I’m theory anything that doesn’t rely on a computer. I’ve got a cheap roper that killed it’s thermo once but has otherwise been bulletproof

My slave-made modern alarm clock has time drift. It’s 3 minutes fast after only a couple years without being reset. Idk if the old GEs are atomic stable but I assume they’re better

Idk couldn’t they design it with less heat sink, less wire insulation, thinner metal etc so it wears out after less use? Perhaps finer machining tolerances allow a flimsier product to be produced