Quartz Watches Are Better Than Mechanical | Watchfinder & Co. 

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I like tradition. That's why I wear a sun dial.

Actually mechanical movements were probably saved by something apparently even more fascinating than the movements themselves: Swiss watchmakers' marketing. Inefficiency was rebranded as " handmade" , and expensive production cost vs. quartz was rebranded as "luxury". Genius.

"We just don't care". Couldn't have said it better.

In my mind, automatics are cool only because they have the sweeping second hand and the see-thru case back where you see the mechanics at work. If an automatic doesn’t have a see-thru case back or open heart design, I tend to seek quartz due to accuracy, ease of use, and nowhere near as much service costs as even the cheaper automatics (like Seiko). And almost 90% of automatics on the market are mass produced, not hand assembled (even Rolex and Omega).

Quartz is for those who want a watch. Mechanical is for those who want watchmaking.

For me, a mechanical watch is a metaphor for my life and a relationship. If I take care of the watch it will take care of me. If I stop moving the watch stops moving. I have to occasionally adjust the time and date. But these things remind me that the watch, like me, is not perfect and I need to stop racing around and take a moment for self care. When I look at my watch I am reminded of all the little things that makes life keep going which I use to take for granted. I find tranquility, harmony and balance in a mechanical watch.

Mechanical watches are functional jewelry. Quartz watches are accurate tools, that can also be jewelry.

I love my mechanical watches . Yet, I'm mesmerized by my Seiko Marinemaster GPS solar watch also. A watch that gets it's power from the sun. A watch that looks to the heaven's for accuracy. A watch that knows where in the worlds it's located and adjusts the time accordingly. A perpetual calendar. Two time zones. A true representative of the advancements in horology.

This is like being in a room full of audiophiles and saying, “CD or Vinyl?” Lol

Mechanical is horseback riding and archery, quartz is driving the car. Mechanical watches are an anachronism, no longer needed but much loved for its tradition, feel and look among many other reasons just like the horse and the bow. Quartz and mechanical are not mutual exclusive.

If one is in military, or crossing the Pacific or Atlantic Ocean on a sailboat, or climbing a tall peak, a quartz watch would be best. However, yesterday's technology is today's art. Wearing an automatic movement is like wearing a metal heart on your wrist. It's story about technology from the middle ages repurposed during Renaissance and into essentially what was the first computer.

It depends on your rationale for wanting a watch. Quartz is better if you want to tell time. Mechanical is better if you want the only form of jewelry, except for a simple wedding band, socially-acceptable for traditional males. That may be cynical, but I'm convinced it's the main reason for high-end watches to survive.

Quartz is accurate. But mechanical is heritage. Quartz is a watch, mechanical is timepiece

"Quartz IS better than mechanical. We just don't care." Haha - nice

I think we made an art out of that obsolete piece of technology, this is what keeps it alive. The same way as painting is still alive when we could print drawings made on a computer.

Succinctly put,quartz is better, mechanical inefficient- but we just love it! The internals are totally mesmerising. Another great video!

Holy crap that Jaeger-LeCoultre movement is BREATHTAKING !!

What's the purpose of a watch?: Giving you the time. The more exact/accurate/precise a watch is, the better. The less maintenance it needs and, in such case, the fastest and cheapest, the better (less moving and friction/wear components). The more time it keeps running without the need of wearing it in a daily basis or otherwise to winding it, the better So yes, undoubtedly a quartz watch is better than a mechanical one. Morover, generally speaking they are even much cheaper. However I do love mechanical watches more than I do with quartz/battery operated ones (having both types, including Breitling Aerospaces and Emergencies). There's something in them (call it art, beauty, engineering skills, craftsmanship or whatever) that just keeps my admiration, because I can feel they are "alive" and need my care. Drawings made by a computer may be perfect in comparison to the subtle "imperfections" from those made by humans (Picasso, Goya, Velázquez, Sorolla, Monet, Rembrandt, Van Gogh...), but I just prefer a Sorolla or a Monet rather than that drawing made by Sonny in "I, Robot". Even though quartz watches are better, the industry of mechanical watches keeps going because most enthusiasts just LOVE them and PREFER them, even being anachronistic. The industry just produces (and makes profits) what clients demand. Period. Just my two cents.

