Quartz clocks existed well before the 1960s. Inventing a quartz
wristwatch was a task of miniaturization, requiring low-power,
low voltage integrated circuits, miniature quartz crystal
oscillators, small batteries, micromotors, and electronic
displays. All of these components had to be specifically
developed, requiring contributions from several diverse
disciplines. While the first quartz watches had analog dials,
the digital display became a new option for representing time.
The Battery: The battery replaced the mainspring as the energy
source in the quartz watch. Integrated Circuit: Integrated
circuits substituted for all or parts of the gear train, and
implemented new functions. Quartz Crystal: The quartz crystal in
an electronic watch, vibrating at 32,768Hz, provided a more
accurate oscillator for timekeeping than the balance wheel of
the mechanical watch.