# Timex Quartz/balance Essay



## watchnutz (Jan 18, 2008)

I was asked to write this for the folks on Knut's Timex forum and thought it might be of interest to a few folks here.

Sales catalogs from 1971- 1973 do not show any quartz models and in 1974 the more common quartz/ balance #43 started to be shown in the catalogs. There are magazine ads showing these rare #72 from 1971, 72, and 73. The examples I own are both from 1972 and one appears to either be a prototype or wear test watch.

Some technical data follows. Timex touted these as microprocessor controlled that broke a second into 49,152 parts. the actual beat of the watch was 21,600 beats per hour (or 6 beats/sec). That is the same beat as the later movement. It was also advertised as accurate to 15 sec per month. It used the common Timex A cell. These watches sold for $125 at that time which was a large sum for a Timex. By comparison the quartz/ balance #43 movement models that came later sold for $80.

Here is a photo of the two in my collection. The one on the left is the Proto/test one. Notice the slight case difference. The crown is more recessed on the one on the right and it does not have the ridge(as if for a rotating bezel) around the crystal. All of the ones in the ads have the case on the right with various dial colors.










Both have this interesting ring under the crystal that has the hour batons attached and they appear to float above the crystal when viewed in place.










Here is the movement itself. The one on the left is an exhibition back which is in place in the photo. Notice in both cases the back has a molded in ring that holds the battery in place. The one on the right also has an opening hatch for battery changing. The watches have a different chip and board at the 9 oclock position in the photo which further makes me believe it is a proto ot wear test model. The small round object with a screw that is alongside the battery is a trimmer pot for regulation.










In summary if you have one of these in your collection be aware that they are rather uncommon and were only available for a short period of time, while many examples of the quartz/ balance models from 1974 on are readily found.

I hope some of my RLT friends will find this of interest.


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## feenix (May 27, 2008)

Thanks for taking the time to post, very informative.

John


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## Chascomm (Sep 9, 2005)

Impressive! 1972 is very early for quartz. Even Seiko seems to have backed off for a while after their first run of the Astron.

The 49152 Hz occillator would be the same as the one used in the later Timex balance/quartz watches. It's a strange frequency to use, but it's divisible by 3, so it works with the mechanical hardware. Just out of interest, do you know what frequency Timex used in their early LED digitals?


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## Silver Hawk (Dec 2, 2003)

Thanks Bill! Very interesting! :thumbsup:

You had better look after that display back with the depression for the battery...you'd never be able to replace that.

I wonder how often these early ones turn up on eBay? To be honest, as soon as I see "Timex Quartz" on the dial, I turn off because I already have 4-5 of the common later ones. Maybe I've missed out...and now need to pay more attention.

Any views on why the early one were not listed in the Timex catalogues and yet clearly were being advertised in magazines and being sold? :huh:


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## watchnutz (Jan 18, 2008)

Since writing this I found that the movement was intoduced in April of 1972 so it really was not sold for long at all. I suspect the selling price,even though it was half what others were selling at, was to high for Timex. Also it is a large watch for it's time at 40mm x45mm and 10mm high. Not big today but it was then. It may not have been in the catalogs because of the price and they must have been working on a smaller movement already to have been ready to market the new one in 1974. The new one sold for $80 versus this one for $125. BIG difference.

Paul I suspect many of us have seen these and thought just another Timex quartz and passed on them. I had the second one amongst my many Timexes and didn't realize it was different until I got the exhibition one. When I was able to see that massive oscillator, I realized the difference, found the one I had, opened the case and discovered the same movement. Thats what got me looking into more on this movement. So far none of my Timex friends have come up with another but Jay has maintenance bulletins for it on his site.

Here is the 1974, and later, version that also had a 49,152 hz oscillator.


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## carlgulliver (Apr 6, 2008)

Cheers, learned something new there


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## NikonF7 (Apr 3, 2011)

I bought one of the original Timex Quartz watches (apparently identical to the #72 pictured) a few months after they came out, apparently in 1972. I know for certain that I wore it on the SS Canberra to view the solar eclipse on June 30, 1973.

Many thanks for providing the info, as I didn't know what to expect when Googling about this watch I still own.

My father sold Timex watches in his luncheonette in New Jersey, and I just loved the thought of owning a really accurate watch even if it was far on the big and expensive side for a 14-15 year old kid at the time. I'd tune in radio station CHU in Canada to set it to their time signal. OK, so I was a bit of a geek in some ways.

I got it for whatever Dad paid wholesale, which may or may not have been the actual Timex wholesale price, as I don't know if it was "re-wholesaled" by his cigarette supplier or something like that. I suspect I paid $60-$80 for it. He generally kept 2 of them in the plastic Timex display case during the time they were available, plus the usual assortment of far cheaper watches. I took the one that was silver with blue dial, as opposed to the one that was gold with red dial, though I'm not whether other color combinations arrived after I had mine and stopped paying much attention.

I just looked for the watch now, but it wasn't where I thought, only the extra band links, so I must have put it somewhere else in the last few years. Hopefully it will turn up so I can take photos and see if it still works.

NikonF7

Massachusetts, USA


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## NikonF7 (Apr 3, 2011)

One more thing I just noticed. While my dial has the gorgeous color of the one on the right in your photo, my band matches your prototype model on the left. I hope I can find the watch, and that I removed the battery decades ago! Then maybe I can investigate the innards vs yours.

I wore the watch a great deal, including routinely swimming with it on, as well as wearing it while playing tennis, etc. During the many years I wore it, I never had a single problem with it, except that I vaguely recall the battery-cover ring/gasket getting worn, so I backed off the water usage at that point.

NikonF7 aka John


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## mel (Dec 6, 2006)

As normal, Bill has this useful info at his fingertips, and we have the benefit of his knowledge and WISdom! :yes:

Just to hi-jack very slightly, we now have a listing of service manuals for the Timex range, including #72, on the TMXWF website, these can be referenced and downloaded, printed off and loose bound to make up a Timex Service Manual, or to fill out any you don't have in an existing Service Manual.

Copyright on these remains with Timex, but they have very graciously given pernission to the TMXWF to make them available to aficionados wishing service info on vintage Timex. You can enjoy these at

This link, and click onto Manuals top right of the forum, below the Introduction.

ENJOY!


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## bofootball30 (Feb 7, 2013)

I just purchased a 1972 Timex Quartz, Good Condition and Runs good . The watch is the one pictured in "the Time Machine " ad model 976612. Woodgrain dial is great, no band though. The stamp on inside is RH546-72-05 . The $125 price tag originally is surprising but for this technology in 1972 is worth it now. Not sure if to keep or what? Not sure how to post a picture


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## Paul H. (Nov 18, 2008)

Thanks for the info - from a Timex Electric collector


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