The Birth of Electric Watches

By Bruce Shawkey

1957 saw the birth of the electric watch, and there was no shortage of competitors. Here are some of the companies that appeared in the Latin America edition of Europa Star magazine:

Angelus                                          ARSA                          Enicar                      Leonidas

Invicta                                        Mira                              Sandoz                                   Schild

            Silvana                                                        Reusser                                        Blancpain                    

This is the same time that Timex and Hamilton came out with electric watches in America. Despite all the brands, the inner workings of all the watches are basically the same, and rely on similar/opposing magnetic fields to oscillate a balance wheel. The advancement in technology to electric did not increase accuracy. It remained at +/- 1 to 2 minutes per day.