What Simple Machines are Inside Watches?

Quartz watches are popular because they require minimal maintenance and provide years of service. Depending on the type of watch you have, it may be mechanical or quartz in its operation. However, the odds are it is probably quartz powered. Since the 1970s quartz powered oscillators have revolutionized the time-keeping industry. Here's how they work:

Battery Powered

These tiny time-keepers operate in the following manner.

• The tiny circuit is powered by the watch's battery.


• The circuit's impulse vibrates the quartz crystal causing it to oscillate 32,768 times per second.


• This oscillation is detected by the circuit and converted into an electric pulse, which is precisely one per second. These pulses drive the tiny electric motor, which turns the gears within the watch. All this makes the hands travel around the clock face every minute and keep time.

However, not all quartz watches are battery powered.

Kinetic Energy Powered

Some quartz watches use kinetic energy as their source of power. The tiny generator in the watch utilizes the movement of the wrist to spin the watch rotors and provide electric power for the watch.

Light Powered

Other quartz timepieces use photo cells and a capacitor to convert light to the required energy required to power the watch.

Regardless of the methods of electrical power, quartz watches are ideal. Unlike mechanical timepieces, which use a series of springs and gears to keep time. Quartz loses very little energy with each vibration, allowing it to remain at a steady pace while keeping extremely accurate time.