When the first quartz-controlled wristwatches appeared on the market many years ago they were exceptionally expensive, often costing much more than a regular mechanical Swiss watch. After a short time the prices dropped as the technology matured. After the initial shock passed, the industry was quite pleased with the quartz development since the vast number of quartz-based calibres that were being offered made it child's play for designers to create a boundless series of shapes and forms to fit every taste. Quartz wristwatches, or at least those without specialised functions, became low-priced fashion items, and many people bought several of them in various shapes and colours to match their favourite clothes or even their mood. The rest is history.
After the revival of the mechanical watch industry, the separation of the quartz and mechanical worlds was fairly strictly adhered to. Major houses did offer quartz watches for the few customers who requested them, but almost under a cloak of secrecy. Quartz wristwatches were often not even mentioned in catalogues for fear of diluting mechanical watch brands' PR image. Not any longer, however it is a more or less public knowledge that companies such as Rolex (working together with the Swatch group) and even firms such as Patek Philippe are spending large sums on the future development of of electronic wristwatches or hybrid mechanical/electronic calibres (these products might not even be released during our lifetimes, but, for established brands, looking 50 years ahead with R&D is not uncommon).
