On 2 Apr 2005 08:35:18 -0800, "John S." wrote:

"Those circular displays with the pointers are pretty anachronistic"

JS In what way are analog displays anachronistic. They are much
easier to tell at a glance whether the target location is in darkness
or light.
A twelve hour dial is easily read at a glance, a 24 hour, not so easy.
" and beset with problems such as lack of shock resistance"
JS Are you aware that for the past half century almost all mechanical
watches use shock absorbtion devices like Kif or Diashock. Modern
mechanical movements are surprisingly robust. If the last new watch
you tried was in the 1940's, then I could understand why you might make
such a statement.
How many G's will such a device withstand?