Upheavals caused by quartz watches 1970s

[spoilsofwar01]

I was chatting to a watch maker acquaintance and we touch upon buying and selling of vintage mechanical watches, it was interesting learn that pre 1970's watches are a better build condition as...... soon after the invention of the quartz clock, a quartz wristwatch followed. In 1967 the Centre Electornique Horlonger in Switzerland released the first quartz wristwatch prototype. Soon after, a Japanese company released the first commercial quartz wristwatch in 1969.

Economic upheavals caused by the advent of quartz watches in the 1970s and early 1980s, which largely replaced mechanical watches. It caused a decline of the Swiss watchmaking industry, which chose to remain focused on traditional mechanical watches. I also learnt that to remain economical and to compete with quartz watches there was a need to make mechanical watches in a manner that was of lesser quality than them that had came before...Id be interested to learn more of Rolex's involvement with quartz movements prior to googling it.

[GradyPhilpott]

Google is your friend.

Things got so bad for the Swiss watch industry that the Japanese were ready to buy up every failing company.

Nicolas Hayek was hired to broker that deal, but had a change of heart and instead started the Swatch company that was so successful that Hayek was able to form the Swatch Group and buy up all those failing companies.

Look up the Swatch Group to see all the companies that were ready to fold or were brought back to life.

https://www.google.com/search?q=quar...nt=firefox-b-1

https://www.google.com/search?client....0.hCbs4bxE7uE

https://www.google.com/search?client....0.KGTPptvlr4w

[bkdc]

Swatch saved the Swiss watch industry. And I mean those colorful watches from the 80's. Now that Swiss watches are jewelry pieces, they can better withstand the smartphone upheaval of today.

Seiko has to be credited with amazing horologic innovation. Successfully bringing the Spring Drive to market is a testament to Seiko's ability to innovate to this day. When I think of reliable Swiss pieces, I think of Rolex. When I think of quartz, I think of Seiko (not Rolex) because historically, Seiko is quartz, and it almost single handedly destroyed the Swiss watch market.

[pickettt]

Originally Posted by bkdc

Now that Swiss watches are jewelry pieces, they can better withstand the smartphone upheaval of today.

On that note, I am in awe of how many people don't wear wristwatches at all. I've got a cell phone too, but I cannot go without my wristwatch.

[MrTwi]

Originally Posted by pickettt

On that note, I am in awe of how many people don't wear wristwatches at all. I've got a cell phone too, but I cannot go without my wristwatch.

Why? Seriously, why?

Everywhere I look, there is a clock.

Go into any building, there is usually a clock on the wall.
Go into your car, there is a clock
Go into your house. Who doesn't have a clock in their house, if not on the DVR?

Walking outside? Look up. There is this thing called the Sun (do not look directly at it). Man lived for 100,000 years without clocks.

Look in your pocket, there is a clock.

The only place without a clock? A casino.

[pilotjim]

Originally Posted by MrTwi

Why? Seriously, why?

Everywhere I look, there is a clock.

Go into any building, there is usually a clock on the wall.
Go into your car, there is a clock
Go into your house. Who doesn't have a clock in their house, if not on the DVR?

Walking outside? Look up. There is this thing called the Sun (do not look directly at it). Man lived for 100,000 years without clocks.

Look in your pocket, there is a clock.

The only place without a clock? A casino.

Nonsense.

Beaches, parks, lakes, rivers, mountains, fishing, hiking, skiing, camping, playing ball, running, jogging, walking, working outdoors, playing outdoors.....


And on and on.....

If looking at the sun works for you, more power to you. The rest of us prefer some type of accurate time-keeping device.

[MrTwi]

Originally Posted by pickettt

On that note, I am in awe of how many people don't wear wristwatches at all. I've got a cell phone too, but I cannot go without my wristwatch.

Originally Posted by pilotjim

Nonsense.

Beaches, parks, ... The rest of us prefer some type of accurate time-keeping device.

You're joking right. Pickettt clearly said:

"I've got a cell phone, but I cannot go without my wristwatch"

That's TWO clocks. Not only does he have two but you said:

The rest of us prefer some type of accurate time-keeping device.

That would be the cell phone which is MORE accurate that your mechanical watch. Worse yet, now you have TWO clocks ...

