First-Hand:The First Quartz Wrist Watch: Difference between revisions
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== The allegations by Max Forrer et al. that the quartz wrist watch project had always been in their mind/plan is simply a white lie to cover up certain failures in project management and lack of competence in relevant technologies. E.g. the model of a quartz clock, not a quartz wrist watch, of size 1 dm<sup>3</sup> glued together by Eric Vittoz early 1962 using off the shelf components had no impact at all on the initiative and development of the quartz wrist watch project started in 1965. Vittoz' clock had never been documented, had never been discussed and/or shown to the members of the department. Never the less Vittoz managed to disseminate his clock with various well established national and international institutions trying to make himself look like a pioneer of the first CEH quartz wrist watch. This is highly misleading. According to the authors findings and contrary to the disseminated opinion, Max Forrer, Henri Oguey and Eric Vittoz did not make any significant contribution to the first quartz wrist watch Beta 1. However Oguey designed the vibrating motor used in Beta 2 and Beta 21. == | == The allegations by Max Forrer et al. that the quartz wrist watch project had always been in their mind/plan is simply a white lie to cover up certain failures in project management and lack of competence in relevant technologies. E.g. the model of a quartz clock, not a quartz wrist watch, of size 1 dm<sup>3</sup> glued together by Eric Vittoz early 1962 using off the shelf components had no impact at all on the initiative and development of the quartz wrist watch project started in 1965. Vittoz' clock had never been documented, had never been discussed and/or shown to the members of the department. Never the less Vittoz managed to disseminate his clock with various well established national and international institutions trying to make himself look like a pioneer of the first CEH quartz wrist watch. This is highly misleading. According to the authors findings and contrary to the disseminated opinion, Max Forrer, Henri Oguey and Eric Vittoz did not make any significant contribution to the first quartz wrist watch Beta 1. However Oguey designed the vibrating motor used in Beta 2 and Beta 21. == | ||
== This investigations had been necessary in order to give proper recognition to the contributors of the first quartz wrist watch and identify their contributions, some of them were key. The policy of Max Forrer et al. through out the years to ignore key contributors and play down important contributions is unfair and had to be corrected. E.g. the text of the Smithonian Institution, NMAH, on "Inventors of the First Quartz Wrist Watch" had to be corrected in 2003.<sup>9)</sup> Further, an open door case had to be conducted by the former laboratory director against Forrer in order to correct the authorship of his IEEE conference paper "A Flexure Mode Quartz for an Electronic Wrist-Watch" <sup>10)</sup> and to denounce plagiarism. Other similar cases (Paris 1969) are pending.<br><br><br>'''<u>Bibliography</u>'''<br><br>M. Forrer: Memo Technique 101, CEH, February 25, 1965 <br>M. Hetzel: The Application of Electricity and Electronics to Wrist Watches, Horological Journal, 1963, p233<br>J. Hermann: Rapport d'activité du mois de Juillet 1967, CEH, July 31, 1967 <br>L. F. Trueb: Die weltweit erste Quarz-Armbanduhr, gold'or 2/07<br>Rèpublique et Canton de Neuchâtel: Concours de chronomètres 1967, February 15, 1968 <br>R. Wellinger: Orientations calibres, Protocol séance du bureau d'administration, April 13, 1965 <br>R. Wellinger: CEH Programme de travaille 1966, Protocol séance du bureau d'administration, November 26, 1965 <br>M. Forrer, A. Frei, R. Lochinger, H. Oguey: Montre-bracelet électronique à quartz, Rapport d'invention, CEH 66/73, February 4, 1966 <br>Mrs. C. Stephens: "Swiss Inventors", http://invention.smithonian.org/centerpieces/quartz/inventors/researchers.html, Smithonian Institute, NMAH Washington, revised 2003 <br>R. Wellinger: "Rectification concerning a 1969 publication on Quartz Wrist Watches", March 23, 2005<br><br>Copyright 2009 by Armin H. Frei, Zurich Switzerland<br>Photos Courtesy CEH/CSEM, Neuchatel Switzerland<br><br> == | == This investigations had been necessary in order to give proper recognition to the contributors of the first quartz wrist watch and identify their contributions, some of them were key. The policy of Max Forrer et al. through out the years to ignore key contributors and play down important contributions is unfair and had to be corrected. E.g. the text of the Smithonian Institution, NMAH, on "Inventors of the First Quartz Wrist Watch" had to be corrected in 2003.<sup>9)</sup> Further, an open door case had to be conducted by the former laboratory director against Forrer in order to correct the authorship of his IEEE conference paper "A Flexure Mode Quartz for an Electronic Wrist-Watch" <sup>10)</sup> and to denounce plagiarism. Other similar cases (Paris 1969) are pending.<br><br><br>'''<u>Bibliography</u>'''<br><br>1) M. Forrer: Memo Technique 101, CEH, February 25, 1965 <br>2) M. Hetzel: The Application of Electricity and Electronics to Wrist Watches, Horological Journal, 1963, p233<br>3) J. Hermann: Rapport d'activité du mois de Juillet 1967, CEH, July 31, 1967 <br>4) L. F. Trueb: Die weltweit erste Quarz-Armbanduhr, gold'or 2/07<br>Rèpublique et Canton de Neuchâtel: Concours de chronomètres 1967, February 15, 1968 <br>5) R. Wellinger: Orientations calibres, Protocol séance du bureau d'administration, April 13, 1965 <br>6) R. Wellinger: CEH Programme de travaille 1966, Protocol séance du bureau d'administration, November 26, 1965 <br>7) M. Forrer, A. Frei, R. Lochinger, H. Oguey: Montre-bracelet électronique à quartz, Rapport d'invention, CEH 66/73, February 4, 1966 <br>8) Mrs. C. Stephens: "Swiss Inventors", http://invention.smithonian.org/centerpieces/quartz/inventors/researchers.html, Smithonian Institute, NMAH Washington, revised 2003 <br>9) R. Wellinger: "Rectification concerning a 1969 publication on Quartz Wrist Watches", March 23, 2005<br><br>Copyright 2009 by Armin H. Frei, Zurich Switzerland<br>Photos Courtesy CEH/CSEM, Neuchatel Switzerland<br><br> == |