Hyla Ames Bauer, Watch and Jewelry Writer (New York, New York)
Video recordings of lectures are available immediately to HSNY members, and the general public with a two-month delay.
Note from the lecturer: Wear a Swatch if you have one!
In the early and mid-20th century, the Swiss watchmaking industry was booming — until the quartz crisis happened in the 1970s and shook it to its core.
At the September 2022 lecture of the Horological Society of New York (HSNY), watch and jewelry writer Hyla Ames Bauer will discuss the quartz crisis, beginning with what a quartz watch is, and why it's called a quartz watch and not a battery watch (or some other name). The lecture will also include an overview of how successful Swiss watchmaking was prior to the crisis, and how important it was to the Swiss economy. Bauer will describe the rapid development of quartz timepieces in Japan, at a time when the Swiss were just dipping their toes into quartz technology. Ultimately, in the mid-1970s, quartz watches became an inexpensive novelty that attracted millions of buyers. At that time, Swiss brands could not produce quartz watches at lower prices and the industry faltered. How many job losses occurred, and how many brands closed for good? Join us on September 7 as Bauer shares the facts on how Swiss brands were impacted and got back on their feet!
About Hyla Ames Bauer
Hyla Ames Bauer began her career as a fashion editor at Conde Nast Publications. After stints at GQ and Vogue, she became the Executive Fashion Editor of Conde Nast Traveler. Hyla fell in love with watches on her first trip to Basel while at Traveler. Hyla's passion for watches led her to seek a job in the industry, and she left Traveler to become the head of PR for Vacheron Constantin North America. After two years, Hyla returned to magazines as Editor in Chief of Watch Journal, where she oversaw a redesign of the magazine and its website. Hyla is currently a freelance writer in watches and fine jewelry.