With the appearance of Seiko Kuatsu astron 35SQ in 1969, the mainstream of watches will change from mechanical to quartz.Why did quartz become the mainstream of watches?and how could the mechanical clock be restored from there?Mr. Hakuran, who is a magazine reader and also known as a large watch collector, explains Seiko as an example.
奥山栄一、三田村優、吉江正倫：写真Photographs Eiichi Okuyama,Yu Mitamura, Masanori Yoshie白苺：文Text by ShiroichigoMass production of quartz watch that has a fruits in high -precision.
セイコー「セイコー クオーツ アストロン 35SQ」1969年12月25日に発売された世界初の量産型クォーツウォッチ。搭載するCal.35SQは、後の標準となった集積回路（CMOS IC）を用いず、セラミック基板上にトランジスタ76個、コンデンサ29個などを固定したハイブリッドICを搭載した。なお、この年の大卒初任給が3万4100円であることを考慮すれば、販売当時の価格45万円がいかに高価だったかが伝わってくる8192Hz（後に1万6384Hz）。8石。18KYG（直径35mm）。Seiko is one of the world's first manufacturers that developed Quartz Movement.When Quartz appeared, various manufacturers worked on development, but β21, for example, created by European competitors, was a prototype, so to speak, as shown by the sweeping needle.。Seiko's astron, on the other hand, was built on the premise of marketing from the beginning, and has been steadily developing since then.In other words, modern quartz can be said to be almost all the descendants of Seiko's quartz.
Prior to astron, Seiko has many mechanical chronometer and high -precision "V.F.a.Was created.As a result of further high -precision, it was a natural flow to participate in the Swiss Observatory Chronometer Competition in a quartz movement and consider mass production.
諏訪精工舎がヌーシャテル天文台コンクール用に開発したクォーツムーブメント。1967年のコンクールではこのムーブメントのほか、スイスCEHの「ベータ1」が水晶式腕時計部門で出展している。Turning to Quartz also affected Seiko's product.Seiko has a balance between accuracy and reliability rather than pursuing accuracy from the 61 -series and 45 series caliber, which is a masterpiece of 10 vibrations (36,000 vibrations / hour) pursuing accuracy, the mainstay of the mechanical movement.It was shifted to a 56 series caliber of 8 vibration (28800 vibration / hour).
At the same time, Longine's Ultra Clon and others were also changed from 10 to 8 vibrations, which had a durability problem.This is also the same for Seiko, and there was a problem that the main semate of the main Mai would be cut in the 45 series.Instead of high -precision reliability, Seiko develops a more secure quartz movement, instead of high -vibration mechanical movements, and uses twin quartz and triple quartz.It was deepened into a machine.
I want to get a little time here.After the defeat of World War II, the Japanese economy succeeded in shifting from light industries to heavy industries after the special demand in the 1950s.In addition, with the development of production technology, it has reached a period of high economic growth since 1955.The improvement of the quality of industrial products and the improvement of customer purchasing ability have been focused on luxury products.So, in 60 years, Seiko's luxury line "Grand Seiko" appeared.
At that time, there was also an infamous expensive item tax, and there were many resistance to Japanese people (imported goods).Except for the upper class, the Japanese came to contact imports without being prepared for imported goods after the 1980s plaza agreement and subsequent bubble economy (editor -in -laws: The abolition of the product tax was abolished in 1989).That is.As a result, Grand Seiko, which appeared as a domestic advanced line, was very welcomed by people.
