What is an Accutron?
The Accutron is an electrically driven movement developed in the early 1960’s by the Bulova corporation, and was a precursor to the quartz revolution of the late 60’s. Instead of having a mechanical balance wheel, the Accutron used a mechanically resonating system very much like a tuning fork to keep a constant vibration rate, and thus time regulation, for the rest of the mechanical movement. Accutrons have a distinctive audible hum when operating, and their second hand is driven at such a high frequency that it truly appears to move continuously, unlike a mechanical watch (which vibrates at 10 Hz or less) or a modern quartz watch. Accutrons were the first major advance using electronics in timekeeping technology over mechanical watches. Here is an Accutron homepage, which has a lot of good information about history and theory of operation. The Horologium contains great dissection of the Bulova Caliber 214 Accutron movement.
The Accutron is an electrically driven movement developed in the early 1960’s by the Bulova corporation, and was a precursor to the quartz revolution of the late 60’s. Instead of having a mechanical balance wheel, the Accutron used a mechanically resonating system very much like a tuning fork to keep a constant vibration rate, and thus time regulation, for the rest of the mechanical movement. Accutrons have a distinctive audible hum when operating, and their second hand is driven at such a high frequency that it truly appears to move continuously, unlike a mechanical watch (which vibrates at 10 Hz or less) or a modern quartz watch. Accutrons were the first major advance using electronics in timekeeping technology over mechanical watches.
