At the time of its release, the Accutron was seen as the epitome of 20th-century watchmaking technology, and everyone wanted one.Īside from the improved accuracy, the tuning fork movement’s most obvious visible benefit was the second hand’s lovely smooth sweep. It’s no surprise that Bulova’s Accutron models are still making people talk. It boasted an accuracy of +/- 2 seconds per day. It was a sensation, and truly one of the first signals that the world was entering “the space age”. The result was the 1960 release of the first Bulova Accutron. While watchmakers had been tinkering with the use of tuning forks in place of a balance wheel for decades, it was Hetzel who finally made a highly accurate tuning fork watch a reality for Bulova.īetween 19, Hetzel led a team at Bulova that worked on creating a tuning fork-regulated watch that would be even more accurate than any movement before it. He began working in 1950, not for Omega, but for Bulova, in their Biel facility. The story of these quirky, yet brilliant, watches truly begins and ends with one name: Max Hetzel, a Swiss engineer and inventor. Quartz was seen as the way of the future, and mechanical watches were viewed by many as old hat. When Omega’s F300 models became available in 1970, they were riding the electronic wave in a haze of techno-buzz. Max Hetzel and the origins of the tuning fork movement Max Hetzel explaining the inner workings of the Accutron movement. Affectionately dubbed “hummers” because of the constant hum that emanates from their tuning forks, these watches are an absolute treasure of the vintage watch market. That pioneering spirit led the brand to launch its oft-forgotten F300 line in the early 1970s. From the first diver’s watch ever brought to market for public consumption in 1932 to the brand new Spirate system released last year, innovation is part of Omega’s creative DNA. Aside from the engineering coup that was George Daniels’ co-axial escapement, Omega is responsible for pushing the watch industry forward throughout the decades. Omega has always been on the cutting edge of horological technology. ![]() ![]() I/trending 7386 The Omega F300 is a high-tech, underappreciated vintage beauty Adam Reeder
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