セイコー「グランドセイコー」初代モデル精度に情熱を注いだセイコーのひとつの答えが、初代グランドセイコーだ。当時のスイスB.O.クロノメーター規格を凌駕する5姿勢の平均日差-3〜+12秒、最大日較差が7.0秒、復元差が±5.0秒以内という精度基準「グランドセイコー規格」が発表と同時に設けられた。当然、セイコーの高精度に対する探究心は、クォーツの開発・改良重視へとつながり、結果的にグランドセイコーはカタログから消えていくこととなる。なお、写真は市販されなかった「幻のモデル」と呼ばれるプラチナケース版。手巻き（Cal.3180）。25石。1万8000振動／時。パワーリザーブ約40時間。Ptケース（直径34.95mm、厚さ9.55mm）。非防水。The first Grand Seiko is not only the goodness of the case of the case, but also a good visibility and a good -looking bamboo needle (a type of dot fin hand, but a flat surface on the upper surface and a side of the side.It was a unique icon that was easy to understand, such as being tuned.In addition, the functions represented by the 10 -vibration models that appeared later — - especially in the accuracy of accuracy — - has been a long collection in conjunction with the Japanese nationality that pursues practicality of watches.be.
However, the appearance of quartz mentioned earlier was a major revolution in terms of accuracy.Again, it is natural that Seiko, who is passionate about high accuracy, strives to improve Quartz.As a result, the name of "Grand Seiko", which has been given so far, was replaced with "Grand Quartz" and "Superio Quartz" (both in 1975), and the "Grand Seiko" pet name is Seiko for a long time.It was decided to disappear from the front stage.
The appearance of quartz is called "Quartz Shock" or "Kronos Japanese Edition", as is the best way to call it "Quartz Evolution" as the editor -in -chief of Masamasa Hirota calls.I think that it was not just a "hit to Switzerland, the home of luxury watch production".
Initially, Swiss manufacturers hoped that the quartz movement would be a very high -precision clock, as a very high -precision clock.However, with the efforts of Japanese Seiko and other manufacturers, quartz, on the contrary, was produced at extremely low hundreds of millions and spread to the world.Directly hit by the spread of quartz, in Switzerland, we competed directly with the cheaper quartz movement than a manufacturer that manufactures a small amount of luxury watches in small quantities and manual.I guess it was a manufacturer that manufactures cheaper watches.
The clock made by such a manufacturer is an extreme example, "Pin Lever Watch", which uses a simple pin lever offers, and 15 stones for luxury items that use a movement mass -produced even if it is not so cheap.And 21 stones were a number of simple movements that were used in the bearing ruby to seven stones, or were not used at all.
The so -called three largest luxury manufacturers (editor -in -chiefs: Patek Philip, Vacheron Constantin, Audemi Pigment) have a strong impression that they have been making hand -handed crafts.However, even if it is a luxury manufacturer, many manufacturers that are connected to the present have actually considered mass production more than one -off since the beginning.Luxury watches in France and the United Kingdom, which had gained fame before Switzerland, often found one point of watches because of the fact that the clock for the court and aristocrats was found.On the other hand, in Switzerland, for example, one of the three major watchmakers, among them, the oldest Vacheron Constantan, the introduction of "Evoche" using tools and designs that are conscious of mass production, rather than large quantities, is high and high.He was actively mass -producing quality clocks.
Switzerland watches are technical exchange with American watch industries, which have succeeded in mass -producing high -precision clocks from the development of railway watches in the end of the 19th century, and from American watches in the United States during World War II.・ It has developed further through the transfer to Switzerland due to the shift in the industrial structure to aircraft.Therefore, the Swiss watch industry was more industrial than that craftsmanship image.Certainly from the 40's to the 1950s, Patek Philip "Karatrava" Ref in Switzerland.There is a masterpiece of the Cloud Class like 96.However, the central product of the Swiss watch industry was the countless and inexpensive watch.
Swiss watches with inexpensive mechanical movements have easily stopped breathing with the appearance of Japanese quartz watches.Cheap watches such as so -called pin lever watches had only enough accuracy, stability, and durability to see a rough time.On the other hand, quartz watches can be purchased for a few hundred yen (but initially more expensive) are more accurate than hundreds of thousands, hundreds of thousands of luxury mechanical clocks, let alone pin lever watches., As long as the battery was maintained, it didn't take much effort.
In addition, the thin and small movement of quartz can now be adhered to waterproof clocks in a thin and easy -to -use case.Why can a cheap mechanical watch that shifts time and quickly breaks down to quartz watches?In this way, Seiko reigned at the top of quartz on both cheap and ultra -high -precision ones.
