Should You Buy Quartz or Mechanical Watch? (Watch Movements Explained)
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- čas přidán 9. 06. 2022
- It is the rule of the world that all things must eventually become electrified. Lights, cars, toasters-and of course watches. When the spring was swapped for the volt en masse in the 1970s, you could’ve sworn the mechanical watch was as tried and tired as disco-but that doesn’t seem to be the case, its revival going down in the history books alongside the resurrection of Christ and, well, disco. So, is mechanical actually better? Or are we all barking up the wrong beat? This is: Should You Buy Quartz or Mechanical Watch? (Watch Movements Explained).
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Tissot PRX T137.410.11.041.00
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Breguet Tradition 7027BA/11/9V6
A. Lange & Söhne 1815 Tourbillon Handwerkskunst 730.048
Vacheron Constantin James Ward Packard Pocket Watch
Vacheron Constantin Grand Complication Ref. 6526 Pocket Watch
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Please never lose this video style / format of story-telling. Your new "discussion formats" of watch related events are entertaining too and do have their purpose but this "stroy telling format" is timeless and in my opinon the very heart of this channel.
Couldnt agree more, there’s really no content just like this on CZcams and its just beautiful! Not to say the discussion videos are not fun, but this is just so soothing and unique - love it!
Here here
I greatly prefer this format. And I actually dislike the discussion format. I rarely watch past a minute or so of those.
I like both versions of their videos. I just hope after having Nico on, and him gaining on them in popularity, they don't go down his route with stupid hype influencer, celeb gossip content made for 12 year olds.
I prefer this format over the other. Love this format.
For over 40 years experience in watches, I said Quartz movement is the best of accuracy and reliability, but you need something to backup when the battery of your quartz watch runs out and the mechanical watch that counts.
When in a rush, a solar watch always is my all time favourite.
"Quartz watches have no soul." They have a vibrating crystal inside them, and if they're solar they get power from a star.
In a long round-about way, everything gets its power from the sun, or a sun somewhere.
@@allan2098 You must be a right laugh at all the parties you don't get invited to.
@@MaxVroomfondel I do get invited because I avoid trying to insult people for no reason like a sorry Waxy twat.
@@allan2098 Or one that's gone.
It's crazy to see how smooth the quartz Grand Seiko seconds hands move in this video. The Tissot PRX seconds hand has a noticeable backlash. I love the Tissot and might buy one but you can really observe the difference in quality (something quartz snobs sometimes try to deny)
I've seen a video of a guy who removed the seconds hand in his PRX quartz. Kinda good idea tbh
@@TheDonCucaracho That's actually pretty smart. The PRX has so much going on design-wise that the missing seconds hand wouldn't make the dial look empty.
Because the GS actually ticks twice not once, but they're so close you can't really see it, but it helps with making the seconds hand be more stable.
@2:28 you can also clearly see the Seiko's seconds hand "bounce back".
Agreed.. that jumpy second hand just looks junky to me..
One of your best videos yet. Ty for actually explaining how a quartz movement works.
Quartz is in every measurable way, better.
But who buys a watch based on practicality?
Most people actually do
This is so well said! I mean! A lot of watch geeks have a real hatred of quartz; but I really think it has its place.
"qUaRtZ wAtChEs DoEsN't HaVe A sOuL"
-Some watch snob probably
The attraction to watches is the traditional old world technology. I'm not a brand snob, but all proper watches should be mechanical. Otherwise, just get a fashion watch or a smartwatch since looks are the only thing that matters. A GShock is the only justifiable quartz imo.
I'd rather have a 100$ SNK with a 7s26 over a 4k GS quartz. I don't care how decorated and accurate the GS quartz movement is. (All GS should be Spring Drive anyway)
@@notDonaldFagen Nah, you obviously haven't checked out the Citizen F900 Satellite Wave CC9015-54E. A proper watch.
Indeed it does. But do those geeks drive around on a steam driven traction engine?
NO. The hypocritical bullshitters drive around in modern cars.
I just want to say thank you!
