Warning: the following commentary may offend long time watch collectors with quartz watches in their collection. If you like & collect quartz watches, please stop watching this video right now, as it may cause you to pound your keyboard, kick your cat, cuss out your grandparents, your parents or generally have a complete psychological break.
The argument that mechanical watches have a "soul" is just dumb. They are both dead machnines powered by either electric or kinetic force. Something spinning doesnt give a watch a soul. And i write that, wearing an open heart watch right now. Mechanical watches are cool for a lot of reasons, but they dont have "soul". Like them or not, quarz made watches affordable to a lot of people, especially those with complications like chronographs. Want a swiss made chronograph, here 2000chf and up. Microbrands thought, made it a lot more affordable for mechanic complications, and the chinese as well.
I definitely prefer mechanical watches, my first preference is hand-wind watches, as I have a couple of watches and I like to rotate them. But I really like my Eco-Drive Solar quartz watch, as I always take one with me on trips, and wear one around the house as a beater watch, it is more functional but less interactive. Great one buddy!
Nice place to record! You are right about your statements but there are a few exceptions: Bulova Accuquartz/Accutron with tuning fork movements, Omega constellations with the same movmnts and the Bulova’s patent lettering inside, Rolex Oysterquartz, some Seikos and Breitling Aerospace. Quartz watches are more accurate and practical if you have a big rotation and leave home in a hurry. Anyway autos are my preference.
I guess it depends on what you need your watch to do. If you need your watch to be atomic clock accurate, only need maintenance every few decades and be bullet proof; some quartz watches are the way to go. I'm a railroader and we had a guy who was pulled out of service because his watch was two minutes slow as compared to the PTC. It was BS that it happened; but that didn't change the fact that the guy lost a couple grand. My Casio G-Shock GWG-100 has fit the bill. It's a radio watch I haven't set in 5 years. It's solar and supposed to last 25 years. The most automatic watch I've ever owned. Had it out in 20 below and 95 degree temps. It just hums away. I still carry various mechanical watches and swap watches out when I'm off duty, however. I do love my mechanicals, but I set them all to that Casio. Climbing on cars and bouncing the G-shock off brakes hasn't killed it. It was even on my wrist when I was clipped by a high and wide 4 years ago and the watch took some of that impact. Yard job shoving on hands who didn't alert us. I dropped three and turned in just enough time to see the car shoving in the adjacent track. Spun me around and knocked me off my feet. A whole lot shaken and a bit bruised, but fine. The watch didn't have a mark on it. I don't suggest testing your watch in that way. How many people can say their watch was hit by a train and still works?
I disagree. I'm a hugh fan of solar quartz watches from Seiko, Casio and Citizen. Also if you open an ani dig solar watch you'll find it far from "simple". Its a complex layering of boards and micro motors. I see the appeal of mechanical watches. I really do. But I found my taste lies in quartz stuff. its probably cause I'm a child of the 80s and 90s where quartz was never looked down on. Heck most of the watches we wanted had features like Indiglo and digital alarms and stop watches. Hell EVERYONE wanted a calculator watch.
I can understand the appeal of the mechanics of a quartz watch just it never grabbed my attention. And yes maybe it's all a matter of prospective because I grew up with everything being a motherboard so my escape was things that weren't tech. Where as the 80s tech was the rage
The big problem I have with Quartz watches, if you have a large colection it gets expensive replacing batteries I just spent $400.00 Ausy dollars replacing batteries. For 35 watches.
Bill, I prefer automatics but have come to appreciate some quartz watches too. I have several older quartz watches that I have collected because they represent an inflection point in watch making. For example the citizen cosmotron which combines elements of mechanical watches with quartz. I also have some newer quartz watches that I wear because I can beat the snot out of them and not worry if they break.
I live down in Ft Myers but I grew up in the Newton/Waltham area. I used to get samiches at a bakery on Main St. called Domenic's . Friggin incredible! I miss the food up there! Stella's pizza in Watertown, best in the USA! Fugghediboudit!
for me mechanical watches are the fidgets but the quartz are the actual true tool watch that you can use since they can hold time close to 100 times better if not more ....
Why automatic watches are king? Because they don't wanna open the threaded caseback of a quartz watch, especially dive watches, opening the caseback can wear out the gasket, unless you put another gasket after you put a new battery in your quartz watches, that's what happened to my 100m Swiss Made Bulova quartz Marine Star chronograph from the 90s, with a rebuildable ETA caliber 251.262, the buttons are stuck & cannot pop up like they used to, the mineral crystal has lots of scratches, the aluminum tachymetre bezel are somewhat worn out, the ETA 251.262 caliber's corroded, the watch is pretty well used & in a sad state of disrepair. The Swiss Bulova Marine Star chronographe is one of the watches that got me into watch collecting, one of the watches from my childhood. My dad won't allow me to get the ETA 251.264 for my watch. There are some quartz chrono watches which chrono systems are not accurate anymore, the hands slip, they're stuck, those are the issues you would have with quartz chronos, especially vintage quartz watches. Automatic chronos avoid that, i don't have to open the threaded caseback watch to change the battery, they address problems most quartz chronos have. But automatic chrono divers ain't cheap or affordable. I've been looking for an affordable Swiss chrono dive watch to replace my Bulova. Something with ETA caliber. Jory Goodman AKA The Time Teller did some videos. Everything i wish i knew before buying a quartz watch. Everything i wish i knew before buying a vintage watch. 10 mistakes every watch collector makes. Impulse buying, jumping right into vintage watches. He might be right about gobbling up vintage watches, it's just a very different game & it can turn into a mine field, authenticity issues, reliability issues.
