Evaluations of the 3502 model being sold on eBay

 

Recently there has been much discussion concerning the abundance of a Pulsar LED watch showing up on eBay, in particular the Model #3502 known as the "Sport". This was the last production model produced by Time Computer, Inc. and was a scaled down design model to commemorate the 18k Limited Edition P1 Pulsar introduced in May of 1970.

At my request, I have been sent a complete working 3502 watch and some sample parts from Mr. Barbaro who is the dealer for the watches we�ve been seeing on eBay. I am told the watch and samples I received are exactly as the ones he has been & is selling on eBay. I have done an unbiased evaluation of the sample watch and parts sent to me. I have compared his watch and parts to the four 3502 watches in my collection and my comments are as follows:

The Module:

Without any doubt, these are 100% original and nobody could reasonably challenge this!

The Crystal:

Again, it�s exact and I couldn�t find any differences at all, the material, color and bandwidth are nearly identical.

The Case & Caseback:

These are very professional and high quality manufactured cases and casebacks that were manufactured in a different run with respect to cases and backs made by The Star Watchcase Co.. Star was the main case maker for Time Computer, Inc. but not the only one. It should be noted here that the demand was so high for Pulsar watches back then that TC had to go to more than one supplier for most every part of the watch so several Pulsar models had variations in the case, caseback and bracelet.

After my evaluation, I must say that all aspects of the case and caseback meet or exceeds the specifications of the Star cases and backs. Techniques used to manufacture these newer cases and backs are advanced and therefore they are superior. A close-up of the case under the microscope reveals that the machined precision and detail is unparalleled to the stamped cases from Star. The newer casebacks also were machined, not stamped and there are no seams as in the Star casebacks. My close-up inspection of the caseback from my collection shows Star stamped the main part of the caseback and pressed & soldered the thread ring to the main caseback, this was a big surprise for me! As for the Stainless Steel, I am not qualified to say the grade is or isn�t the same but it certainly appears to be exact, the caseback appears to be the same grade of stainless too.

The Bracelet:

I was sent two versions, once again I compared them to the bracelets in my collection and found them to be the exact size, design, clasp, and finish. One version has a date stamp of 9-77 and made by Jacoby Bender, one of TC�s bracelet suppliers of other models. This JB version was identical to the bracelets marked "Japan" on all of my 3502 watches. Again, it was very common for more than one manufacture to supply parts to Time Computer, Inc.

The second version bracelet had no manufacture name or date but was identical to the others except the pins to remove the links. These were the pushpin type and need to be pressed out like some of the other Pulsar models like the P4 BigTime, solid link P3 Date-Command and solid link P4 Executive bracelets. I would like to note that the clasps on both samples were identical to clasps on the four watches in my collection.

The Logo and Lettering:

As for the Pulsar logo on the front of the case, this too is far superior to the Star cases due to it being machined, not stamped. The precision is impeccable compared to the inconsistencies of the stamped logo but I was surprised to find the newer cases did not have the paint-filled Logo like the earlier cases. It does have a nice Grey color from the machining process. I also inspected the lettering on the caseback, this was the only disappointment, some didn�t have the "Time Computer, Inc. USA" printed on them.

Summary:

As one of the leading authorities on these watches I would say that the 3502 Sport watches being sold on eBay are at the least as good as the 3502 watches in my collection. I found only a couple of cons (mentioned above) and several pros.

Please consider that I have no knowledge of when, where, or who manufactured the samples I evaluated but if I was looking for a Pulsar LED model 3502, "I would have no problem investing in one of these watches"!

Please feel free to contact me through my website if you have any questions or need more information.

Sincerely,

Dennis L. Klein

Webmaster @ www.oldpulsars.com

February 15, 2005