Horological Meandering

The defining feature of this first era was that, like balance wheel and tuning fork chronometry before it, the rate precision was entirely a question of the frequency precision of the oscillator, via a fixed ratio between oscillator and time memory (i.e. the hands). 

In any mechanical watch, this fixed ratio is embodied in the geartrain between escape wheel and the second wheel. 

In what I call a 'classical quartz', the ratio is embodied in the dividers, motor, and geartrain.

In my opinion, understanding this era is an excellent entry point, as it is here that quartz watches were most similar to mechanicals. 

The Beta 21, for example, had a substantial geartrain that mechanically reduced its 256 cycles/second electronic output to a smoothly sweeping seconds hand.

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