I adore this channel, the narrative provided by Mr. Well Manicured hands, are thoughtful, insightful and non-judgmental. Teaching those even with even meager means, how to find appreciation on any kind of watch performing a function so many of us take for granted.
I have both automatic mechanical and eco quartz. What I like about the auto mech is the relationship of if I am moving it is moving, or at least for the next 40 hours. My ECO quartz will run for a long time after I stop moving as long as it gets some light on it from day to day. I am not going to lie that I really like the grab-and-go of perpetual calendar quartz that I do not have to adjust every time I choose it in my rotation but I will not be selling the auto's anytime soon as there is that relationship I just can't ignore. Just my take and as I sit here typing this I am wearing a 15-year-old Breitling Steelfish that is not keeping perfect time but it has been on this wrist more than any other watch I have ever owned in my 73 years of life. At this point, I feel my Steelfish and I will probably be the ones to see it done at my end.
And how about to passing it to your son or grandson which will continue wearing it and having good memories about it?
@@josealbertosegura370 There are quartz that can be serviced. The F9 from grand seiko can be serviced but the servicing are overpriced in my opinion. Service when something goes wrong.
Spring drive? Can't wait next episode! 😳 Thanks.
Thanks, learned so much from this video. Only one of my 10 watches is a quartz (which happens to be a GS) and I just love it.
I love the video man, just the standard, and style. Wow
Have 2 Automatic, a Standard G Shock, and to Radiocontrolled solar watches. I like them all, but the lazy cozy comfort grabbing the watch and just go with peace in mind the watch is running and set perfekt in day and date is just priceless.
Allways liked watches, but this channel makes it so much more enjoyable. The whole atmosphere is so soothing and relaxing it makes my armhair stiff like antenna.
Good video keep up the good work
Pleasing listening to your thoughts!
Quartz = 📸
Mechanical = 🖼
I prefer quartz with no tic tac seconds, or small seconds, but other brands could make something like Bulova precisionist.
If it's a GS the answer is kind of.
crazy good videos!
I adore this format.
Great vid as always
well done really nice
Another great video, but I would love to see a head to head comparison of the quartz and mechanical versions of the same watch - like the PRX or the White Birch.
Accuracy is better than style, but of course, it come down to preference, purpose, utility. I like a nice mechanical watch, but quartz is superior for both accuracy and maintenance.
No its not. Depends if you happen to have a really accurate mechanical watch.
@@allan2098 $15 quartz casio will be as accurate as $15,000 rolex
awesome as always, the prx looks fascinating, whether quarts or auto
Love your style !!!
I love the vinyl record and turntable, tonearm analogy. I am an analog audio aficionado and live for that mechanical transduction of music of the stylus and record groove. That said, I fully can appreciate the angle of appreciation of mechanical watches in full degree above a quartz movement.
"....one of those overachieving families, like the Von Trapps or the Kardashians..."
I spluttered!!!!!!! Best line I've heard in a long time!!!!!
My 40 year old Seiko SQ is still happily ticking away and unashamedly gaining 13 seconds a month. Batteries and gaskets are the only things that have ever been renewed. I have and like my mechanical watches but I'm currently waiting for general availability (and hopefully a discount) of the 35mm Tissot PRX.
Needs some regulation most likely, the thermocomp on these goes wonky after a while
Did not know they were 35mm....wow that's small
I’ve literally just been thinking about this lately. Although mechanical watches are cool …..I rarely look at exhibition case and meanwhile they tend to be thicker and an extra $500 ….and they may not even be ready to go when you are.
I kind of been wishing lately that there are more watches out there that have a quartz version at half the retail price.
There actually quite a bit of high end quartz watches out there. Grand Seiko, Cartier, Omega, The Citizen, Breitling and many more all have high end quartz watches. If you want high end finishing with low maintenance cost, toughness, and great accuracy of quartz, they are out there. Some of the high end quartz are super accurate with +/- 5 seconds a year which is absolutely insane. Let say a person got a super quartz watch with unlimited power since they were born and died at 80. The watch will be off by 6 to 7 minutes on their deathbed. That how insanely accurate the watch is.
Thanks for that….
