For almost everyone, a watch is a necessity item. Irrespective of age and gender, it is a requirement for everyone. The main function that a watch performs is to tell the time, but it has been widely used as a luxury accessory.

Over time, there have been many advances in watch technology. Traditionally, watches have been in an analogue form. Analogue watches have a numbered dial, and an hour hand along with a hand for minutes, which tells time. In the 1970s, watches with a new kind of display were introduced known as digital watches. A digital watch shows the time simply as a number displayed on the screen, such as 06:30 pm. There is no hour or minute hand, and one does not have to be able to tell time, as you can just see it on the display.

Electricity is used for power in digital watches, but it works in the same way as a mechanical watch. This electricity for power is generated from a small cell that is placed in the watch. As the digital watch has an electronic time base, therefore it gives the accurate time.

The display screen uses two technologies, light emitting diodes (LED), or liquid crystal display (LCD). The counter of the digital watch has the same function, as the gearing mechanism of a mechanical watch, and that is to keep the track of the time. This counter displays numbers from zero to nine in a sequence to give the right time.

The Pulsar division of Hamilton Watch Company made the first digital watch in 1970. At that time, digital watches were quite expensive, and most people could not afford them. In 1975, digital watches were massively produced, and so came in the reach of the common people. At that time, most digital watches had a red coloured display, and made use of light emitting diodes (LED). In order to see the time, you had to press down a button.

During the era of 1980s, the digital watch industry went through many changes. Seiko was the most popular brand, and it made the first watch that had a television display screen. Then a famous Japanese brand, Casio, introduced a watch, which had the features of translating Japanese words into English, and it also had a thermometer in it.

The digital watches have gone through many changes over the time. The digital watches now come with built in memory, so that you can store information in them. Some of the digital watches have calculators in them for performing both arithmetic, and scientific functions. The technology is so advanced in the digital watches that in the 1990s, such watches were introduced that allowed to download, and to store data from external sources.

Even with all these features, a digital watch cannot be used as a luxury item. Therefore, many world class expensive watch brands have their lines, and range of luxury watches that are analogue. Apart form this factor, the digital watches have enough features, and easy readability that it is still liked, and used by many people.

John P Stevens is a online marketer. Check out wide range of Seiko Watch and avail huge discounts on sale of these watches at his recommended site at http://www.freedomwatches.com.