1. They Think Quartz Lacks Craftsmanship
Many watch collectors believe machines stamp out all quartz watches on an assembly line. They think quartz lacks the “soul” of a hand-made mechanical watch.
Our watchmaking expert, Mr. Aiman Moner, says that high-accuracy quartz (HAQ) requires intense human effort. He gives an example of the Grand Seiko, which grows its own in-house quartz crystals.
The company tests and ages these crystals for 90 days to ensure stable performance. Once ready, two master watchmakers hand-assemble the Grand Seiko 9F movement. Therefore, this level of dedication takes just as much skill as manufacturing a traditional mechanical watch.
2. They Hate the One-Second Tick
Watch lovers praise the smooth sweep of a mechanical second hand, and they argue that the jerky, one-second tick of a quartz watch looks cheap. But Aiman Moner believes that’s wrong. First, jumping seconds, also called deadbeat seconds, is a highly respected mechanical feature.
For example, brands like A. Lange & Sohne charge thousands of dollars for mechanical watches that tick exactly like quartz. Second, not all quartz watches tick once per second. The Bulova Precisionist movement sweeps at 16 beats per second. That makes it twice as smooth as a modern Rolex Submariner.
Read: How to Spot a Fake Rolex
3. They Assume All Quartz is Cheap Plastic
Some collectors think a quartz movement is just a five-dollar plastic circuit board. I talked to Mr. Aiman about this belief of watch collectors. He replied that luxury watchmakers build high-end quartz movements with premium metals and complex engineering.
For instance, F.P. Journe manufactured the Elegante, a luxury quartz watch with a mechanical motion detector. So, if the watch sits still for 35 minutes, it goes to sleep to save battery life. When you pick it up, the hands instantly snap to the exact current time. Keep in mind that this watch sells for tens of thousands of dollars.
4. They Believe Quartz Watches Can’t Be Heirlooms
Collectors usually say a mechanical watch lasts forever, but a quartz watch dies when the circuit board fails. That’s wrong. Here at ChronoStreet, our watch repair experts have opened hundreds of watches and repaired them.
High-end quartz movements are built to outlast us. The Grand Seiko 9F movement features a super-sealed cabin, which prevents dust and moisture from entering the gear train when a watchmaker changes the battery.
Grand Seiko estimates this movement can go 50 years before needing a full service. Likewise, many Rolex Oysterquartz watches from the 1970s still run perfectly today because they feature thick and highly finished metal gears.
5. They Dislike the Hassle of Battery Changes
Opening a watch every two years to change a battery feels annoying. Snobs say this ruins the luxury experience. Solar technology has mostly solved this problem. The Citizen Eco-Drive absorbs light through the dial to charge a power cell and can run for months in total darkness without ever needing a battery change.
Moreover, Seiko’s Spring Drive movement combines both worlds by using a mechanical mainspring to generate electricity for a quartz oscillator. You get quartz accuracy with zero batteries.
6. They Blame Quartz for the Quartz Crisis
Cheap quartz watches almost destroyed traditional Swiss watchmaking in the 1970s and 1980s. Enthusiasts still hold a grudge over this event. Quartz actually saved the Swiss watch industry. It wiped out the market for average mechanical watches and forced Swiss brands to adapt.
In fact, they started marketing mechanical watches as high-end luxury art instead of basic tools. Moreover, a plastic quartz watch called the Swatch was released in 1983. It sold millions of units and generated the cash that kept the Swiss watch industry alive.
7. They Think Quartz Movements Can’t Be Serviced
If a cheap quartz movement breaks, you throw it away and buy a new one. Watch snobs assume this applies to all quartz watches. Luxury brands like Cartier, Omega, and Breitling offer full service for their high-end quartz movements. Watchmakers take the movement apart, replace worn-out metal gears, apply fresh oils, and test the electronics.
Breitling’s SuperQuartz is thermo-compensated, which means it measures temperature changes and adjusts its frequency to stay highly accurate. Thus, it keeps time within 10 seconds a year. You don’t throw away that level of engineering. Instead, you maintain it.
Also Read: Types of Watch Movements
