You might not realize it, but not all watches work the same way. Although they all have the same goal of keeping the time, there are three different movements.
Depending on the style, the clock on your wrist could be manual, automatic, or quartz.
However, considering quartz is the most popular and common, it’s time to take a closer look at how they tick.
If you are interested in watches, take a moment to read this guide. Below we will examine everything there is to know about how quartz watches work.
Evolution of Watches
Watches date back to the mid-1800s. The clockmaker Patek Phillipe created the first know wristwatch.
Traditionally, watches were a series of gears, hands, an oscillator, and spring. This mechanical marvel worked by hand winding the device periodically to give it power.
This was the standard for many years. It wasn’t until the 1960s when major changes occur. The Bulova company experimented with the tuning fork and the battery. The battery was a major improvement, but the tuning fork still didn’t keep accurate time.
Watchmakers were still searching for a technology that worked with the circuitry of a battery to keep precise timing.
Cue the quartz crystal. This design would become the standard for watch movements.
But how could a crystal change the dynamic of watches forever?
Quartz Crystal
Quartz crystals have a curious property called the Piezoelectric effect. This phenomenon produces a voltage on the surface of a quartz crystal when it is compressed. Alternatively, if voltages are introduced to the crystal, it vibrates.
This vibration is very precise and constant. In fact, the movement is 32,768 vibrations per second every time.
The hand-wound oscillator technology is now old hat. The gears remain, but their movement is now regulated by the vibrations of the quartz crystal.
So, the process is as follows. The battery charges the crystal. The crystal vibrates 32,768 times per second. The circuits count those vibrations and process them at one-second intervals. Each second the gears click turning the hands.
The vibrations of the crystal are so accurate, there is no room for error. Furthermore, it takes such a small charge to oscillate the quartz that a small battery can keep your watch ticking precisely for years.
Quartz Watches
Quartz watch movement is so accurate that you can expect your time to be exact within 15 seconds a month.
The quartz watch is far superior to any mechanical watch. As such, their invention led to a steep decline in the swiss watch factories that favored the old ways.
Asian watch companies like Seiko and Casio had great success by adopting quartz early on. Electronic watches were easy to produce and popular by demand.
However, quartz watches originally had a prohibitive price point. In 1969, Seiko created the first commercially available quartz watch. They called it the Astron, and it had a price tag of $8,000.
Today process has been mastered. Now you can find quartz watches for a little as a few dollars.
Times Up
Quartz watches changed the industry of keeping time. A peculiar but common crystal was the key to accurate timepieces.
Take a look at your wristwatch. If it says quartz movement, you know you have an accurate reliable time.
If you found this article interesting, keep an eye on the blog for more.