Pulsar Y739 calculator watch

Watch fans like to rave about Seiko’s calculator watches – the C359, C515, C439 and C153 – and I admit I have a soft spot for the C359.

But the Y739 is the best of the lot (unpopular opinion) even though it doesn’t carry the Seiko logo.

Instead it’s Seiko’s sub-brands that have their name on the Y739 – Alba and Pulsar.

There are a few colour variations – white keypad and crystal with stainless bracelet, black keypad and crystal with stainless bracelet, and this one – two-tone gold and stainless bracelet and gold crystal which I think is a cracking combination!

It dates from 1981 and features the time in 12-hour AM/PM format, daily alarm, backlight, and 8-digit calculator. No date function on this watch which is quite unusual — perhaps they couldn’t find room for a Date button!

The calculator has more features than most calculator watches of the era, and has pretty much the same feature set as the Seiko C153 which is a bigger, and squarer, watch. The Y739 has no side-buttons, making for a more elegant look and comfortable fit.

While the Seikos required a separate pen-shaped stylus to press the keys, the Y739 had the stylus built into the watch. The t-shaped stylus slots (and locks) into the bracelet clasp and can be easily removed as required. Too easily, unfortunately, since a lot of these watches offered for sale are missing them (mine included).

It shouldn’t be hard to fabricate or 3D-print a replacement so this will be the next challenge.

This watch, the Pulsar Y739, arrived in non-working condition from the USA – just as the ebay seller had described it.

In reality a simple clean, replacement batteries and AC reset, and it was back to 100% – a lucky thing too – all the Seiko watches have a rubber membrane under the keypad to press on the contacts and this is a part that degrades easily, particularly if it has been in a less-than-ideal environment, so many of these – even if running – are only good for display.

Happily, though, this one has a lot more years in it yet.