What comes next, if not the smartwatch?

The first quartz watch was developed 50 years ago at the Centre Electronique Horloger CEH in Neuchâtel. It was actually two electronic wristwatch versions. Their codenames were simply "Beta 1" and "Beta 2". These were presented for the first time in 1967 at the annual "precision competi tion" of the Swiss Chronometry Society.

It took the twelve researchers a full five years to develop this innovation. It was a pity, however, that the Swiss watchmaking industry was initially unable to profit from the quartz oscillator invention. The first quartz wristwatch available in series production, the Astron SQ, was marketed by the Japanese manufacturer Seiko from 25 December 1969.

In any case, the Beta versions were less sensitive than mechanical watch types in the normal temperature range. The use of the oscillating quartz in the Beta types introduced at that time improved the accuracy by three powers of ten. A battery change was only necessary once a year, according to the book "Engi-neering time: inventing the electronic wrist-watch" (British Journal for the History of Science). A quartz watch movement also costs only a fraction of the price of a mechanical timepiece. Quartz watches consist of fewer components. Formerly popular with motorists, quartz timepieces are still very popular.

"Smart watches are still watches".

The general public is asking for them because they look compact and - apart from the battery consumption - work perfectly. But where does the watch world stand today between Silicon Valley and Switzerland?

The importance of microelectronics
The actual goal of watch development is to improve the accuracy and increase the power reserve. A further development goal, in addition to economical production, is the durability and insensitivity of the movement and case. The pioneering work carried out in the CEH laboratories in Neuchâtel at that time provided a veritable spark for microelectronics, which in turn attempts to build useful bridges between industry and society. Microelectronics is still working on an equation with three variables, namely: Precision, miniaturization and energy consumption - important premises for many Swiss companies.

In general, the role of microelectronics is significant in terms of supporting companies. "Our task is to transfer knowledge developed and generated in technological platforms to industry. The CSEM also supports Swiss SMEs so that they can benefit from the ongoing changes in the digital field," emphasizes Jens Krauss, Director of the Swiss Center for Electronics and Microtechnology.

Where does Jens Krauss, CSEM Vice President and watch expert, place circulating smartwatches? "Smartwatches are so far only portable extensions of the smartphone," says Jens Krauss. He also points out that the Swiss industry has been offering independent, intelligent watch types for years. Just think of the Swatch Acces, Swatch Zero One or watches that allow direct contact with a person, not only in emergencies.

"In terms of miniaturization, smartwatches are real technological bi-jous. Compared to smartphones, the added value for the user remains limited: the human-machine interface has hardly been adapted yet. Design and scope for action are still insufficient," says the Director Systems CSEM. According to the expert, smart watches are still watches. Only in the next stage could one speak of a "montre augmentée" (see also interview opposite).

Wearers of smartwatches could benefit far more in terms of remote payments, health or safety checks at the touch of a button. The fact that they also collect personal data, for example about the wearer's health, would not only raise open data protection questions in this respect.

Further developments
Product launches by electronics giants such as Apple or Samsung are always the subject of much discussion. For about a year now, Swiss manufacturers such as Hub-lot have also been promoting watches that can be linked to cloud data. There is still one question at the heart of the matter: will a smart watch with smartphone-derived applications ultimately be convincing, or a typical Swiss watch with a longer operating time and few but comprehensible functions?

Takahiro Hamaguchi, head of the development department at Neuchâtel-based Vau-cher Manufacture Fleurier SA, is developing a novel technology to convert the energy of the mechanical movement of the automatic watch into electricity, according to Swissinfo. "This would solve the problem of the short battery life of smartwatches," the technical director said. Will such know-how from "Swiss" engineers still play an important role in the future? Without a doubt. Micro-technological developments will also make traditional-looking and yet intelligent - "Swiss made" - smartwatches available in the future.
- watches will not be missing from future watch fairs.