And a Man with two clocks NEVER KNOWS WHAT TIME IT IS

Too funny. You must know these watches are jewelry. Every knows that. Accurate, thats funny compared to electronics. There's a reason why quartz watches almost killed the watch jewelry business and ACCURACY, and cheap, is much of it. Now its all electronics, and mechanical is a bygone era - jewelry. Just saying a bit of reality.

[pickettt]

Originally Posted by pilotjim

Nonsense.

Dude, I wasn't even going to entertain it.

[pilotjim]

Originally Posted by MrTwi

You're joking right. Pickettt clearly said:

"I've got a cell phone, but I cannot go without my wristwatch"

That's TWO clocks. Not only does he have two but you said:

The rest of us prefer some type of accurate time-keeping device.

That would be the cell phone which is MORE accurate that your mechanical watch. Worse yet, now you have TWO clocks ...

And a Man with two clocks NEVER KNOWS WHAT TIME IT IS

Too funny. You must know these watches are jewelry. Every knows that. Accurate, thats funny compared to electronics. There's a reason why quartz watches almost killed the watch jewelry business and ACCURACY, and cheap, is much of it. Now its all electronics, and mechanical is a bygone era - jewelry. Just saying a bit of reality.

"Accurate" was being compared to your silly suggestion of looking at the sun to find out what time it is, not to a cell phone.

And some of us with cell phones don't do the 'stare at my screen all day long' thing. If you think hauling out your phone to check the time is easier than glancing at your wrist, have at it bub.

[pilotjim]

Originally Posted by pickettt

Dude, I wasn't even going to entertain it.

You're a better man than I.

[MrTwi]

Originally Posted by pilotjim

If you think hauling out your phone to check the time is easier than glancing at your wrist, have at it bub.

Too funny. The "sport" Rolexes weigh MORE than an iPhone. They are like wearing a brick on your wrist. Its easier and lighter to lift up the phone.

They are jewelry. Meanwhile that iPhone is the most significant invention of the the 20th and 21st centuries.

But sure, carry both a smartphone AND watch. That makes sense. Its logical to carry two clocks every where.

if you wear it as jewelry, that makes sense. To see the time? Thats so 1950s.

[Abdullah71601]

Originally Posted by MrTwi

Too funny. The "sport" Rolexes weigh MORE than an iPhone. They are like wearing a brick on your wrist. Its easier and lighter to lift up the phone.

They are jewelry. Meanwhile that iPhone is the most significant invention of the the 20th and 21st centuries.

But sure, carry both a smartphone AND watch. That makes sense. Its logical to carry two clocks every where.

if you wear it as jewelry, that makes sense. To see the time? Thats so 1950s.

You’re funny dude.

I have an iPhone X. It is way more of a PITA to get it out than to look at my wrist. Not to mention, my employer doesn’t allow smart phones in many of the work spaces. If I want to measure time there, I have to have a time piece.

Keep your jewelry locked in your safe and wander around with your cell phone strapped to your wrist if it makes you happy. I’d rather have a watch on.

[MrTwi]

Originally Posted by Abdullah71601

Keep your jewelry locked in your safe and wander around with your cell phone strapped to your wrist if it makes you happy. I’d rather have a watch on.

You know they already do that. Its called a "apple watch", computer on the wrist.

No need for a hunk of metal jewelry

Apple watch can do so much more.

You must know all these heavy mechanical watches are jewelry. What percentage of the "sport" watches are used as intended by the watch maker?

What percentage of Daytonas are used by race car drivers for timing? Zero?

etc etc

[powerfunk]

Originally Posted by bkdc

historically, Seiko is quartz, and it almost single handedly destroyed the Swiss watch market.

Seiko was showing signs of curb-stomping the Swiss before they ever made a quartz watch. As Padi loves to tell, Seiko "mopped the floor" so badly with the Swiss watch companies at the Neuchatel Observatory Competitions that they stopped having the competitions. They started simply certifying chronometers instead.

Once quartz came around, the Swiss eventually went the upmarket/jewelry route, but when mechanical watches were still the best way to keep time on the wrist, off-the-shelf Grand Seikos kept better time than the finest competition-made watches the Swiss could come up with at Neuchatel. Seiko was straight-up better at manufacturing precision mechanical timepieces than the Swiss, before the quartz "crisis."

