Precision in watches

Press, 17 March 1982, Page 23

Precision in watches

The most dramatic change in the jewellery trade has been the technological development in watches — from mechanical to electronic. The precision of modern electronic watches has reached standards that few of the mechanical watches could ever hope to match. "The accuracy of electronic watches is unbelievable,” the owner of Hoods Jewellers, Mr Bruce Hood, says. Some jewellers argue that if an electronic watch breaks down it is not worth repairing, but Mr Hood dismisses this as ridiculous and says

that it is a matter of relativity. "If you buy an expensive digital watch and a fault occurs, of course it is worth repairing,” Mr Hood says. “Parts for electronic watch are more expensive than those for mechanical watches, but there should be fewer problems with electronic watches.” Men’s digital watches sell well, but Mr Hood says this trend does not follow with ladies’ watches. He says this is because of style. As a rule, ladies' watches have a smaller face and the parts for electronic watches cannot be condensed to such a fine scale, he says.