| During the early years, wind up watches are made up | | | | generate electricity when mechanical stress is put |
| of various components including a spring to give the | | | | upon it.The latest quartz crystals are designed into an |
| power, gears connecting to hands on dial and | | | | electronic circuit called crystal oscillator. It creates the |
| coordinating the movement of the speed, oscillating | | | | electrical signal with a very precise frequency by the |
| weight.It is important to note that once the mainspring is | | | | use of mechanical resonance of a vibrating crystal of |
| fully wound, any more actions to wind up the spring will | | | | piezoelectric material. This frequency is used to keep |
| cause damage to the wheels.Then the Bulova | | | | track of the time. That is why quartz watches are |
| company used a transistor oscillator in replaced of the | | | | more accurate than wind up watches and they have |
| balance wheel. The watch will hummed instead of the | | | | fewer working parts than the wind up watches. Fewer |
| old ticking sound. A battery is used in place of the wind | | | | working parts will usually reduce the breakdown.And |
| up main spring.Soon, quartz crystal make up of silicon | | | | how do you differentiate quartz watches from wind |
| dioxide are used in place of the tuning fork. Quartz | | | | up watches? It is easy, a quartz watch second hand |
| crystals have been used for many years in radio | | | | will jump one second at a time whereas wind up |
| transmitters, computers because of their accuracy. | | | | watch will sweep around the dial. The wind up watch |
| The only problem is the correct selection of a suitable | | | | usually produce ticking sounds while quartz watch is |
| type of crystal. Both the type and frequency of the | | | | usually very quiet but some quartz watch can produce |
| crystal must be carefully selected.Quartz is so named | | | | ticking sounds depending on the structure of the watch |
| because it came from the German Quarz. It is an | | | | itself.Brian Po Kenny is a webmaster of and his hobby |
| amazing type of piezoelectric crystal that will create | | | | includes collecting antique watches and clocks. |
| electricity through a process called piezoelectricity. It will | | | | |