I guess I’m thinking more about something like a Rolex Explorer …where you can’t get a cheaper, thinner option by Rolex. I’m amazed by how many sought after popular models only come in a mechanical version only. I was happy to see Tissot’s prx model is now offering in both quartz and mechanical.
@@Kawartha65 the replica watch makers would have a field day if that were the case. They can copy the cases, bracelets, dials and bezels almost identically but they can't fake the movements.
In the case of the PRX the difference in thickness is virtually nonexistent. I was torn between the two and went for the automatic but hey what you like you can’t go wrong either way
@@alexlilano1931 Not entirely true. Quartz crystals are subject to aging. The oscillating frequency changes over time. They need to be calibrated once in a while to compensate for this. Temperature also affects oscillating frequency, and therefore the accuracy, but most higher end models will have temperature sensors built in to automatically adjust for this phenomenon.
Love this style of video. Don't be tempted by the algorithm to change it. Please.
Wearing the Prx powermatic 80(black) while watching this video. Love it
Got a PRX Powermatic 80 and haven’t looked back. Love the white waffle dial and rose gold color combo, and love the mechanical engineering powering it.
I have a powermatic 80 as well but I went with the blue dial. I was real close to getting the same one as you
This video is literally art. Absolutely breathtaking
I’m a software engineer so understanding electronic systems is my area of expertise and I still tend to prefer mechanical watches. There are some great quartz watches out there but there is something so special about a purely mechanical device in an increasingly digital world
I agree. The knowledge that a small spring, a balancewheel and a mainspring all work together is satisfying to me. At night i love to hear the ticking of the ascapewheel. It’s funny but i just love it.
@@golfpark94 Nice to read. You actually hear it? You can’t be to old I guess? 😀
@@golfpark94 I sleep in a watch typically so I don’t have to look at my phone to figure out what time it is when I wake up in the middle of the night. My caliber 8900 aqua terra is quite loud, not like worrisome but just has solid amplitude through the entire power reserve because of the two barrels. I like the sound and feel of the rotor moving (especially on unidirectional rotors like the Valjoux 7750). There is a romance from the purely physical nature of a mechanical watch
Would love to see a video on the Tissot Gentelman powermatic 80!
Absolutely fantastic video,,, thank you,,
Clever and funny, go together almost like a mechanical and quartz combined movement,,, yes, I'd love a GS spring drive,,,, but I'd have to trade in, my SMP300M, and that's not likely to happen, any time ever,,, 🤣
I love tuning fork watches, don’t have to wind it but it has a smooth sweep.
I own & love many mechanical watches from a variety of brands. Conversely, I have just one quartz watch that I truly love and it’s made by Grand Seiko. Says it all 👍
Simply great !!
You are the best! It's your copy, who writes it? It's superb!
Thanks for seiko on releasing the astron 35SQ :)
Manual sweep on hands is nicer!
I definitely notice this when I look and compare both !
Manual all day! I have more quartz but I care more for my manuals has a soft spot
I love them and prefer them.
Don’t get me started with manual chronographs absolutely amazing!
Im guessing by the comment that your favourite watch most likely are the moonwatch.
The most practical watch I wear is ... Casio Telememo 30. Lightweight, comfortable, legible, full calender digital window, with led light to tell the time in the dark although not bad lume after all these years ... and the replacement of battery suggested once per 10 years, I did it after 14 years, watch was still operating. Analogue readout. A lot of super dooper options I have frankly never touched. Much better is its cousin from Waveceptor series, somewhere in the drawer. Fortunately Junghans did not abandon their Mega series watches, another excellence since three decades at least.
My wife and I love your creative writing, it is full of interesting history and very informative. We can’t listen to Nico after hearing you in the morning when we like to review watches. Be careful who you associate with, more is not always better. Just saying. Thanks
Heck, you think quartz is impressive, check out the Citizen 0100.
That quartz grand seiko zero whiplash seconds hand is a sight to behold.
