Quartz

A quartz movement uses an electronic oscillator regulated by a quartz crystal to keep time. The crystal oscillator creates a signal with very precise frequency, which is why this type of movement is far more accurate than a mechanical watch. And it is easier and cheaper to produce, the reason why watches with a quartz movement are mostly cheaper than mechanical watches.

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The first quartz clock was built in 1927 by Warren Marrison and J.W. Horton at Bell Telephone Laboratories. In the “who will be the first” race for a quartz wristwatch Seiko was first. In December 1969 they produced the world’s first commercial quartz wristwatch, the Astron. That was just before a union of 16 Swiss watchmakers introduced the Beta21 quartz movement that was used by Omega, Rolex and Patek Philippe in their watches.

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Watches with a quartz movement