
It indicates the number of repetitive processes per second in a periodic signal in this case the advancement of the second hand by one position on the clock-face. Hertz is the common unit of measurement for frequencies.

This is achieved by generating a frequency of exactly one Hertz. And it worked: The new quartz watch ran much more precisely than the purely mechanical competition.īut what function is actually fulfilled by the quartz crystal? Put simply, the quartz crystal ensures that the watch “knows” how long a second lasts. By installing the quartz crystal and a corresponding energy source that makes the quartz oscillate, an electronic component was introduced for the first time. The Tuning Fork Crystal Sets New Precision Standardsīefore this breakthrough, all clocks worked purely mechanical. In 1928, the Americans proudly presented the world’s first quartz-controlled Clock. Initially, their research focused on stabilizing radio frequencies, but it soon became clear that quartz crystals are also useful for time measurement.

Bell Telephone Laboratories, the former research department of today’s telecommunications group AT&T, is one of the pioneers in this field. The answer to this question can be found in the history of quartz crystals. Its frequency is always exactly 32.768 kHz. The tuning fork crystal as it is used in watches is something like the “classic” among the quartz crystals.
