The accuracy is pretty cool but who can keep track of 10 seconds a year? Watches are more or less a fashion statement. I'm with Wilton. iPhone, computer, car. When I got a smartphone I got rid of my alarm clock on my nightstand.
On Wed, Sep 18, 2013 at 10:13 PM, Craig <diese...@pisquared.net> wrote: > On Wed, 18 Sep 2013 23:01:08 -0400 Gary Hurst <jabbahur...@gmail.com> > wrote: > > > dickarde says it is the precision cut of the crystal that makes extreme > > accuracy possible and few will go to the trouble to cut it absolutely > > perfect to get sub 10 seconds when 20 or 30 can be achieved so much more > > easily and, for all practical purposes, just as good. the only watches > > that could do it with any regularity would be something such as the > > rolex oysterquartz, which was cut with extreme care. > > > > bulova solved the problem differently. one problem of the quartz watch > > is the battery drain as it ticks. the steps are taken in whole seconds > > as otherwise you'd be going through batteries too frequently. you have > > more inherent accuracy if you take more steps per second, as a > > mechanical watch that takes 10 beats per second is inherently more > > accurate than one that takes 6. bulova has solved the problem and now > > takes multiple steps per second, whether 5 or 8 or whatever it is, > > making the 20 to 30 second quartz accurate to within 10 seconds a year. > > This is so confused, it's hard to correct each mis-statement. > > As Peter said, the heart of a quartz watch is the quartz crystal. You are > correct that this needs to be cut precisely to get good time control. > > The quartz crystal typically oscillates at 32,000 times per second. The > electrical output of the oscillator is digitally divided down to one > pulse per second. This drives a stepper motor that moves the second hand. > The minute and hour hands are geared off and moved by the second hand. > > You are correct that the second hand could be moved more times per second > for a smaller distance each time but that this would require more battery > power. Watches could also have higher frequency crystals that are more > accurate, but this would require more digital division, which would > require more power. > > > Craig > > _______________________________________ > http://www.okiebenz.com > > To search list archives http://www.okiebenz.com/archive/ > > To Unsubscribe or change delivery options go to: > http://mail.okiebenz.com/mailman/listinfo/mercedes_okiebenz.com > _______________________________________ http://www.okiebenz.com To search list archives http://www.okiebenz.com/archive/ To Unsubscribe or change delivery options go to: http://mail.okiebenz.com/mailman/listinfo/mercedes_okiebenz.com