I've had a Seiko 5 in the past. A really accurate one, too. It gained one second per 24h. But it really annoyed me that it stopped after not wearing it for 2 days, so I sold it. As of right now, I only wear solar watches, because they also have an interesting technological aspect to them and are more accurate and in general more practical than mechanicals. I kinda get the appeal of mechanical watches but it just doesn't do it for me. And who even came up with that "Wrist watches are not for telling the time anymore"?? That's exactly what I use them for, so I don't have to use my phone. Never understood that argument. I don't like that watch afficionados want everyone to buy an automatic. They are not better by any means.

When I was 17 (the summer before my senior year) I worked construction during the day, at a steakhouse at night & mowed lawns on my day off Sunday to save up & buy a motorcycle. 1 week before school started I walked into a Honda dealership & rode off in their best sport bike. It was the most technologically advanced bike they had. Others at the time were buying Harleys. They needed constant repair, they didn't perform well, were uncomfortable, broke down frequently & were more expensive. They said they were traditional, classic, representative, a work of art. I could outrun & outperform them, mine was reliable, durable & required little maintenance. I enjoyed speeding past the traditionalists while they struggled to push their works of art down the highway.

I started to crave mechanical in the 1970s, as soon as it became virtually impossible to buy a mechanical watch any more. I mean, just a few years previous, you could buy mechanical everywhere. Then almost over night they were gone. It was then I started to miss the old mechanical watches. I remember searching through Manhattan looking for one. Everyone looking at me like, "waddya want a mechanical watch for when it isn't gonna be as accurate as a brand spanking new quartz watch...?" Because I want one, was my answer. I felt the workmanship in a mechanical. I wanted the quiet little city of gears turning in an orderly and peaceable way right on my wrist which was otherwise immersed in a chaotic world. So...after some time I found a jewelry story in Lower Manhattan which, for the umpteenth time I made my request and received the same reply but, as I began to turn to go out the owner said, "wait! let me check in back..." and after a few minutes he came to the counter with a small box containing an Omega automatic which, as he didn't plan to sell any more, he sold to me for about $150, as I recall. I still have that watch and have loved it ever since...No quartz (and I have them) watch can do that for me...

A wonderful video!! I love and appreciate both, and I believe any watch lover end up liking both as they both are mesmerizing and amazing in their own way

Waiting new video upload from Watchfinder is part of my Wednesday ritual.

3:15 mind blown. My jaw dropped to the floor. As if the watch wasn't already amazing enough, the case pivots and can be locked in from both sides ! Superb video, long live the art of horology.

"We just don't care" Yet, Rolex owners are concerned why their $9,000 watches aren't nearly as accurate as a $29 Casio

Seiko spring drive best of both worlds!

My Casio has a ten year battery life. Nuts really compared to my 40 hour automatic 😂

For a vulcan, quartz is the only option. However, for a human, mechanical is usually more appealing, because humans are illogical and prefer looks, history and craftmanship over performance.

Spring Drive, baby! Best of both worlds

Some people, like me, are mechanical minded and are fascinated by gears and springs and whirling bits. The mechanical shown with it's skeletonized and sculpted frame is a beauty to look at. The quartz, however, without a dial is rather bland and boring. It's true that the quartz is more accurate, but there are quartz and digital clocks everywhere nowadays, and almost every one is different from another by minutes, so what's the big deal with a mechanical watch losing a few seconds?

It all depends: the only movement I dont have represented in my watch collection is Kinetic, so I cant really speak to that first hand. That said, I find with my lifestyle (working nights, always on-the-go, etc.), quartz just makes so much more sense than anything else... It is definitely more accurate & reliable-- and, yes, I'm taking battery changes into consideration. Thats why I have more than one quartz watch with staggered battery changes. Also, solar quartz watches are just awesome for that. Regretably, I just dont have time to 'reset' a mechanical or self-winding movement every time I need to leave the house, although I still do love them.

after buying expensive quarts for years i found an old hand winding watch that belongs to my father, i got it repaired to gift the watch back to him and .....................................now i have a collection of vintage mechanical watches so you sir summed it up clearly "we don't care" and might i add love this old technology.

I think it's very reminiscent of the digital music vs. vinyl records debate. Or perhaps similar to learning how to use a firesteel in the wild when camping instead of a lighter. A compass + map vs gps. The hardest, non-convinient oldschool option is often the most gratifying!

What is better: an old-fashioned oil painting with an antique gilded hand carved wood frame, or an high resolution photograph with an IKEA frame in your wall?

