Before quartz was ordinary
By the 1960s, precise timing instruments could fill a cabinet. Scaling quartz timekeeping down to wristwatch size required miniaturized electronic components, a practical oscillator, low power consumption and a stepping motor small enough to move conventional hands.
December 25, 1969
Seiko introduced the Quartz Astron 35SQ commercially. Manufacturer and museum histories identify it as the first commercially marketed quartz wristwatch. Its performance, about five seconds of error per month, exceeded the precision many owners had ever expected.
The long afterlife
Quartz precision eventually became inexpensive and ubiquitous. Yet this didn't end mechanical watchmaking: it changed its purpose. A mechanical watch could now be appreciated for construction, craft, history and personal connection, not simply keeping better time than other tools.