Renewed interest in mechanical movements alongside the development, in the 1980s-90s, of the first miniature batteries prompted manufacturers to develop quartz calibres capable of delivering in excess of two years’ autonomy. In 1988 engineers at Seiko released the Kinetic, followed by the Auto-Quartz from Switzerland’s ETA. Now perfectly mastered, Seiko used this technology to power a series of watches that combines the precision of quartz - 2-4 seconds/month - with the appeal of a mechanical calibre. As an aside, a similar electromechanical system with movement sensor powers F.P. Journe’s Elégante collection, which debuted in 2016 with a record-breaking autonomy of between 8 and 18 years.

But let’s not get ahead of ourselves. Quartz watches were all the rage in 1990 when Seiko released the first ever connected watch, the Seiko Receptor, which used telecom technology of the day to operate a paging function. At the same time, the Japanese firm was working on watches that would measure time with 1/100th of a second precision. In 1992 Calibre 7T59 became the first analogue (with hands) 1/100s quartz chronograph. Seiko followed this six years later with the first thermoelectric movement (powered by body heat) and the first electronic perpetual calendar (Premier Perpetual). When Seiko’s groundbreaking Spring Drive technology debuted in 1997, it was the culmination of an idea outlined twenty years early and patented in 1982. This hybrid calibre combines a mechanical barrel and geartrain with a rotating escapement. This escapement is electromagnetically regulated (like the electromagnetic retarder or induction brake on a truck) by an integrated circuit and a quartz crystal.

Since 2012 and the introduction of microscopic systems capable of connecting multiple electronic devices, cellphone manufacturers have been turning their attention to wristwatches that, as well as displaying the time, read and transfer data from a mobile phone. Some of these smartwatches are standalone, hence fully autonomous. They operate via an electronic system to relay information from a smartphone to apps such as a fitness tracker. These watches are powered by a conventional quartz calibre that incorporate various sensors and a Bluetooth connection. Others are unable to operate autonomously, making them effectively a wrist-borne extension of the user’s phone.