Quartz clock

A clock that measures time using an electronic oscillator regulated by vibrations of a quartz crystal. Its stable frequency provides a precise, compact timekeeping reference.

Piezoelectricity: The generation of electric charge by certain materials when they are mechanically stressed, and the converse mechanical response to an electric field. An applied voltage makes quartz deform, while its vibration produces an electrical signal.
Quartz: A crystalline mineral composed of silicon dioxide, found in many geological settings and used in electronic resonators. Its piezoelectric properties and stable resonance make it the clock’s timing element.
Mechanical clock: A clock that keeps time through the regulated motion of mechanical components powered by a spring or weight. It uses a moving escapement rather than an electrically sustained crystal vibration.
Quartz wristwatch: A wristwatch that uses a quartz crystal oscillator to regulate its timekeeping. Miniaturized quartz circuits made accurate, low-cost wristwatches practical.
Quartz crystal oscillator: An electronic oscillator whose frequency is stabilized by the mechanical resonance of a quartz crystal. It is the circuit that sustains the crystal’s repeated vibration at a stable frequency.
Electronic oscillator: An electronic circuit that repeatedly generates a periodic signal. A quartz clock is a specialized oscillator-based timekeeping system.
Pendulum clock: A clock regulated by the periodic swing of a pendulum. Its timebase is a gravity-driven mechanical oscillator, unlike quartz’s electrical resonance.
Quartz clock movement: A self-contained quartz timekeeping mechanism that drives clock hands or a display. It packages the oscillator, control electronics, and time display drive in a replaceable unit.
Crystal resonator: A component that selects a narrow resonant frequency through the vibration of a piezoelectric material. Quartz is one material used to make resonators that regulate electronic oscillators.
Integrated circuit: A miniaturized electronic circuit fabricated on a semiconductor substrate, containing interconnected components. Clock chips commonly divide the crystal signal and control the display or motor.

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