1969 Was a Watershed Year in Watches

So many significant world events and developments occurred in the legendary year 1969 that Billy Joel could write a song simply by listing them - hell, he could probably even dedicate a verse to watches Below, we examine some of the most significant watch developments from 1969 and their modern counterparts Of the manufacturers that produced automatic chronographs in 1969, Zenith produces the most convincing modern link to that heritage - today, you can still buy Zenith El Primero watches containing what can be considered an evolution of the original El Primero Calibre 3019 movement of 1969.

This movement appeared in a number of watches from different brands but is arguably best known for powering the 1969 Heuer Monaco As of 2019, modern automatic chronographs from Seiko are mostly limited to the 8R family movements, such as those found in just a couple of watches in the Presage line While all these exciting developments in the centuries of mechanical watch technology were taking place, one watch released in 1969 would make them all irrelevant.

Of course, today's heaps of mass-produced, cheap plastic watches are part of that larger legacy, but Seiko also produces incredibly refined, high-quality quartz movements in its Grand Seiko 9F series, for example. . Source