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When color screens appeared on the first televisions in the United States in the 1950s, they seemed almost magical! Images moved beyond black and white, gaining realism and emotional impact. This visual innovation gradually spread to many fields, including computers, mobile phones and watchmaking.
But don't assume watches with color screens are a recent invention. They grew out of technical experiments conducted surprisingly long ago, many of which are little known… This 100% free watch guide tells you everything you need to know about timepieces with color displays.
A color screen is a display capable of showing multiple colors at the same time, rather than merely alternating between light and dark. Unlike the monochrome screens found on digital watches, which display a single color (usually black on a gray or light background), a color screen can show images, icons or information areas distinguished by color. It does this using many tiny light-producing elements, often called “pixels,” which combine to create a wide range of colors.
Garmin watch with a color screen
On a watch, the color screen serves as the dial, and it does much more than look good. Above all, it organizes information so it's easier and more intuitive to read. Color can distinguish functions, establish a visual hierarchy or draw attention to a specific element, where a monochrome display calls for more linear reading. The time, additional features and menus can share a screen without getting in one another's way: a real plus!
Garmin watch using colors to organize different information
The screen technology also varies by model. Some watches use a standard or transflective LCD to save energy and remain easy to read in sunlight. Others feature an OLED or AMOLED screen for vivid colors and high contrast. Newer options such as MicroLED and Memory LCD combine durability, low power consumption and excellent readability.
That said, don't confuse a color screen with a merely tinted display… Older digital watches, particularly analog-digital watches, used colored backgrounds or lighting in different colors without offering a true color display. Strictly speaking, a color screen can display multiple colors independently and at the same time.
As we'll see, this is why color screens arrived relatively late in watchmaking. They required more advanced technology and a use that justified the richer visuals. But this type of display has plenty of advantages!
With displays reminiscent of today's smartphones, watches with color screens offer plenty of benefits:
As we noted in our guide to digital watches, watches with screens are nothing new. For decades, however, they consistently used monochrome displays.
Some models did have a faint yellow, green or brown tint to the background, but the information itself appeared in just one color. The digits were almost always red or black, making the LCD screens on digital watches sold in the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s strictly monochrome.
Even the most cutting-edge models of the day faced this technological limitation… In 1982, for example, Seiko made waves with a remarkable TV watch that could show a television program right on the wrist! For all its futuristic flair, it, too, had only a monochrome screen: color had yet to find its place in digital watches.
Seiko TV watch, 1982 (Source: Seiko Design Center)
It would take a few more years, along with major advances in miniaturization, for that to change. To understand this shift, it helps to look at the history of mobile phones. The arrival of watches with color screens was closely tied to advances in mobile phone displays, which strongly influenced the development of watch screens.
The first mobile phone in history arrived in 1983: the Motorola DynaTAC 8000X. Though “mobile” is a bit of a stretch! It was a bulky device weighing more than a kilogram, with no screen, and it allowed calls lasting no more than 25 minutes.
Motorola DynaTAC 8000X mobile phone, 1983 (Source: L'Eclaireur Fnac)
Over the years, mobile phones gradually became smaller and gained monochrome screens. One example is the iconic Nokia 3310, released in late 2000, whose simple, rugged display left its mark on a generation. A major shift came the following year, in 2001, when Sony Ericsson unveiled the T68i. It made history as the first mobile phone with a color screen, capable of displaying no fewer than 256 colors!
Sony Ericsson t68i mobile phone, 2001 (Source: Vintage Geek)
Around this time, several technological advances emerged, initially for use in mobile phones:
These technological advances soon had a ripple effect on watchmaking. Improvements in displays, miniaturization and power management opened up new possibilities for watchmakers. A wristwatch with a true color screen was finally within reach! Against this backdrop, in 2001, Casio made history by unveiling the first wristwatch with a color screen: the WQV-10D.
Casio WQV-10D watch, 2001 (Source: Watchuseek - @TimGodsil)
The screen on this model measured 20 mm on each side and had a relatively low resolution, but its ability to display 4,096 colors marked a milestone in watchmaking!
As if that weren't enough, this model also had a 25,377-pixel CMOS camera sensor for taking color photos. Once transferred to a computer, the images could be viewed in more than 16 million colors! That explains the “WristCamera” label in the upper-right corner of the screen.
