Automatic and quartz watches: what are the differences?
Alice de Maison Scarlett
First of all, you should know that there are two main families of watches: electronic and mechanical watches. The whole difference lies in the energy used to power them.
So, mechanical watch or quartz watch? A fan of manual winding or automatic winding?
Mechanical watches are generally the favourites of fine watchmaking enthusiasts and passionate collectors. Quartz watches, meanwhile, are the ones you find pretty much everywhere. Maison Scarlett has selected a few facts to help you see things more clearly!
Contents:
- In the mechanical watch family
- And what about quartz watches in all this?
- Quartz watches or automatic watches: how do you choose?
- How do you make the right choice?
In the mechanical watch family
There are automatic and manual watches! Mechanical watches are captivating for their complexity and beauty. Highly prized by enthusiasts, they have the particularity of requiring no energy source to operate.
This watch is powered by what is known as a winding stem, which has two functions. First, this stem winds a spring which, by pulling on the barrel drum, returns to its original shape and allows the balance wheel to oscillate, setting the entire mechanism in motion.
It’s quite an art, isn’t it?
And that’s exactly what appeals to watch collectors. The other function is to pull out the stem to set the watch to the correct time. In the world of mechanical watches, we can distinguish between manually wound watches and those with automatic winding. Don’t panic, we’ll explain!
Have you never seen your grandfather set a clock by turning a key once? (Alright then, it probably depends on your age; for the younger ones among you, YouTube will be your friend.)
Well, manual winding is a bit like that. You need to turn the crown regularly to keep the watch running. That’s what we call winding a watch.
With an automatic watch, there’s no need to pull out the crown to wind it and set the time. Thanks to the movements of the wearer’s wrist and a half-disc rotating on an axis (we’ll spare you the details), your watch winds itself automatically. If you don’t wear it every day, however, you may need a watch winder to “rock” your watch for you.
So, what are the advantages?
The display is great. The hands move smoothly and continuously—much more so than on quartz watches, where the second hand, as its name suggests, tends to tick along in small jumps. The time display is therefore visually more appealing and aesthetically pleasing on an automatic watch.
And what’s more, it’s more eco-friendly! That’s right, this type of watch contains no cell, no battery, nothing at all. So, no more popping by your watchmaker every two years. We say yes to an eco-friendly, durable watch.
A watch really is a fascinating timepiece!
So we appreciate its durability. Because yes, we can never say it enough: jewellery and watchmaking are closely linked, and just like your precious diamond and sapphire jewellery, your signet rings and other engagement rings, watches need maintenance and care! (Watch out if you’ve got into the habit of leaving yours on the edge of a piece of furniture, far too close to the sink to be safe.)
A little check-up every five years to make sure everything is working properly, and it is a watch that will stay with you for life. Pretty great, right? What’s more, a small mechanical glitch can easily be fixed, unlike with a quartz watch, which will probably need to be replaced. Made up of a series of gears powered by the kinetic energy created by wrist movements, the watch becomes a truly living object, ready to keep up with your pace and your epic adventures.
Incredible, isn’t it?
And what if we talked about the drawbacks of mechanical watches now?
Let’s be clear, it has a few. First of all, it is more sensitive to knocks and friction than a quartz watch. So, extra care and caution are needed.
Then there’s the little service needed every five years to ensure its longevity, and it doesn’t come cheap. For a luxury mechanical watch, you should expect to pay around 15% of the watch’s price. For branded watches, it can therefore become quite expensive.
What’s more, it isn’t the most accurate. In fact, mechanical watches can gain or lose around four minutes compared with quartz watches.
And finally, the number-one drawback—which for some of us may not be a drawback at all—is the price. Whether automatic or manual, mechanical watches don’t come cheap. It’s the beauty of the movement mechanism’s complexity that makes them much more expensive, but also more interesting than quartz watches.
And what about quartz watches in all this?
Quartz watches only appeared relatively late, in 1969, but that does not stop them from being the most widespread today. Their operation is simple, and that is precisely where the price difference lies.
Here, a thin quartz strip oscillates thanks to the electrical impulse from a battery. Less eco-friendly, but more practical. This simple pulse sets the hands in motion, allowing them to move steadily. The phenomenon of piezoelectricity allows quartz crystals to deform or exert pressure when subjected to an electric current. The battery inside the quartz watch then makes the crystals vibrate with extreme precision.
That’s more than 32,000 movements per second!
The advantages of a quartz watch
As we’ve seen, compared with its mechanical cousin, the quartz watch is more accurate. It’s even unbeatable! That’s what caused a "tidal wave" when they first appeared!
They are also significantly more resistant and less fragile. Made up of fewer parts, quartz strips withstand vibrations and shocks better. Finally, besides being less expensive and therefore more accessible, they are also slimmer, which may delight ladies with slender wrists (see, we’re always thinking of you).
And what about the drawbacks?
I’m getting there, I’m getting there. Where there’s a battery, there’s energy consumption. On average, after two years, you’ll need to visit your watchmaker or jeweller to have the battery changed (woe betide anyone who tries to do it themselves).
You might also think that they probably will not stay with you for your whole life, or that you will find it difficult to pass them down through generations. Like vintage collector cars, mechanical watches can be repaired indefinitely, whereas quartz watches are more like the electronic cars of our time. They become obsolete more quickly and therefore do not last as long.
Quartz watches or automatic watches: how do you choose?
To sum it up briefly, both categories have their advantages and disadvantages. As with jewellery, there are generally passionate collectors who will inevitably turn to mechanical watches, renowned for the nobility of their mechanics, the beauty of the complexity they contain and their impressive durability.
A true masterpiece, heir to the watchmaker’s tradition and expertise. Less informed enthusiasts, or simply those who are less demanding and more modern, will generally choose a quartz watch. Automatic, slim, and stylish, extremely precise and more affordable—don’t think it has no advantages; it’s packed with them!
How do you make the right choice?
Let’s just say there aren’t any. At that point, you’ll have to trust your taste. The difference may lie in the shape of a dial, a power reserve or certain unexpected features, such as water resistance. It’s worth thinking about: a water-resistant watch can, for example, offer many benefits to anyone likely to need it.
For women, you will probably choose rose gold, white gold, or perhaps even something more whimsical—why not? For men, you will probably opt for silver-toned steel, a brown leather strap, or yellow gold. The possibilities are endless, and you are even entitled to want to build a real watch collection.
The only limits are the ones we set ourselves, right? But what about you: are you team mechanical, or would you rather follow the quartz movement?
And if your collection includes not only beautiful timepieces but also rings, necklaces, and bracelets, remember to protect them in a jewelry box: discover our selection!