How Do Tuning Forks Work in Watches?
A tuning fork in a watch works with an electronic circuit that creates a servo system, which resonates to provide an electrical current to power the movement. It was revolutionary for its time for using battery power.
Other People Are Reading
-
Background
-
In 1960, Bulova Watch Company introduced the Accutron, the first mass-produced tuning fork watch, according to the Accutron Watch Page.
Replacing Conventional Parts
-
A tuning fork replaces the mechanical watch's conventional balance wheel by functioning as the balance, with a battery serving as the spring.
-
Servo System
-
The battery and tuning fork act as a servo system with the battery providing a sustained electrical circuit and the tuning fork, which features a tiny magnet and surrounded by a coil, providing resonance to amplify the circuit.
Transistor
-
The battery's power is carried through a transistor, then through the coil and a secondary coil attached to the transistor's plate.
Fluctuating Feedback
-
The coils provide a fluctuating electrical current, which attract and reverse the tuning fork magnets and causes a vibration to generate an electrical current, according to Electric Watches.
More Efficient
-
Watch tuning forks hum, or vibrate, up to 720 times a second compared to a balance wheel, which vibrates 2 1/2 times a second, and keep better time than mechanical watches.
-
References
- Photo Credit Image by Flickr.com, courtesy of Alexander Rushing
