Electrifying the Wristwatch

Lucien F. Trueb, Gunther Ramm, and Peter Wenzig all have extensive experience in science and technology, as well as a passion for timepieces. Trueb lives in Switzerland; Ramm and Wenzig live in Germany.

The electrification of the watch led to massive upheaval in the watch industry as mechanical chronometers built by Old World masters developed into electromechanical devices mass produced in Asia. In nearly 600 images and in-depth text, this book retraces the often circuitous paths that led from the electromagnetic pendulum clock to the modern quartz wristwatch. This well-researched volume focuses on the period between 1950 and 1985, but it also covers the long process of electrifying big clocks, which goes back to Alexander Bain's 1841 patent for an electrically operated magnetic pendulum clock. But the crowning achievement of this process was the further miniaturization of the timepiece into the modern quartz wristwatch. Follow the many different technical developments in Switzerland, France, Germany, Russia, Japan, South Korea, and the United States and see detailed images of components, schematics, and complete wristwatch movements from hundreds of makers, including Bulova, Hamilton, Omega, Rolex, and Seiko. This is an ideal book for horologists as well as those interested in the history of science and industry.