Casio WQV-10D-2 advertisement, circa 2001 (Source: Facebook - @Casio Watches Hong Kong - Javy's)
The Casio WQV-10 was an upgraded version of a model released shortly before it: the Casio WQV-1. The earlier watch had a similar look and features, but only a black-and-white screen.
Casio wasn't the only company exploring this market in the early 2000s. Seiko and Citizen reportedly developed comparable models, but these were extremely limited releases intended exclusively for Japan. That's why the watches are often described as “JDM” (for “Japan Domestic Market”). They were more experimental than mass-market products, which helps explain why so little information about them is available.
In the fourth quarter of 2003, Samsung unveiled its “Watch Phone,” a watch with a color screen that could make calls. It featured a 94 × 64-pixel OLED screen capable of displaying 256 colors.
Samsung Watch Phone, 2003 (Source: ZDNET)
Ultimately, the project was canceled and never saw the light of day, depriving the public of what would have been the first watch phone with a color screen. But that wasn't the end of the story… A few years later, the Korean brand returned with a more advanced model that did go on sale.
If you've read our guide to smartwatches, you'll know that the first models of this kind with color screens began reaching a wider audience in 2009. That year, LG introduced its GD910, while Samsung offered its own take on the smartwatch with the S9110.
Samsung S9110 vs. LG GD910, 2009 (Source: Sammy Hub)
Unlike modern smartwatches, these early models didn't really offer access to apps. They were limited to basic functions, such as making calls or sending text messages.
At the time, color screens were mostly found on pioneering models like the Casio WQV-10, which were unlike anything else in watchmaking! Color screens would remain rare in watches for years to come.
Things have changed considerably. Today, smartwatches are the main users of this technology. Launched in mid-2015, the Apple Watch marked a turning point by bringing the modern concept of the smartwatch to a mainstream audience.
Apple Watch, 2015 (Source: Tom's Guide)
Before the Apple Watch, smartwatches were often seen as little more than gadgets. Today, many brands compete in this market, including Google, Garmin, Lotus and Festina. In recent years, luxury watchmakers have offered their own takes on the color-screen smartwatch, with notable models such as the Tag Heuer Connected, Hublot Big Bang e and Montblanc Summit.
Montblanc Summit 2 watch (Source: aBlogtoWatch)
It's also worth noting that smartwatches generally fall into two broad categories:
These two categories serve distinct markets. Apple, for example, mainly offers lifestyle-focused models, while Garmin develops watches primarily for athletes, with advanced features designed specifically for sports.
Color screens are not limited to smartwatches. Some alarm clocks and tabletop or desk clocks, such as weather stations, also have them today. Different colors help separate the various sections, making information easier to find on these often complex displays.
A color display works on a simple principle: it shows information using countless tiny dots called “pixels”. Each pixel can produce different colors, usually by combining three primary colors: red, green and blue. By varying the intensity of each component, the screen can reproduce a wide range of colors and form images, numbers or icons.
Screen pixels seen up close (Source: Medium)
Pixels work differently depending on the technology… In LCD screens, pixels do not produce light themselves. Instead, they act as filters, allowing varying amounts of light through from a backlight behind the screen. The combination of that light and the colored filters creates the colors visible on the screen. Some LCD screens, known as “transflective” screens, also use ambient light to improve outdoor readability while reducing power consumption.
Smartwatch with a color screen being used outdoors
OLED screens and AMOLED screens work differently! Each pixel emits its own light when activated. This produces high contrast, more vivid colors and deep blacks, since a pixel that is off emits no light. The technology is particularly well suited to modern graphical interfaces, though managing its power use can be more demanding.
Whatever the screen type, an internal electronic circuit controls the display. It interprets information from the watch (the time, data and menus) and determines which pixels light up, in what color and at what intensity. The screen thus becomes a visual interface, turning digital data into information that is readable and easy to understand at a glance on the wrist.
Now that you know the benefits, history and workings of watches with color screens, why not explore our other watch guides dedicated to watch displays?
From Citizen to Tissot, explore the history of analog-digital watches with this watch guide and learn what makes them unique and how they work!
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