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Quartz or Mechanical

All watches are either quartz or mechanical. Quartz watches, far more common than mechanical ones, are powered by electricity stored in battery and keep time by means of a tiny piece of quartz that oscillates (with rare exceptions) at the rate of 32,768 times per second. Most quartz watches show time by means of an analog display, i.e., dial and rotating hands.

Some quartz watches, however, have digital displays, nearly always LCDs of the type used in all manner of electronic devices - dashboard clocks, VCR timers, etc. Still other quartz watches have both analog and digital readouts, enabling them to display several pieces of information simultaneously. These are called “anadigi” watches.

Mechanical watches are powered by a spring called the “mainspring” which transmits energy as it gradually unwinds. Like quartz watches (and all other types of timepieces, for that matter), mechanical watches keep time by means of an oscillator. In this instance, it’s a small wheel called the “balance wheel” mounted on a staff. The wheel moves to and fro very quickly -- 28,800 times per hour in most watches made today. The balance wheel’s oscillations are controlled by a tiny, delicate spring called the “balance spring” or “hairspring.”

There are two types of mechanical watches. T he more common is the “automatic,” or “self-winding” watch. An automatic watch, sometimes labelled as such on the watch dial, is equipped with a fan-shaped rotor that swings on a pivot in response to the motion of the wearer’s arm. The swinging of the rotor winds the watch’s mainspring and keeps the watch running. Many automatic watches have transparent so-called “display” or “exhibition” backs, made of synthetic sapphire, that enable one to see the rotor as it spins.

Automatic watches need no manual winding provided they are worn for 12 hours or so per day, and hence subjected to enough motion to keep the mainspring wound. If an automatic watch is left unworn for a day or two, it will stop running and will need to be wound up by means of the winding crown on the side of the watch. (A few very rare and expensive automatics will run unworn for a week or more). That’s why some automatic-watch owners keep their watches on electronically powered watch winders, which rotate the watches for a few hours at a time, thus eliminating the need not just for hand winding but for resetting the time, and, on calender watches, the date.

The other type of mechanical watch is a “manual-wind” watch, also called a “hand-wound” or “wind-up” watch. It must be wound up regularly, usually once a day, by means of the crown.

Which should you buy, mechanical or quartz? It’s the first decision a watch shopper needs to make, and it’s not always so easy.

Quartz watches are more accurate, no question. That’s because the oscillations of a quartz crystal are faster and steadier than those of a balance wheel. A quartz watch of average quality will as a rule gain or lose no more than 10 seconds per month. Mechanical watches, on the other hand, are typically off by several minutes per month.

Another difference: quartz watches never need winding. Nearly all, however, must have their batteries changed occasionally. Most run on silver oxide batteries, which generally last two or three years. Some watches are designed to accommodate special long-life lithium batteries, which run for about a decade.

Two relatively new types of quartz watches don’t need to have the batteries replaced. Their batteries are recharged either by light, or, like automatic watches, by the motion of the wearer’s arm. In a light-powered watch, light enters the watch through the watch dial. A solar cell beneath the dial converts the light into electricity, which is stored in a cell. The other type of no-battery-change quartz watch, called “motion-powered,” is equipped with a tiny rotor that spins in response to motion, generating electricity.

Another difference between quartz and mechanical watches is the amount of maintenance required to keep them in good working order. Mechanical-watch movements generally need cleaning and lubricating every three to five years. The owner’s booklet that comes with the watch will specify recommended service intervals.

Quartz movements, which have few parts and are subject to less stress because they are powered electronically rather than mechanically, need little or no attention. (Dirt can nonetheless accumulate on the gears of an analog quartz movement and cause it to lose time. The movement should be cleaned if the watch is valuable enough to justify the expense of doing so.)

Given the advantages that quartz watches offer over mechanical ones, why do millions of consumers worldwide buy mechanical watches each year?

That’s easy. Many watch wearers prefer the old-time craftsmanship that mechanical technology represents. They appreciate the ingenuity and tireless labour that went into perfecting it: a parade of horological geniuses spent centuries developing the mechanical movement as we know it today. These watch fans enjoy the comforting tick, tick, tick as the watch counts out the time.

Then there’s the prestige factor. If you want to impress others with your watch savoir faire, a mechanical watch is almost always a better bet than a quartz one. Furthermore, some of the most sought-after watch brands -- Rolex, Patek-Philippe, Blancpain, A.Lange & Sohne, Girard-Perregaux, Audemars Piguet to name just a few devote all or most of their production to mechanical timepieces.

So, which is better, quartz or mechanical? The unsatisfying answer is neither. It all depends on what you want in a watch.

Quartz or Mechanical

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