I love both mechanical and quartz but for quartz, I go for solar powered ones and eco drive is currently the best so far. Seiko solar is just miles behind it, at least for me. This deters me from trying out the newer solar watches from Seiko
I just bought I g shock they didn’t have solar so I had to get the normal quartz. If your going to go quartz solar is cool because you never have to change the battery out
@@WatchUnwind well, I do own solar Casio and Casio's solar watches charges better than my useless Seiko solar watches. Have one solar G-Shock and one edifice (the real casioak LOL)
Searched this video because I was wondering if I’m just being biased for preferring mechanical / automatic watches. I started collecting as a youth with swatch, fossil, and timex but when those watches broke or batteries died they didn’t seem worth repairing. I ultimately fell in love with the idea of a watch that with continue to work as long as you wind or wear it. Mechanical movements seem more practical other than maybe a solar powered movement .
After seeing the video you made with Nico and you agreed to have a sit down . It’s quiet clear that the two of you have different styles. This is going to be interesting. Like listening to Tom Hanks have a conversation with Eddie Murphy. Who will drop the first F boom? I would bet my favorite watch that it will be, well you know 😜
What is your view on the Tissot Gentleman Powermatic 80 Silicium ? And could you do a video comparing it to the PRX automatic ?
Monkey Island 2 was my first video game, odd to have something in common with the silky smooth watchfinder voiceover man
And I was just sitting here trying to decide if I should buy this Omega Constellation f300hz on eBay that doesn't run. And whether or not I could figure out how to fix it if I did.
I got a prx automatic I was torn between the toe but I liked the dial better and I get more of a sense of enjoyment from automatic watches. With that said I did buy my first quartz watch yesterday funny enough
every time you show the quartz seikos I feel the urge to finally buy one. If the SBGP001 had the dial of the SBGV245...
If I get a quartz watch I’d rather it be solar so you never have to change the battery or it has a latch like the moonswatch where you can just slap in your own. GS quartz look awesome but I ain’t trying to take the time and energy to send a quartz watch to Japan to change a battery. GS quartz look amazing though
I regularly watch that old man on a Swiss mountain top. He’s on CZcams he’s called Wristwatch revival. I like to watch him repair movements. And I only own electronic Seiko watches haha other options are too expensive and need service that I can’t afford
I had the choice between the quartz prx Tissot and the automatic one. and I went for the quartz.
because I'm poor, no other reason.
I do love it though! adorable watch
the strap is amazing, but it has one flaw, it lacks those tiny hole size regulators, so you only get to adjust by adding or removing parts to it.
I did a course at the British Horological Institute and they showed some very complex quartz movements from Omega from the 70’s and 80’s. Also a few Accutron movements. The technology is great, it is “better” it just doesn’t give you the fuzzies. We have very bizarre and stupid brains.
I have my first automatic watch and I'm starting to think about this idea in general, I like the construction, I like the history and the fact that it is fully powered by mechanical force, and yet, I also love the precision and utility of the quartz, I can't put myself in a place where I think one is better than the other, on one hand automatic can run forever but it needs service every 5 or more years, quartz can run for 2 to 3 years but what about ecodrive from citizen? such a strange place where I can't pick a side, but maybe I shouldn't?
I also have automatic omega PO and thinking to get a casio solar powered for daily that never runs out of juice
JDM quartz is even more convenient. Solar and auto calendar features are super useful.
Here to show my appreciation for that subtle Matrix quote at the end!
I, too, struggle to put the cap back on the orange juice. 🤪
I always thought I was the only human on earth having trouble putting the cap on the orange juice bottle. Thank you.
Had Bulova introduced a nice 38mm Precisionist I would probably have it. Quartz analog watches just bug me with that second hand movement and then they don't even line up on the markers. So I have 2 digital G Shocks for quartz and a couple of Seikos. Since during normal wear I set my watches 3 minutes fast, precision isn't necessary, but I find I go back and forth between my g shocks and my Seikos regularly.
@@Ktrb Especially with the Citizen F900 Satellite Wave
GS SD is the only movement able to show true natural flow of the time.
I have a cheap Chinese watch with a Seiko VK63. Half a second slow after 6 months
thanks for the good explanation why a quartz watch is not worse than a mechanical watch. for me the best technologies in watches are spring drive and solar quartz. by the way i also have some mechanical watches which i also like very much. but quartz is king for me
Man the GS quartz tick is so beautiful.
