A tristable liquid crystal display device comprises (a) first and second opposed substrates, at least one bearing an alignment coating and each bearing at least one electrode so as to define one or a plurality of pixels; (b) a tilted smectic or induced tilted smectic liquid crystal composition disposed between the substrates; and (c) a pair of orthogonally disposed polarizers, each having a polarization axis, one polarization axis being aligned with the zero field optical axis of a tilted smectic or induced tilted smectic mesophase of the liquid crystal composition; wherein the substrates are disposed so as to provide an alignment of the liquid crystal composition, the composition comprising at least one chiral liquid crystal compound that can be represented by the following formula:R--M--N--(P).sub.b --OCH.sub.2 C*HF--CH.sub.2 O(CH.sub.2).sub.a R.sub.f(I)where M, N, and P are independently selected from the group consisting of aromatic, heteroaromatic, alicyclic, heteroalicyclic, substituted aromatic, substituted heteroaromatic, substituted alicyclic, and substituted heteroalicyclic rings, the individual rings being fused or non-fused, and the rings being connected with each other by a covalent bond or an organic linking group; R is alkyl, alkenyl, alkoxy, or alkoxy alkylene; * designates a chiral center; a is an integer of 0 or 1; b is an integer of 0 or 1; and Rf is a perfluoroether group.