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This was the second Japanese quartz watch, (after Seiko,) the first Japanese quartz watch using the now standard 32,768KHz frequency, the first quartz watch displaying day & date, the first quartz watch under 100,000 yen.
From thewatchforum.co.uk
The other product that Ricoh produced with the help of Hughes aircraft was their first analogue quartz watch - the cal550. This was a large, two-battery dinosaur. It is not as elegantly executed as its contemporaries, but it was produced in 1971 - meaning it was around at the same time as the first Seiko 38xx and some Beta21 models. Like most very early quartz watches it was not produced in high volumes. It preceded Citizen's and Orient's first quartz watches by more than a year - a long time during the race for new products in these early quartz years. It is claimed to be the first quartz watch with day and date mechanism.
In 1970 there were no quartz models below Seikos 150,000 yen cal 38xx watches. In December 1971, Ricoh released the Riquartz 550 which at 90000 yen was the first quartz watch below 100000 yen. Seiko chased the Riquartz prices but in 1972 were still at 100000 yen with their cal 39xx models. Citizen did eventually bring Hisonic prices down to about 20000 yen with mass production economies, but their efforts were matched by both Ricoh and Seiko with their quartz watches and by the mid-1970s prices were more or less the same for quartz and Hisonic watches. The writing was on the wall and Citizen, by this time was piling resources into quartz and digital development.
From the web:
"1972 The 'Riquartz' caliber 550, first model with two batteries is introduced. The watch has a frequency of 32 kHz, a stepping motor, a tuning fork quartz and electronic parts made by Hughes Aircraft." [The Hughes anecdote is not verified. Ricoh did make LED watches with movements made in America by Hughes at around the same time.]
From "Electrifying the Wristwatch":
"In the 1970s, Ricoh evolved into a big producer of 32 kHz analog quartz movements. The first caliber of this kind was the Riquartz 550; production started in 1972. This was a very sturdy, rectangular three-hand movement; the dimensions were 22.0 mm x 24.5 mm (11 1/2 x 12 1/2 lines) with a window at 6 o'clock for the day/date display.
The CMOS integrated circuit was supplied either by AMI* (American Microsystems Inc.) or Hughes Aircraft, and the 32 kHz tuning fork-type quartz resonator was made by NDK*. For fine frequency tuning, six ceramic capacitors could be connected to the quartz with a bank of screws. The six-pole stepping motor featured a platinum-cobalt rotor. Two serially connected silver oxide batteries supplied the necessary power."
*AMI founded 1966 in Santa Clara
*Nihon Dempa Kogyo Co., Ltd are still in business making Quartz crystals. They are often marked with a code, for example "59F" presumably a date code which would mean it was made in Sep 1975.
Prototype (note "Ricoh 01" and thinner tracks) & production
Pinout
| Ref | Spec | Year | Yen | Dollar |
| 550001 | Gold plated painted on strap | 118.000 | ||
| 550002 | Gold plated Tiger eye dial | 1973 | 118.000 | $295 |
| 550002 | Stainless steel Tiger eye dial | 1973 | 93.000 | $265 |
| 550002 | Stainless steel painted dial | 1973 | 88.000 | |
| 550003 | Stainless steel painted dial | 59.000 | ||
| 550003 | Stainless steel Tiger eye dial | 64.000 | ||
| 550003 | Gold plated Tiger eye dial | 74.000 | ||
| Automatic | Most expensive in Playboy advert | 38.000 | $95 | |
| 35 18K | Seiko Astron | 1969 | 450.000 | |
| 3602 | Seiko | 1970 | 215.000 | |
| 3502 | Seiko | 1970 | 180.000 | |
| 3823 | Seiko | 1971 | 140.000 | |
| 38 | Seiko quartz | 1973 | 70.000 | |
| Grand Seiko stainless | 1973 | 50.000 | ||
| 1016 | Rolex Explorer | 1970 | $210 | |
| 1016 | Rolex Explorer | 1973 | 70.400 | $260 |
| 1016 | Rolex Explorer | 1975 | 107.000 | $360 |
| Rolex Submariner no date | 1970 | $230 | ||
| 5513 | Rolex Submariner no date | 1972 | 56.500 | $185 |
| 1680 | Rolex Submariner date | 1972 | 81.200 | $268 |
| Rolex Submariner date | 1973 | 140.335 | $385 | |
| Rolex Submariner date | 1975 | $470 | ||
| Rolex Day-Date President concealed clasp | 1972 | 417.840 | $1.379/DM4.100 | |
| Rolex Day-Date President | 1973 | 501.350 | $1.850 | |
| Rolex Day-Date President | 1975 | 894.300 | $3.300 |
Yen to dollar
There is a brochure featuring a Tungsten carbide 570 & movement on the cover. Many 550 watches are featured inside, all four references alongside various 570 models so it must date from 1973/4.