And the Swiss had just as much of a chance to make affordable quartz watches as Seiko did. Oysterquartz Day-Dates had a higher MSRP than regular Day-Dates when they came out; it took a lot of innovation and engineering to bring the price point down. Seiko did it best, just like they made the best mechanical watches at Neuchatel.

Seiko only almost "destroyed" the Swiss by straight-up outcompeting them. The only thing they couldn't do better? Design! To me it was never about whether it was quartz or mechanical; Seiko has the Swiss beat in the movement manufacturing process regardless. But Rolex, Patek etc. keep making beautiful, timeless iconic designs that Seiko just...doesn't. That's it.

[MrTwi]

Originally Posted by Abdullah71601

You’re funny dude.

BTW, to be serious for a moment, I do believe ALL watches today, are a quaint remembrance of the past. They are no longer needed for anyone and particularly, the large, clunky models, such as the submariner, no longer used for diving, or daytona, no longer used to time laps, are just jewelry.

There is nothing wrong with jewelry, but they are jewelry.

As someone who has worn a watch for more decades than I care to remember, I find that when I leave the house, more and more, I no longer reach for a watch, because its simply redundant,

Being redundant, it becomes a heavy, literally heavy, lead weight piece of jewelry.

Do a poll outside of a watch forum and you might be surprised how few actually wear watches anymore. They are no longer a functionally needed part of life as the time is ... literally ... all around us.

[Johny]

Originally Posted by MrTwi

Too funny. The "sport" Rolexes weigh MORE than an iPhone. They are like wearing a brick on your wrist. Its easier and lighter to lift up the phone.

They are jewelry. Meanwhile that iPhone is the most significant invention of the the 20th and 21st centuries.

But sure, carry both a smartphone AND watch. That makes sense. Its logical to carry two clocks every where.

if you wear it as jewelry, that makes sense. To see the time? Thats so 1950s.

Hi Is the iPhone really the most significant invention of the 20th and 21st centuries?

[pickettt]

Originally Posted by Johny

Hi Is the iPhone really the most significant invention of the 20th and 21st centuries?

I agree that the smartphone IS the most significant invention of the last 200 years. The significance being; it's the biggest menace to society we've seen in that time.

[MrTwi]

Originally Posted by Johny

Hi Is the iPhone really the most significant invention of the 20th and 21st centuries?

Yes. do some research. Some people will tell you things like:

Computers
radio
television
the internet
transistors
etc

But the smart phone puts all these things into a single, hand held device. Its a science fiction device and the disruptive technology in it is the app store, not the device itself.

If one goes back farther in time, one might say the printing press, discovery of vaccines and anesthesia, how to harness electricity, and good Old Einstein very important.

Of course you will never get total consensus, but you will be hard pressed to find any device as important to mankind.

[Johny]

Originally Posted by pickettt

I agree that the smartphone IS the most significant invention of the last 200 years. The significance being; it's the biggest menace to society we've seen in that time.

[Johny]

Originally Posted by MrTwi

Yes. do some research. Some people will tell you things like:

Computers
radio
television
the internet
transistors
etc

But the smart phone puts all these things into a single, hand held device. Its a science fiction device and the disruptive technology in it is the app store, not the device itself.

If one goes back farther in time, one might say the printing press, discovery of vaccines and anesthesia, how to harness electricity, and good Old Einstein very important.

Of course you will never get total consensus, but you will be hard pressed to find any device as important to mankind.

Ok so as you say no total consensus on that so it might not be. That is a relief, I thought that I might have to get one.

[Abdullah71601]

Originally Posted by MrTwi

BTW, to be serious for a moment, I do believe ALL watches today, are a quaint remembrance of the past. They are no longer needed for anyone and particularly, the large, clunky models, such as the submariner, no longer used for diving, or daytona, no longer used to time laps, are just jewelry.

There is nothing wrong with jewelry, but they are jewelry.

As someone who has worn a watch for more decades than I care to remember, I find that when I leave the house, more and more, I no longer reach for a watch, because its simply redundant,

Being redundant, it becomes a heavy, literally heavy, lead weight piece of jewelry.