Well think of it this way. Got to live with the times. Technology had to advance at some point. In theory the quartz crisis should have never existed. Accurate time is a must. One must work smarter not harder. Eventually a mechanical spring will weaken. Things that work more efficiently should require less maintenance and with less friction. Quartz and digital watched are a living testimony to that. A mechanical watch always has to be tweaked especially if the lubrication oils dry. In a quartz or digital watch very little tweaking oiling or no oil at all is required. Technology is just evolving from gears to electromechanical and electromagnetic servos and stepper motors using a Rochelle salt Chrystal tuning for instead of an escapement

Nobody needs a watch nowadays having a mobile phone. If I buy a watch it is only because of it's beauty and the emotions it gives to me. That is why I use mechanical, it makes me have faith in humanity, we can create such an awesome piece of art.

Quartz may be more accurate, but it doesn't quite have the "soul" that a mechanical movement does.

i remember years ago when the computer finaly beat kasparov for a chess championship but we just went on playing any way not caring that a computer would beat the masters. we didn't care

Mechanical watches can, in theory, be repaired and maintained forever so they have heirloom cred’ - that’s the selling point. My Seiko divers quartz has kept perfect time since 1983 with a new battery every five years or so despite a hard life. But when it breaks down that’s it - Seiko don’t supply parts for it any more and no watchmaker can repair the electronics. But the mainstream luxury watches, Rolex, Omega etc. are now mass produced, if you want a true heirloom watch you are into six figure prices. So may as well buy quartz.

I enjoy very much both mechanical and quartz watches, but have drifted towards quartz watches over the years. I'm in love with my Casio Oceanus & will probably wear it until I eventually purchase a Grand Seiko Snowflake. Maybe it's just the 'phase' I'm in, but I find quartz to just be much better value for my purposes right now. I just can't justify forking over 1-3k for such basic mass produced movements most mechanical have in this range. The only mechanical that particularly excites me in my price range is a Grand Seiko that utilize spring drive.

I look forward to seeing new quartz timepieces that embrace the unique characteristics that quartz can bring alone, rather than imitating the mechanical movements. When a company can match this marvel with a mechanical movement, then we can appreciate the ingenuity and craftsmanship.

I have automatic watches going for twenty years still keeping 5 to 7 seconds a day that have never been serviced. When quartz can run that long with light or no light solar variant or straight battery than they are better than quartz. Spring Drive gives the best of both worlds and potentially makes it better than both.

It is true.. Quartz maybe or rather is better is many ways but the satisfaction a mechanical watch gives is amazing and not comparable... :) BTW I like both quartz and mechanical ;)

Good choice to use the Reverso as an example of a beloved mechanical watch. There's nothing else like it and the 30s design will never go out of style.

I’d rather have a Vacheron, AP or Patel quartz (they all make them) than a mass produced automatic from Rolex or Omega. They finish even their quartz movements to a very high standard and the rest of the watch - you know, the parts you actually interact with - are on a different level in terms of quality. Don’t get me wrong, all things being equal, I’ll take an automatic over a quartz, and a hand wound over either, but those people who categorically rule out quartz watches are either profoundly uneducated about watches or just...wrong. In any event, another great video and what a breathtaking JLC.

'We just don't care' - should we go and look for a highly sophisticated and expensive carriage in the era of hybrid and electric cars? and start worrying about how to keep the carriage in its mint condition? and the regular health check of the horses :) P.S. I love your channel and the hard work which goes on for producing top quality narration and video.

True, but the love of mechanical is a personal thing...similar to classic cars!

"WE JUST DON'T CARE'' was the best statement!

Unmentioned: Watch batteries if left sitting in the watch can leak, and ruin the watch. A mechanical movement can never do this. Also, batteries simply die. A dead quartz watch is a useless paperweight without a new battery. An automatic or HW can always be woken up simply by flicking your wrist or a few seconds of winding. Mechanical watches and vinyl have a lot in common. The automatic wrist watch and the first LP records were created around the same time, and both are incredibly archaic and complicated compared to modern digital alternatives. But it doesn't matter. Mechanicals are cool, and vinyl is cool. Quartz watches and CDs are not.

theres something beautiful about the past, i live in a cave

Mechanical watches are portable Rube Goldberg machines, that's what makes them so entertaining.

