RICOH 570 DUGENA RIQUARTZ 1974
Ricoh watches are not common so a Riquartz 570 is a nice addition to any collection. Pieter Doensen's database mentions that this calibre was introduced in 1974 as the coding on the caseback does not follow the Seiko format. Ricoh was known for mechanical watches a long time ago and assembled electric watches in a joint-venture with Hamilton in the 1960's. Nowadays the company is only known for copiers, printers and photo cameras but who knows what they will be producing in the next couple of decades? Ricoh appears to have been a independent developer with probably some know-how acquired as the movement construction does not indicate that it was influenced by the national Seiko, Citizen nor Orient which were once forced by the government to create partnerships.
The movement has a smart build and is easy to service. The mechanical module is located in the very center and surrounded by a large electronic ceramic substrate with micro-chip and trimmer. The quartz tube is supported with a metal (grounding) basket and affixed with two screws to the ceramic substrate by means of a flexible conductive tape. This high-quality modular construction allows quick repairs of separate components and can be finetuned for proper ticking. A jeweled backlash pin is located in the very center to prevent the seconds wheel from jumping in the opposite direction. This solution is typical for early quartz movements as stepping-motors in those days must have had their small drawbacks :)
Keywords: ricoh, riquartz
Market value: 25-150$ (version, condition, box)