Stainless, Silvered dial, flexible bracelet Gold plated, Two tone dial, leather strap 118,000
Stainless, Silvered Gold plated, Gilt dial Gold plated, two tone Stainless, Tiger eye Gold plated, Two tone Gold plated, Gilt dial, 110,000 Stainless, dark blue or black dial Stainless, two tone, 95,000? Stainless, brown dial? Gold plated, Green stone, 115,000
Stainless, green stone Gold plated, Tiger eye Stainless, two tone?
Stainless, Blue dial
Gold plated, Tiger eye, 103,000 Stainless, Tungsten, 115,000 Tungsten, Tiger eye, 120,000
| Number | Ref | Watch no. | Date | Quartz# | Symbol* | Notes |
| 010435 | 550002 | 312207 | Nov 1972 | C122 | - | Early engraving jrussbeauchamp.com |
| 010491 | 550001 | 116235 | ||||
| 010904 | 550001 | 116565 | jrussbeauchamp.com | |||
| 011346 | 550002 | 122376 | ||||
| 012084 | 550001 | 116633 | Apr 1972 | 4189 | タ | jrussbeauchamp.com |
| 012683 | 550002 | 313468 | Oct 1972 | |||
| 012686 | 550001 | 119050 | May 1972 | 3267 | タ | jrussbeauchamp.com |
| 012980 | 550002 | 622399 | Dec 1972? | jrussbeauchamp.com | ||
| 013148 | 550002 | 123594 | jrussbeauchamp.com | |||
| 014253 | 550003 | 134546 | Dec 1972 | 953 | レ | jrussbeauchamp.com |
| 014283 | 550002 | |||||
| 014425 | 550003 | 133793 | ||||
| 014675 | 550002 | 322225 | Aug 1972 | 639 | レ | jrussbeauchamp.com |
| 015145 | 550002 | 322389 | Aug 1972 | 1040 | jrussbeauchamp.com | |
| 015227 | 550002 | 123605 | Jul 1972 | |||
| 015239 | 550004 | 325941 | YouTube | |||
| 016048 | 550003 | 134232 | Oct 1972 | 1500 | jrussbeauchamp.com | |
| 016214 | 550003 | 134086 | Oct 1972 | Replaced | ソ | jrussbeauchamp.com |
| 016531 | 550002 | 123528 | Jul 1972 | Replaced | ソ | jrussbeauchamp.com |
| 017906 | 550002 | |||||
| 018081 | 550003 | 134966 | Dec 1972 | - | ツ | jrussbeauchamp.com |
| 018308 | 550004 | 822793 | ||||
| 018866 | 550002 | 622120 | Jan 1973 | A947 | ナ | jrussbeauchamp.com |
| 020055 | 550003 | 333220 | Nov 1972 | ナ | jrussbeauchamp.com | |
| 020464 | 550002 | 622166 | Dec 1972 | Replaced | ナ | jrussbeauchamp.com |
| 020495 | 550003 | 133945 | Nov 1972 | 357 | jrussbeauchamp.com | |
| 020678 | 550003 | 135038 | Dec 1972 | 2868 | jrussbeauchamp.com | |
| 021906 | 550002 | 323264 | 2129 | ラ | jrussbeauchamp.com | |
| 022197 | 550003 | 135316 | Jan 1973 | 402 | jrussbeauchamp.com | |
| 022569 | 550002 | 312390 | Dec 1972 | jrussbeauchamp.com | ||
| 022966 | 550002 | 122797 | Sep 1972 | |||
| 024188 | 550002 | 312603 | Sep 1972 | YouTube | ||
| 024597 | 550002 | 312311 | Sep 1972 | 251 | ム | jrussbeauchamp.com |
| 024887 | 550002 | 313709 | ||||
| 0????? | 550003 | 133615 | Aug 1972 | |||
| 35 movements recorded | ||||||
| 010856 | 570xxx | |||||
| 011818 | 570001 | Aug 1975 | UWIH-53F | jrussbeauchamp.com |
# Quartz tube hand numbered in ink
'*' Symbol stamped on main plate under coil
Note early style engraving on wheel bridge
#ref(): File not found: "550-012683-2.jpg" at page "550"