Do a poll outside of a watch forum and you might be surprised how few actually wear watches anymore. They are no longer a functionally needed part of life as the time is ... literally ... all around us.

I have roached so many battery operated devices at work and play that I can’t remember them all. I leave the cell phone locked in the desk drawer or in the house quite a bit. A mechanical time keeper works best for me. YMMV

You need to get out more. In the middle east and south asia everyone wears a watch.

[spoilsofwar01]

I've always had a good fortune buying and selling Avia watches from the 50's and 60's, attached is a photo of a 70's Avia I purchased and sold on 4 years ago, at the time I noted the writing on the dial on but take a look at the lower part, I didn't think any more of it at the time other than....,So Avia farmed out the manufacture of the movements to a Japanese firm..... I was aware that they used Valjoux movements in the same way Rolex used them in there Tudor range. I also note they copied influences from other successful manufactures.....

[Old Expat Beast]

Originally Posted by powerfunk

Seiko was showing signs of curb-stomping the Swiss before they ever made a quartz watch. As Padi loves to tell, Seiko "mopped the floor" so badly with the Swiss watch companies at the Neuchatel Observatory Competitions that they stopped having the competitions. They started simply certifying chronometers instead.

Once quartz came around, the Swiss eventually went the upmarket/jewelry route, but when mechanical watches were still the best way to keep time on the wrist, off-the-shelf Grand Seikos kept better time than the finest competition-made watches the Swiss could come up with at Neuchatel. Seiko was straight-up better at manufacturing precision mechanical timepieces than the Swiss, before the quartz "crisis."

And the Swiss had just as much of a chance to make affordable quartz watches as Seiko did. Oysterquartz Day-Dates had a higher MSRP than regular Day-Dates when they came out; it took a lot of innovation and engineering to bring the price point down. Seiko did it best, just like they made the best mechanical watches at Neuchatel.

Seiko only almost "destroyed" the Swiss by straight-up outcompeting them. The only thing they couldn't do better? Design! To me it was never about whether it was quartz or mechanical; Seiko has the Swiss beat in the movement manufacturing process regardless. But Rolex, Patek etc. keep making beautiful, timeless iconic designs that Seiko just...doesn't. That's it.

Great post Rob

[MrTwi]

Originally Posted by Abdullah71601

In the middle east and south asia everyone wears a watch.

I alway worry about what someone is doing elsewhere in the world on the other side of the world before deciding what how I will tell time during the day. That's an excellent idea

let me consult them on which shirt to wear too.

[gliderpilot]

Try to use a phone while flying aerobatics, charge your Apple watch in -30C on a multi-day hike through the winter wilderness or time underwater exercises while supervising a group of scuba diving students - all with one device that you can glance on quickly while your hands might not necessarily be free.

You will quickly realize that there still is time/place for an old-fashioned mechanical watch ;-)

Although I do agree that wearing a $30k+ PM diver and worrying about scratches and discolouration in the swimming pool is a jewelry territory...

[surgcmdr]

When the apocalypse happens and no one has electricity my sub will keep time for awhile. Can't kill zombies right without synchronize watch for the perfect triangular fire

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-N910A using Tapatalk

[breitlings]

Originally Posted by MrTwi

You're joking right. Pickettt clearly said:

"I've got a cell phone, but I cannot go without my wristwatch"

That's TWO clocks. Not only does he have two but you said:

The rest of us prefer some type of accurate time-keeping device.

That would be the cell phone which is MORE accurate that your mechanical watch. Worse yet, now you have TWO clocks ...

And a Man with two clocks NEVER KNOWS WHAT TIME IT IS

Too funny. You must know these watches are jewelry. Every knows that. Accurate, thats funny compared to electronics. There's a reason why quartz watches almost killed the watch jewelry business and ACCURACY, and cheap, is much of it. Now its all electronics, and mechanical is a bygone era - jewelry. Just saying a bit of reality.

i think perhaps you are stating your opinion of a trivial matter a bit strongly. people come to boards to discuss. there is value in learning how others think. i would argue there is less value in “winning” arguments on the internet about things that wouldnt be considered as ontological reality, e.g. this “fact” would not have a platonic form.

[breitlings]

Originally Posted by Johny

Hi Is the iPhone really the most significant invention of the 20th and 21st centuries?