Nevertheless, the pursuit of accuracy and better precision was to proceed, albeit on a smaller scale. One of many main areas of analysis was, and continues to be, higher-frequency quartz oscillators. Citizen, lengthy earlier than the Caliber 0100, was a significant innovator on this respect. In 1975, it launched its Crystron Mega-Quartz watch, which had a frequency of four.1MHz – that is four.1 million oscillations per second. Extra exactly, the Mega-Quartz oscillated at four,194,304Hz, which is 1,048,576 instances quicker than a 4Hz stability in a mechanical watch – you begin to see why quartz had an unbeatable benefit. The Mega-Quartz was not totally a hit – preserving the crystal, lower to what’s generally known as an AT form (a form of lozenge) vibrating at such a excessive frequency was a significant drain on the battery, which solely lasted six months or so. However in these six months, you bought unprecedented precision – the watch was rated to an accuracy of three seconds per yr. Examine that to the ±15 seconds per 30 days typical of much less exact quartz watches, and also you begin to see why the Mega-Quartz was a really, very massive deal certainly.
