How Crystals Work in Watches

Timekeeping devices have been around for centuries. Watch makers constantly seek to increase the accuracy of their devices. The implementation of a quartz crystal component in watches was a step forward in this direction.

Function

• The basic principle behind watches is a device that oscillates at a fixed frequency. Early watches had pendulums or springs that would oscillate about once per second, or one hertz.

Quartz Crystals

• Quartz crystals were first used in watches in 1927. Quartz crystals are piezoelectric, which means that they produce an electrical signal when mechanical forces are applied to them. These crystals can be cut and shaped to hone this signal to a specific and accurate oscillation.

Benefits

• Quartz crystals used in watches usually oscillate at a rate of 32,000 hertz. In addition to their accuracy, they are also very cheap to produce, which is a factor in their ubiquity in watches.