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    Re: Mechanical vs. Quartz
    From: Greg Rudzinski
    Date: 2012 Apr 22, 11:56 -0700

    You are quite right Gary. The author forgot his K ;-)

    Smithsonian.org:

    Quartz Crystal

    "The properties of quartz crystals have been known for over a century.

    Quartz is a piezoelectric material, meaning that it generates an electrical charge when mechanical pressure is applied. These crystals also vibrate when a voltage from an outside source, such as a battery, is applied. Piezoelectricity was discovered by Pierre Curie and his brother Jacques in 1880. In the early 1920s W.G. Cady recognized that, due to their elastic qualities, mechanical strength and durability, quartz crystals could be used to fabricate very stable resonators. Cady also concluded that the crystal could be cut in specific ways that would create resonators of almost any frequency that were practically independent of temperature variations. Quartz crystals were first used as a time standard by Warren Marrison, who invented the first quartz clock in 1927. Juergen Staudte invented a method for mass-producing quartz crystals for watches in the early 1970s.
    The frequency of the quartz oscillator is determined by the cut and shape of the quartz crystal.

    The quartz crystals inside watches today come in various shapes and frequencies. The most common crystals are miniature encapsulated tuning forks which vibrate 32,768 times per second. Other types of crystals vibrate at more than 50 million times per second.
    The oscillations of the balance wheel provide the time standard in mechanical timepieces.

    In contrast, in the history of mechanical watches, the balance wheel oscillated first at 2.5, then at 3, and finally at 5 cycles per second."

    Greg Rudzinski

    [NavList] Re: Mechanical vs. Quartz
    From: Gary LaPook
    Date: 22 Apr 2012 11:26
    I think it should say 33 thousand times per second.

    gl

    --- On Sun, 4/22/12, Greg Rudzinski <gregrudzinski---com> wrote:

    From: Greg Rudzinski <gregrudzinski---com>
    Subject: [NavList] Mechanical vs. Quartz
    To: NavList---org
    Date: Sunday, April 22, 2012, 9:14 AM

    I like both mechanical and quartz using the quartz as the master time keeper and the mechanical as a hack watch. For CN timing I use a digital watch that is hacked (synchronized) to a master quartz time piece or to short wave radio time ticks. Using a quartz analog for comparing is more convenient than short wave time ticks. The quartz movement if of high quality will only need once a month checking with the short wave.

    Timecafe.com posted the following on Mechanical vs. Quartz movements:

    "Mechanical watches are of two types: manual and self-winding. In a manual watch, the wearer must turn the crown (button on the outside of the watch's case) to wind the mechanism. In a self-winding or automatic watch, the movement is activated by a rotor, which turns by the force of gravity with the regular movements of the wearer's wrist.

    In Quartz watches, a specially designed battery activates a Quartz crystal inside the movement that vibrates approximately 33 times per second. These vibrations are then translated into impulses by a computer chip that drives an electronic motor, which moves the watch's hands. The first electronic watch movement was tested and designed by the Swiss research group in the late 1960s.

    A quartz watch is cheaper and more accurate than a mechanical watch. A good mechanical watch can typically be made no more accurate than 2-3 seconds per day. Your typical inexpensive quartz is usually good to 0.5 seconds per day or better. But when you talk of mechanical watches, craftsmanship, aesthetic and tradition are the key attractions, rather than just accuracy! Because the wheel train of an analog quartz watch is not under constant stress from a wound mainspring, it does not need to be as finely finished, nor does it require painstaking skill and precision in assembly.

    In respect to durability, a quartz watch is much better on shock resistance over the mechanical, but it is certainly not invulnerable. Low mass of the vital components helps protect them from shocks. The balance wheel's cap jewels, the balance staff, the rotor bearing (in an automatic) and various other parts of the escapement, especially cap jewels are the vulnerable parts in a mechanical watch. Moreover, a quartz watch has few moving parts, which implies, lesser friction and lesser wear and tear. Mechanical watches need to be maintained in good condition.

    In terms of reliability, the mechanical watch has a history attached to its name and make. Though, this can be true of a quartz, the battery is a slip. Battery life is not predictable. A mechanical watch can withstand extreme temperatures, unlike a quartz watch.

    Replacement parts for mechanical watches are available; you just need to make sure that they are original. But when it comes to age-old quartz watches, the batteries would have become obsolete, which means, that old quartz watches are just matter of memories.

    Apparently, mechanical watches can last longer, provided they are taken care of and serviced well. Also, if in good condition, a mechanical watch has a lot of resale value, it is an asset. A quartz watch on the other hand features electronic circuitry that has a limited lifespan."
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