| the most popular personal jewelry items on the | | | | battery. |
| market today is the watch. Both men and women | | | | The quartz crystal was decided upon as the new |
| enjoy wearing watching for both style and function | | | | element. Radio transmitters, receivers, and early |
| purposes. Often people decide on a watch because | | | | computers had been using them for years. Even |
| of the look or the designer, but the technology | | | | when exposed to intense heat, quartz maintains its |
| behind your watch is what will keep you happy for | | | | crystalline properties, is unaffected by most solvents |
| years to come. | | | | and very accurate. By compressing a crystal it |
| The first wind up watches date back to the 14th | | | | produces an electronic charge. |
| century, and were carried in your pocket. The same | | | | A tuning fork shaped crystal is used in most modern |
| components are still used today in most watches. | | | | quartz watches. Thin sheets of quartz are plated like |
| The following parts are used in a wind up watch: | | | | an integrated circuit and chemically engraved to make |
| A spring provides power | | | | these crystals. To keep good indifferent time |
| An oscillator for the time base | | | | depends on the initial frequency accuracy, precision |
| A numbered dial | | | | of the angle of quartz cut with respect to the |
| Two hands | | | | crystalline axis. The accuracy is also affected by the |
| Gears to regulate the ticking rate for the hands on | | | | amount of contamination allowed to get through the |
| the dial | | | | encapsulation to and onto the surface of the crystal. |
| Seeking new technology for watches in the 1960s, | | | | The ring of the crystal comes from the oscillation |
| Bulova replaced the oscillating balance wheel with a | | | | created by the electronics inside the watch amplifying |
| transistor oscillator. Therefore, replacing a battery for | | | | internal noise. Converting this to digital circuits, by |
| the old wind up spring. Although this new technology | | | | pulsation, you have the digital watch process. Digital |
| used a tuning fork, a more accurate method of | | | | watches are becoming increasingly popular because |
| keeping time was still being sought. Less expensive | | | | of their accuracy and variety in designs. |
| and highly accurate new technologies were | | | | Today most of the quartz in watches has |
| introduced including: integrated circuits and LED | | | | one-second pulses, which are driving a small electric |
| technology. But these new technologies would require | | | | motor that connects to gears to move the hands on |
| a battery small enough to fit into a watch. | | | | the face. With the exception of the Rolex, who uses |
| Watchmakers were facing a new problem, finding a | | | | perpetual movement innovation, this is what gives |
| new timing element that would run on a small | | | | the movement in quartz watches today. |