Has the new smaller Tissot PRX come out yet?
Monkey Island 👏🏼👏🏼 what a legendary reference, i think we're about the same age 🤣🤣 as always, nice video
I have 5 watches I wear ( 2 mechanical, 3 quartz ). The Mido TV big date is the one I wear the most. My favourite however is my eco drive The Citizen which is the best watch I ever had. Citizen is really underrated, most people prefer Grand Seiko. However I like the perpetual calendar and the better accuracy than the GS .
I have a tag aquaracer quartz the battery is 4 and a half years old never had a watch that lasted that long
This channel might be the best thing Watchfinder has ever come up with in terms of marketing.
What is the backing track called to most of your videos ???
yes
People who act like quartz is boring don't do their research imo, the history of quartz as timekeeping is extremely interesting.
The watches I find most interesting are electromechanical, though.
I love quartz watches that bring something new to the table. Just being a quartz watch that performs the same function as a mechanical doesn't interest me so much, but add in five alarms or 35 world times or - as in my recent Seiko - a full metronome, and I am fully on board!
I just bought my first watch quartz yesterday after buying 7 automatics in a row. I’m actually likening it quite a bit
@@WatchUnwind About half of my collection are quartz. Partly because 2-3 are cheap beaters, but a number of quartz earned a slot in the watch box. I have a Farer split chrono which I love, a Bulova lunar pilot, a Seiko metronome watch, a Seiko Ripley...... At a certain budget level, most automatics are pretty similar in function, while quartz allows a fun variety without spending multiple thousands of dollars and opens access to diversity at a reasonable budget level.
The Monkey Island reference was a killer! We're probably around the same age, Sir 😉
That thumbnail looks remarkably familiar! 😁
the bulova precisionist has a sweeping second hand
I don't think most people care about the answer. We are here just for the awesome videography.
👍👍👍 Great video! No hate, no fundamentalism. 😊 I LOVE automatic watches. But I'm a quartz guy, because I would want to wear an automatic watch (maybe even a hand made one) all day/everyday out of love and respect. Given my lifestyle it would be impossible. I'm lucky I still have my hands.
Have you reviewed the Piaget Altiplano?
So how much do I owe you for the therapy session this week?🙏🏻🤣👍🏼
I missed this format
Every time I see a picture of the PRX watches I'm unimpressed the dials are far more richer than the pictures show. Even in low light the watch sparkles like Shirley Temple 😊
What Grand Seiko watch is this? Thanks in advance!
While I much prefer the sweep of a mechanical seconds hand, GS sure does make the smoothest quartz ticking seconds hand I’ve ever seen.
I can get a quartz Tissot for less than essentially the same Tissot with a Powermatic 80 mechanical movement. In some cases the quartz movement is COSC certified to the higher quartz accuracy standards. Battery replacement is a nuisance, but…
I’ve had the same solar-powered Citizen radio-sync watch for ten years. No batteries, no maintenance, five new leather straps until I bought a steel one.
"overachieving families like.... the Kardashians." 🤣
Which watch is featured with that beautiful frosted gold movement?
I think that was a Rolex from the 70s
The answer is obvious if you like precision, ease of use, and affordability you should buy a Quartz watch.
A mechanical watch is more pleasing to observe, both front and back and the sound of a mechanical watch is more pleasing to hear. The accuracy of a new high end movement is within 1 s/d and is more than enough and the service interval is 10+ years. My new Omega gold watch and newly serviced old pocket watch, for example, I believe I can use a couple of days a year for the rest of my life.
I just like not having to swap batteries
which tissot is that blue or green ?
See? This is why we come here. For the philosophy, the story.
I’m the only one who noticed the small curly black dirty thingi on the Tissot, just above the date window? (1:50 minute)
Keep doing this and never mind the influencers.
I buy mostly quartz watches, and to save on the longevity of the battery life, when I am done using it, I pull out the crown, and push it back in when I am ready to wear that watch again. No point in the watch ticking if I ain't wearing it. One can say its redundant, but it's no different than if you're wearing a manual which will stop working after a couple of days if its not being used