How did you feel about electric and quartz watches when they first began to appear and throughout the 70's and 80's? Did you embrace the technology? Did you think it was the way of the future? Did you find them cool and elevating? Did you wear them with pride?
I had a Texas Instruments LED watch with the pushbutton to show the time display. When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child so it was the coolest thing ever to adorn the wrist of a 9 year old.... ..... but when I became a man, I put away childish things.
I thought they were cool. My older brother bought a Seiko LCD about the time he went away to University, we all thought it was astounding. Even if my parents thought $200 was a bit much for an electric Japanese watch. Within a few years you could get a Casio for less money than it cost to service Dad's old Omega and the damn things were dead accurate, what wasn't there to love? I didn't get a Quartz till I was in my 40s but I keep one or two around for working watches, stuff to wear when the watch is at risk, and as a base timer for setting my mechanicals, because lets face it, they're better time keepers. My last Seiko quartz ran 10+ years on a battery and varied a few seconds a year, no service in all that time....nothing, it even compensated for leap years, you only had to adjust it for daylight savings. I love mechanical watches but if we're honest, quartz is the better timekeeper. And the watch on the console in the Apollo command module.... an Accutron...... electric weren't they?
I have a number of Electrics from the late 50's and I love them for special occasions (be-suited). They're accurate enough for the day that I wear them and they always make me feel good with that whole 50's style thing that they have going on. I had some quartz divers (Citizen) that were so rock solid and dependable (necessary as I was crazy about diving in the early 80's) and you really did wonder what all the fuss was about, after all a watch only has to tell the correct time. but I appreciate craftsmanship more fully now I'm starting to creak in the morning so I also have a box or 3 of 20's and 30's Hamiltons that get rolled out regularly when I want to wear something inconspicuous with work attire but with that "insiders" feel about it.
This is what a lot of people who were not around then don't really get. Before quartz, the accuracy of the movement was closely tied to what you paid for the watch (precious metals not taken into account). To get accuracy, you had to pay for it. When quartz became affordable to the masses, accuracy was no longer what drove the pricing to a large extent like it had previously. I can buy a quartz movement that will out perform almost all mechanicals for about $5. It was seen as new and better technology, so a step forward, and it was in terms of the primary purpose of a watch - to tell the time accurately. Watches are now primarily jewelry. It's frowned upon now by many collectors, but it really was a huge step forward in timekeeping and lower maintenance costs. Also in the 80's, thin was in, so quartz fit that trend perfectly.
I collected LED watches for many years. The HP 01 was a monster. The instruction manual was definitely for heavy math. I now have only a Pulsar Big Watch and a Ventura my wife gave me. An odd but fascinating part of the genus watchus.
Quartz are nifty pieces and the one which I love is the 2.4 megahertz stardust piece. Although I love quartz watches the vintage pieces where batteries may have been left in too long or even damaging the circuitry with no future replacement parts made makes it a bit worrisome for future collectability. Just my own thoughts.
I fondly remember a little Casio piece for no other reason than that one of several tunes it stored was great for helping my youngest daughter nod off to sleep. I really wish I still had it, don't recall if it failed or I just threw it away and moved on to something else. The disposable age.
More or less my early teen years - and at the time, my father owned a jewelry store and this was my place of duty every day after school and on weekends (I had no other choice) - I remember the time he brought the first Bulova Accutron to his watch inventory - think this was 1975? Those never appealed to me but he sold them like hot cakes! A Seiko like the one pictured here, was one of the many watches he gave me.. he received only one of these from his wholesale distributor and it later landed on my wrist as a Christmas gift. It was a cool watch that caught the attention of my friends. I lost it about a year later when one night after leaving a party, two young men whose combined body weight was less than 150 lbs approached me and asked for it --in a nice manner, while holding a 38 Smith & Wesson pointing at me... Edit: Holy quartz findings Batman! I can have one today! http://www.ebay.com/itm/Seiko-A0634...506403847?pt=Wristwatches&hash=item23467c4207Purchases made through these links may earn this site a commission from the eBay Partner Network or NOS? http://www.ebay.com/itm/Seiko-0634-...382868278?pt=Wristwatches&hash=item1e97077936Purchases made through these links may earn this site a commission from the eBay Partner Network
Who needed a watch i had Donkey Kong that had the time and a alarm. ( you know the orange with gold lid ) Still have it......
My first watch was one my parents bought for my Christmas from the back pages of, I think, the Daily Telegraph. I've no idea what make it was but I thought it was really cool at the time with all the options I do have a Quartz Speedmaster, Seamaster and a couple of Seiko divers but when you open one up its kind of disappointing to see the movement
I don't think it was due to failure. My understanding is they disconnected all non essential items to save energy. It did not fail, it was taken off line
Electronic (not quartz) watches can also have nice mechanical parts, for example the Lip R148 : Beautiful watches had this movement, notably the Nautic Ski (some pictures here, text in French : http://forumamontres.forumactif.com/t114662-la-vraie-histoire-de-la-lip-nautic-ski)
I grew up in the seventies and all my watches as a kid where quartz. could not afford an automatic and quartz was perceived as practical and superior to manual; not by collectors and experts, but yes to daily wearers. I loved those digital marbles with their calculators, their multiple alarms and chrono etc. I wish I kept them and still had a couple of them, and I have e feeling we will see more vintage digital watches on wrists to go along with the smart watch revolution. In therms of analog quartz watches my first one was a Tag H. Still have it. I have several other Quartz including a Gerald Genta Geffica that has an incredible movement behind that battery. But I admit I always salivate at my manuals and automatics, but special the manual. For me, not being an expert, it is just incredible that someone is able to design and balance coils, springs and levers in just the right way to keep time, date and other functions and complication, all powered by a little coil. second after second, minute hour days, years...through movement and shock and wars...I admit watch making and watchmakers, I admire the art behind the craft. I have a Waltham that is over 100 years old on my wrist right now. that is a lot of seconds...and it still keeps perfect time. Amazing,