Great Great comment and it completely makes sense. I love a good auto over quartz mine is 100% based on an emotional experience and less of a mechanical but I also look like look of the sweeping seconds
@@NotAWatchSnobquartz chrono watches, the chronograph hands might not work properly, the hands might match with the indexes, that's the problem you face with some quartz chrono watches, especially vintage chronos. Automatic chronos work properly, old &/or new, vintage &/or modern. Many automatic chronos ain't cheap.
Automatic chronograph watches ain't cheap. That's why a lot of low income watch collectors buy a lot of quartz watches, especially very good quartz chrono watches. Ronda, ETA, which, i like ETA, especially their rebuildable 251.264 caliber, things like that.
Interesting video Bill. I do prefer a mechanical watch for a simple time/date 3 handed watch. But I do like quartz for chronographs which often need the accuracy; and usually have a small sub-dial for the ticking second hand. I do also like solar quartz and COSC high accuracy quartz watches. It should be ‘mechanical’ not ‘automatic’ at the start of your video, before John Harwood invented the automatic watch in 1923.
Hey bill Tissot prx quartz version around 300 dollars In that price we can get 2 vostok Or 1 seiko Or 1 orient Or 1 citizen automatic Or 2 Alba Or atleast a Chinese seagull Why all swiss brands always want to hole our pockets Can u explain why people crazy for swiss quartz also
But i wont lie My heart beat for rolex datejust I love that watch. Surely one day i will get my ⌚ These bloody Ads are enemies of my love.. do something bro
Quartz watches are objectively superior to mechanical ones. Their history is incredible, revolutionizing timekeeping with unmatched precision and low maintenance. A high-end quartz watch with thermo-compensation adapts to temperature changes, just like our bodies regulate temperature, making it more in tune with our complexity. Quartz movements combine mechanical precision with electrical efficiency, reflecting the harmony of our mechanical, hormonal, and electrical systems. Plus, they are soulful in their reliability and innovation, consistently providing accurate time, mirroring the human quest for perfection, they are just more fun to wear. Quartz is the way, why settle for a basic souless mechanical watch when you can have a high end quartz that's geniunly special and beats so much faster in a much more meaningful way. Quartz is beautiful, mechanical is cold and frankly boring. Quartz is for real the watch enthusiast who appreciate horologyical innovation mechanical is for people who are happy following the crowd regurgitating other's opinions.
@@NotAWatchSnob There's far more beauty in a quartz watch. In essence, while mechanical watches may appeal to traditionalists swayed by marketing, quartz watches resonate with true connoisseurs who appreciate the sophistication and soulful high-frequency beat of modern horology driven by a quartz crystal. The purity and elegance of quartz cannot be replaced by an unsophisticated purely mechanical movement.
@cunawarit how can you say a quartz watch is more estheticly pleasing then a automatic/manual there's just no comparison. Hence why very few brands have exposed casebacks for quartz watches. Also furthermore, quartz watches use such cheap components. They're just technology and have a blip of history compared to manual or auto. Next you'll tell me your tv clicker is beautiful because there's probably the same parts in that as in your watch.
@@NotAWatchSnob There are two elements to consider here. Firstly, you might be overlooking some truly beautiful quartz movements. Take, for instance, the F.P. Journe Élégante Calibre 1210. Its design features flowing traces reminiscent of the early days of computer engineering, where each trace was meticulously hand-drawn by an engineer. The heart within these traces is not merely decorative; it's a functional motion sensor. This movement is a masterpiece of both engineering and design, embodying aesthetic and functional beauty. Even less elaborate movements, such as the Grand Seiko 9F82 or the Omega 1332, are remarkable. They showcase neat packaging and precision, with each component fitting perfectly to ensure the watch is serviceable. You can see the love and care that went into creating these marvels of design, far removed from the simplicity of a $50 Casio. Secondly, there's an inherent beauty in a watch driven by a crystal beating at 32,768 times per second. A watch regulated by such a high-frequency crystal is far more captivating, almost like something out of science fiction. The higher the beat, the more life, and thus, the more soul it possesses.
Waltham is alive and well. It never died. In the 1950s they opened a swiss office and a factory. As the usa office went under the Swiss waltham office and plant kept going like the Energiser bunny. You can get a waltham with swiss movement and all for about $1000.
What is this guy going on about? Lots of people collect old cell phones. He doesn't, nor do I for that matter, but a bunch of people do indeed collect them.
@@NotAWatchSnob I have no idea why they collect them, but some people do collect cell phones and other vintage computer and electronic technology. People like different things .
