz analog Apple Watch , there's no doubt this Seiko iteration is much closer to the current line.
Nowadays, our lives are effectively controlled by these little computerized machines, but it's certainly strange to see wearable technology with this capability that dates back almost 35 years. But we're talking about an auction here. Isn't this the kind of thing you see on eBay with a poorly framed photo taken on a first-generation iPhone priced around $30? Probably.
Undoubtedly, the space travel heritage plays a role in this smartwatch's high esteem. But there's also the fact that it's an unopened item originally purchased for $50 in a store closing sale.
Could this be a sign of things to come? As we fall deeper into the metaverse , will technological relics of the past increase in value? Impossible to say. For now, let's take this for what it is: a Seiko/Apple Macintosh crossover device. Whatever it ends up selling for, that's already pretty cool.
For more information, visitComic Connect , where the auction is now live and available.
And if you want an equally fascinating piece of history, but at a better price and available now at LOFT, check out this Seiko UC-3000 Memo-Diary NOS (New Old Stock), "Computer Watch" from 1984, one of the first portable electronic products capable of storing user data and carrying it around.
Source: Hodinkee &Comic Connect Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on linkedin Share on WhatsApp Share on email
