Engineering time: inventing the quartz wristwatch

Abstract

Clocks and watches stand at an important crossroads where science, technology and society intersect. Changes in timekeeping technology, beginning with the invention of the mechanical clock around AD 1300, have influenced the character of scientific observation, aided the development of other machine technologies and brought significant revisions to the way people think about and behave in time. One of the most recent episodes in this long history is the invention of the electronic wristwatch. What follows is a brief summary of a larger work in progress. This preview introduces the engineers who completely reinvented the wristwatch with all new electronic components thirty years ago, considers the contexts in which they worked, and analyzes consumer reception, especially the lively public debate over the comparative benefits of digital versus analog watch displays.