I build software for a living. I am always, endlessly surrounded by technology. But I do derive quite a lot of pleasure from the idea that my watch doesn't have battery or motors or soldering. It's old fashioned and antiquated but it carries a nostalgia that can't be replaced with efficiency.

G-shocks are the true marvels of engineering and craftsmanship because they do not break. They also do it without having to break your bank. So quartz ftw.

I don't like the inaccuracy and the high maintenance needs of mechanical watches. I'm a complete Quartz fan. But I understand the appeal of seeing that movement in motion, one that you're literally responsible for powering. You explained it very well!

While mechanical time pieces can't come close to the accuracy, or reliability of quartz. they have a certain charm that quartz time keepers just can't match.

Real solution: Watch makers convinced wealthy people to buy over priced antiquated watches for no other reason than to show off. Artificial market

When he drops "see if you can keep up" verse 🔥🔥(Eminem Diss)

never had to replace a battery on my 1970s rollie. Its never been cleaned or repaired and it functions wonderfully. Every couple months I have to move it a couple minutes back. No problem and is actually quite fun to wind it back. Was my grandpa's and will be my nephew's one day unless I have kids.

Advertising campaigns for “traditional timepieces” are keeping the mechanical watch alive, and advertising for quartz watches will eventually kill it.

Watched this video already several times and the last sentence always gets me and makes me proud..to be human?! Excellent Essay. Thank you.

The watch shown in this video is so beautiful ....

Quartz > mechanical

Mechanical watches are just a really big flex

Listening to your beautiful narrations is always such a joy!

If you want the best of both worlds. Take a seiko spring drive

A quartz watch is superior in keeping the time, a mechanical is superior in entertaining. There's something rather calming to a smooth second hand.

I've got both - a Tissot Seastar day-date automatic and a Seiko SQ quartz. The Seiko is more accurate but I prefer the way the second hand moves on the Tissot (6 beats per second, as opposed to one).

Mechanical over quartz anytime.

I have a 1955 Omega 505 constellation automatic that after being in drawer for years still starts up with a few side to side movements. Compare that to the large number of quartz watches taken out of drawer to wear for special accasion to find the battery has leaked and at the very least a new coil is now the order of the day. I know I am provoking remarks of ' well change the battery more often then' but it's that ' you can leave a mechanical in the drawer for five years and it'll still start that I find appealing over the quartz and whose to say in fifty years you will still be able to source batteries for today's quartz watches.

If only Oris and Omega would make a good quartz watch that had the same approach to build and detail that their automatic watch have--then I'd be very happy. But alas, they force us to believe that quality equals automatic and mechanical. And Swiss.

Yes, that's why I still ride my horse everywhere I go

I like your videos very much. Having said that, your statement at the beginning of this video is categorically wrong. Quartz watch are more precise yes! But not better. Quartz watches go trough a process of aging even without being used, and they fail much faster than mechanical parts. I have some 30 good quality quartz watches from the 80s. Eleven of them suffered electronic failure (not battery issues!). I have also a collection of vintage mechanical watches, all in working condition including a verge watch dating back to 1760. After I cleaned and oiled it, the watch works perfect (within +/- 60 sec a day). I want to see a 200 years old quartz watch, in working order. Patek has an advert, that you don't buy a Patek for yourself but for your further generations doesn't hold for Quartz!

I do care. A solar mechanical quartz driven is my choice. Eventually a springdrive.

Mechanical watches are works of art. They are marvels of engineering and craftsmanship. They are made for people with exceptional taste. It's not for everyone. People who can appreciate the labour that goes into making each timepiece.

holy god thats a breathtaking reverso movement..that decoration!

quatz might be better but you cant deny that a mechanical watch is a much more beautifull and more satisfying to look at, plus a mechanicam watch holds its value.

As someone who started his technical career in IT maintaining ST series mechanical calculators from Friden, then studied transistor theory and made the transition to the first Electronic Calculator - the Friden EC130, I enjoy refurbishing the ST machines, they are both fascinating and 100% redundant.

Mechanical/Automatic is ART - Quartz is TECHNOLOGY. Period. Both should be respected and collected in one's collection IMO.

Why don't you make a video on Smart-Watches which is so prevalent these days amongst consumers? I personally wear a Fossil Gen3. Would love to see your reviews and comments on Smart-Watches.

My wife recently replaced her 5 year old Tissot quartz for a new Rolex datejust. All she has to say about the Rolex is that she has to adjust it every week...oh and the bracelet is uncomfortable.

