The World of Quartz Watches

The World of Quartz Watches

In the world of watches, a wide variety of timepieces is available, encompassing different brands, models, colours, movements, and more. Suddenly, a new method of producing watches emerged – Quartz watches.

Casio digital watch. Credit: Ditur.dk 

Quartz Watches:

Quartz watches are the most prevalent wristwatches in the market. They operate electronically, powered by a battery. Specifically, quartz watches are regulated by piezoelectric vibrations in a small quartz crystal housed within the watch – hence the name "quartz."

Grand Seiko Caliber 9F 25th Anniversery. Credit: Time+tidewatches. 

The Quartz Beginning:

The first quartz watches appeared in the early 1960s, offering digital and analogue displays. The introduction of quartz watches brought about a change in pricing, making wristwatches more accessible to the general public. One notable characteristic of quartz watches is their affordability compared to mechanical watches. Despite their lower cost, quartz watches are more precise in timekeeping. It is worth noting that this precision can sometimes be a disadvantage, as one may not be aware of when the watch will stop, leading to inconvenient situations.

Mechanical movement and Quartz movement. Credit: Heddels

The Quartz Crisis:

But what is the Quartz Crisis? The Quartz Crisis resulted from a miscalculation. Between 1970 and 1983, the number of Swiss watch companies decreased from 1,600 to 600, and employment plummeted from 90,000 to a mere 28,000 jobs. Numerous smaller workshops and family-run businesses had to declare bankruptcy. Conversely, Japanese and American companies embraced the quartz trend and managed to gain significant market shares. The United States, being technologically ahead of Japan due to microelectronic research funded for space exploration, saw companies like Texas Instruments and Fairchild Semiconductor successfully mass-produce affordable watches, leading to a boom in the watch industry in the U.S. Japanese computer manufacturer Casio began producing quartz watches in 1974 and swiftly became one of the most successful Japanese brands. Orient also specialised in increasingly flat watches.

Seiko Quartz Astrom. Credit: Montredo

Influence on Automatic/Manual Watch Prices:

As mentioned earlier, the industry was significantly impacted as quartz watches could be produced more affordably, and with the high demand, owning a quartz watch became a status symbol. As a result, mechanical watches became less appealing. Major players in the market, such as Rolex, introduced models like the OysterQuartz to stay in tune with the trend. Today, there is a vast variety of models, making it challenging to find a specific distribution. However, it is assessed that the preference leans towards quartz watches, given the availability of many affordable and accessible quartz watches in the market.

Rolex OysterQuartz. Credit:SwissWatchExpo