How does a quartz watch work?

For several centuries, mankind has not imagined a life without a watch and is constantly improving these mechanisms. It was possible to achieve incredible accuracy of the stroke - +/- 5 seconds per day. Such sophisticated devices are very expensive, but in everyday life it is enough for the accuracy provided by the quartz watch, especially since they are available to absolutely everyone.

Today, the overwhelming majority of watch movements in the world are quartz. From time to time, looking at a moving arrow or flickering seconds on the scoreboard, you catch yourself thinking: "I wonder how they work?" And if you caught the eye of this article, let's stop for a second and find out, finally, what a quartz watch .

Briefly about the main

The main elements in the clock mechanism are a stepper motor and an electronic unit. Once a second, the unit sends an electrical signal to the engine , and it turns the arrows. The engine and the unit are powered by a microbattery, which is designed for several years. It is not necessary to start a quartz watch.

The electronic unit consists of a generator of electric oscillations and a divider, their transforming. In the generator there is a crystal of quartz, which is the source of periodic pulses. They are transmitted with great accuracy due to the piezoelectric effect of the crystal.

The peculiarity of the quartz generator is that the pulses generated by it have a very high frequency - 32768 oscillations per second. Therefore, the divider converts them into oscillations with a frequency of 1 hertz and transmits them to the winding of the stepper motor. When passing through the coil, the electric pulse excites in it a magnetic field, which causes the rotor to move for a half-turn. He, in turn, rotates the arrows. That's how the quartz watch works.

Their mechanism can be considered a mini-computer, because the programmed microcircuit can turn them into a multifunctional device that includes a stopwatch, a chronograph, an alarm clock, a compass, etc. Sometimes, instead of a dial, they use a digital display. In this case, the time information is displayed in the form of numbers, but the basis is still a quartz oscillator.

The design of the mechanism on the crystals is very simple. It is noteworthy that the quartz watch does not contain elements operating under a voltage state. That's why they are so durable. Their mechanism is constantly being improved. It's no wonder that quartz watches are becoming more and more popular.

We do not even think about the fact that the mechanisms based on the electronic quartz unit work in all known electronic devices that have the function of fixing time: computers, mobile phones, navigation systems, pulse meters, etc.

We can say that choosing a quartz watch, we pay tribute to the present, because they were created only a little more than 40 years ago. Supporters of these watch movements are no less than mechanical ones. The watches we wear on our arm characterize us just like our favorite books, a car or a suit.

It is believed that quartz models are chosen by dynamic people, who in their watches are important in their accuracy and unpretentiousness. In addition to wrist watches, watches are quartz wall, table, fireplace. Almost every home and office has these tireless keepers of our time. Diverse in design and functions, original and simple, they are always near us. They are needed and irreplaceable.