Want precision? Go for quartz. No one says you're wrong. Want something that last a lifetime? Go for mechanical. A quartz watch is like a super car with its engine shroud on. A mechanical car is like an old classic with wires and engine blocks to be seen.

Quartz is only better at time-keeping. So if you watch exists solely for the purpose of keeping the time, then quartz is better. But most people who would ever be watching this video have a watch as a piece of jewelry, and all those shiny metal bits in a mechanical movement make for better jewelry than the electronic bits in a quartz watch.

I don't own a mechanical watch however as I understand it the appeal is similar to that as fountain pens, film photography and vinyl. There are quicker cleaner ways to listen to a piece of music but you don't get that warmth, you could write with a biro pen but you don't get the line variation and as for film photos well the grain speaks for itself. Are my assumptions correct or am I way off kitler?

What is the function of a watch? To show me the time. Quartz will show me the time more accurately and while taking a harder beating than any mechanical, so it is better at being a watch. Mechanicals are only good at being art, and for some people, that is enough to prefer it.

Mr Watch Finder. Please contact me re my fathers 1970-72 Seiko automatic winding watch. It still works! Has never broken and he’s worn it every day since 1970-72! He’s now 98 years old and is a superhuman because his health is excellent, lives alone, and can still drive. I’ve thought about contacting Seiko. Is my story rare? How has this very new technology magnificent watch survived nearly 50 years? I welcome any comments. I will try and photograph the watch on my next visit with him.

Why hasnt anyone pointed out that the comparison is irrelevant? That was made intentionally, but, honestly, it can work out with noobies only. We had a 30k JLC and a quartz caliber from a 50 buck watch. Why wasnt that a JLC vs a quartz Patek? Or at least a Grand Seiko? And the same the other way: why not a bare Sellita vs that quartz one? The answer is too obvious.

Quartz didn't make mechanical watches obsolete. Just because it's better at time keeping it doesn't mean it completely replaces mechanical movements. These days, mechanical movements are all about art. Most such watches have one way or another of showing off the movement. With those, it's not about time keeping, it's about the statement they make. It's the same reason why we don't abolish painting and burn all the Rembrandts just because we have crystal clear digital cameras.

I don't understand why people say that mechanical watches are marvels of engineering today. I mean, yes of course mechanical watches have beautiful complexities & they were incredible engineering for their own time. But quartz watches are far superior, with their technology giving you accuracy at a lesser price. Personally I adore them both & have them in my collection, but I always wear the quartz on the job & mechanical at a celebratory event like a wedding. Functionality is much more important to me than aesthetics. In any case, which one you prefer depends on personal perspective.

For Beater ...??!! Quartz take the Crown... (Reliable, Affordable, Accurate) i love both movement tho

Nobody with a mechanical watch cares about the time they just care about the craftmenship and the looks if they want to see the accurate time they just look at there phones!

I was so mesmerized by the Reverso that I was already saying 'I don't care' in my mind throughout the whole "Quartz is better' explanation.

From a practical perspective, not all quartz watches are born equal. Aside from different quality standards between swiss, german, japanese, american or chinese, watches using additional mechanical or solar technology (kinetic, spring drive, eco drive...) offer extra value. Lets see a special on your topselling luxury quartz timepieces, would be interesting...

The mechanical watch is a work of mechanical-art. Fewer are used. They are very expensive and less accurate, but oh so fascinating.

Its like this. Quartz is a photography, Mechanical is a painting. Mr Joe vs Leonardo Da Vinci make your pick. ;)

"...yes, quartz is better than mechanical --we just don't care!!!"...a delicious video just like all of yours! ...congrats!

Better is when you don't have to spend $15 per watch per battery. I have a Seiko Perpetual Kinetic with 100 year date calendar. It can go to sleep for up to four years, then move it, and the hands go to the correct time. The calendar will need to be re calibrated in the year 2100. Even my son will never need to adjust the date. Automatic is magic because no more money to spend, but a beautiful quartz diver at low cost is a great asset.

Not sure if I come here because I love the music, your voice, or watches. Heck maybe it's all 3.

can you talk about tissot? you guys are amazing :)

Quartz is good for a work watch. The quartz movement is often less damaged by shock than an automatic movement. So I wear a quartz watch if I have to do any heavy lifting. As soon as I get home, I take it off and put on my favorite watches.