The Persistence of Vision (POV) Watch takes advantage of the theory of persistence of vision, in which the perceptual processes of the brain or the retina of the human eye retains an image for a brief moment, to create a unique wristwatch that displays the current or elapsed time while the arm is swinging (such as during a run or brisk walk). A sequence of LED patterns from the watch are displayed in quick succession and interpreted by the viewer as a single, static image appearing in "thin air."

A Microchip PIC16LF627A handles the image display functions and interfaces with a mercury switch to detect the current direction of motion, which allows the image to be displayed twice per cycle (arm moving out and arm moving back).