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On October 25, 1960, the Bulova Watch Company began selling the Accutron wristwatch. The Accutron was powered by a simple oscillator formed between electronic circuitry and a magnetic tuning fork. This oscillation turned the mechanical gears in the watch. The slogan Bulova used to pitch the Accutron "The watch that hums," referred to the sound made by the oscillation.
While tuning fork technology wasn't new, it had been used in standing clocks for a long time, Bulova was the first company to use it to power a wristwatch. Most watches of the time were mechanical, requiring manual winding or were wound by the rotary motion of the wearer's arm.
The Accutron watch model was discontinued in 1977.
For more information on the technical workings of the Accutron, check this link.
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Re: October 25, 1960: The Electronic Wristwatch
