During its decades-long partnership with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), Bulova helped outfit numerous satellite missions with Accutron timekeeping technology, starting with the Vanguard 1 in 1958. government during the late-1960s Space Race with the Soviet Union. The Accutron has been the cornerstone of Bulova’s portfolio ever since.īulova also lent its expertise to the U.S. The first Accutron model, called Spaceview 214 and featuring its now-famous open dial showing off the high-tech movement, also deviated from traditional wristwatch design with its lack of setting stem and crown on the side of the watch these elements were instead placed on the back of the case. The Accutron was distinguished by its telltale humming instead of ticking, a sound generated by the vibrating tuning fork. The brainchild of Bulova engineer (and Basel native) Max Hetzel, this technology ensured an oscillation rate of 360 times per second - nearly 150 times faster than that of a mechanical, balance-wheel-driven timepiece - and guaranteed an accuracy to just one minute per month. Rolled out under worldwide scrutiny at the World’s Watchmaking Fair in Basel, Switzerland (now called Baselworld) in 1960, the watch incorporated a revolutionary new technology that utilized a 360-Herz tuning fork, powered by a one-transistor electronic oscillator, to drive the timekeeping functions rather than a traditional balance wheel. The Bulova Accutron was the world’s first fully electronic watch.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |