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Saw the same exhibition, two rooms, an extradinary demonstration of human ingenuity and craftmanship over what was a relatively short time. Came out with as much admiration for the invetion of quartz as the first sea clocks. Each have their place, both mechnical and quartz were a representation of the cutting edge of human thought at the time, so each equally impressive in their own right.
olibob
I saw a horological exhibition at the V&A a few years back, all the way from sundials through the age of clockwork, ship's clocks for navigation, the race for longitude and its relation to the British Empire, through pocket watches, moving to the wrist in WW1, then swiss watches, the quartz explosion, the reemergence of swiss watches as luxury horology, right up to now.
The very last exhibit in the timeline was a radio controlled 56xx G shock, one you could pick up in an argos for under a hundred quid. And it made perfect sense to me.
It's arguable that a G Shock has anything to do with horology - I would say it does, but I see why people might argue otherwise - but they absolutely have everything to do with telling the time accurately. And until relatively recently, that was the entire purpose of horology. All the beautiful and imaginative and artisan stuff they invented and built and polished, it was a all a sideline to the purpose of telling the time accurately. Only in our lifetimes has that become an afterthought.
I love my G Shock. It's not my favourite watch I own, but I could make a strong argument for it being the best watch I own.