How Do Quartz Watches Work?

Quartz watches are possibly the most popular watch on the market today. Quartz watches can have either digital displays or analogue faces with moving hands. The cost of quartz watches vary widely depending on the materials used to manufacture the housing and band. Gold quartz watches can be pricey, while plastic digital quartz watches are quite inexpensive.

Analogue Quartz Watches

The parts contained inside the watch include a circuit connected to tiny gears. The gears are attached to a gear train that moves the hands. The gear train is similar to the concept of a vehicle's drive train. There is also a button cell battery, a minute quartz crystal and a tiny motor. This is how they work together.

• The watch's battery sends an electric current through the circuit and the quartz crystal.


• The current causes the crystal to oscillate or vibrate. When exposed to electrical current, the quartz used in watches will always vibrate 32,768 times per second. 


• The circuit counts the vibrations and sends an electric pulse to the motor after each 32,768th oscillation. 


• The pulse provides the power the motor needs to turn the gears and move the watch's hands.


• The gears are attached in such a way that each 60 movements of the second hand causes the gear attached to the minute hand to move. 


• As the minute hand moves, the gear attached to the hour hand also moves at a set increment. The result is that the hour hand points to the next hourly increment after the minute hand has moved 60 times.
  
  

Digital Quartz Watches

Light emitting diode watches, or LED watches, are a type of quartz watch that does not have moving parts. 

• As described above, the battery sends current to the quartz crystal causing it to oscillate.


• The watch's integrated circuit counts the oscillations to keep time.


• When the LED watch is activated by pushing the button on the side, current is sent to the semiconductor diodes.


• The semiconductor diodes conduct energy between the terminals that activate the numbers on the display.


• Each number has seven segments with its own individual diodes. The diodes are powered and the segments lit to give the current time.
  
  

Liquid crystal display watches, or LCD watches operate in a similar fashion. The difference is the technology use to create the display. LCD displays require less power and can be lit continually. This makes them more cost effective.