How a quartz watch works

Eoin

Interesting video (found on TZ).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1pM6uD8nePo

Wibbs

Very cool E. I think it's so easy to forget the amazing tech and how that impacted our daily lives and that it can be found in a 5 quid Hello Kitty watch. Though just like mechanical watches, there are low end and high end in quartz, though unlike in the mechanical world the crappiest no jewel all plastic quartz movement will keep good time*. Though arguably quartz don't really need jewels, or very few anyway(and digitals none of course). They don't have the stresses that mechanicals are under. Girard Perregaux who set the standard for every quartz analogue since back in 71/72 used teflon bearings in their stepping motors(and gears made by Jeager LeCoultre and the early ones had diamond cut natural quartz tuning forks. None of yer muck there ). No oiling, no maintenance required ever and near zero friction. Would that others had copied them, but "more jewels = better" was too entrenched in the public mind(rightfully in the case of mechanicals). Movements like the one in Omega's Marine Chronometer of the mid 70's are still the near zenith of personal standalone timekeeping(though chew batteries). IIRC accuracy to six or twelve seconds per year was the aim. Even funky stuff like the ability to change the hour hand for timezone movement without stopping the watch. Early quartz also could be adjusted. A good thing as quartz "ages" and will run out of true, though modern manufacturing has reduced that and some like in Seiko's top end samples are pre aged in the lab. And that's before we get to LED, LCD's and all that.

Nowadays you can buy a watch updated by satellite atomic clock time, barometers and all sorts of funky stuff. And for remarkably little money with it. With all the choice we have today, quartz, mechanical, digital, analogue(both), we don't know we're born.





*though they can vary quite a bit. I've had mid range casios that were out a fair few seconds a week and inconsistent with it.

Eoin

As you know, I used to have the same Omega Mariner as you do Wibbs, and I always liked the proudly prominent "Quartz" badge that was emblazoned upon it.

CarltonBrowne

By following a couple of links I also chanced on this with James May - it's a sort of reasonable take on how to explain WISdom to those that don't or can't understand.

There's also a James May explanation of quartz but it's not as good as the one shown above.

Wibbs

Eoin wrote: »

As you know, I used to have the same Omega Mariner as you do Wibbs, and I always liked the proudly prominent "Quartz" badge that was emblazoned upon it.

As it happens E I'm wearing that very watch today.

Proof


James May has got some funky watches alright(his mates on Top Gear seem into watches too). I've seen him wearing the 1970's Omega quartz that has the ani/digi display.


It's not hard to miss, big old yoke. Pricey these days too. There was a time not that long ago that you could get one for 300 quid or so, but not today. 1000 at least and usually more. Same goes for most of the early quartz' from the big boys. Their prices have really climbed in the last few years.



EDIT I had one of those Omegas myself years ago. Sadly the digital display bit died and that's a problem with early quartz. You pretty much need a "spare" working movement to store and future proof yourself. That can get expensive with the rarer items.

art

Some good links there.

I read an article just the other day in this area too as it happens, probably too much information in a way, but I'll post the link for reference:

http://forums.watchuseek.com/f66/thermocompensation-methods-movements-42169.html