7. From Swiss to Seiko...
• The world's first analog quartz wristwatches were revealed in 1967: the
Beta 21 revealed by the Centre Electronique Horloger (CEH) in Neuchâtel
Switzerland,[7] and the prototype of the Astron revealed by Seiko in Japan
(which was in development since 1958).[8]
• In 1969, Seiko produced the world's first quartz wristwatch, the Astron.[8]
The inherent accuracy and low cost of production has resulted in the
proliferation of quartz clocks and watches since that time. By the 1980s
quartz technology had taken over applications such as kitchen timers,
alarm clocks, bank vault time locks, and time fuzes on munitions, from
earlier mechanical balance wheel movements.
• Quartz timepiece production has emerged from Asia, notably Hong Kong
and Japan. Many traditional European clockmakers, particularly in
Switzerland, Germany, France and Russia have continued to produce the
less-accurate but still-popular geared timepieces