Watches: What is Quartz, Automatic, Mechanical, Hand Wind? 

Thanks. I'm glad it helped you.

Thanks for your kind comments. I happy that my short video helps you.

Thank you for the compliment.

Automatic watches bother me because they are not so accurate, need expensive maintenance / servicing and stop if not worn for a while.

​@@lawrencetendler7747 +Judeman Art two very good opinions there

Thank you for your kind comment.

Thanks for your compliment. I am glad that you appreciate it.

If you are looking for accuracy of time, quartz is the best choice. In general, a $200 quartz watch will easily outperform a $2000 mechanical watch in terms of accuracy. You could find exceptions if you look hard enough: a very good mechanical movement (Rolex, Omega, etc.) might beat a really poor quality quartz movement. A good mechanical watch might be accurate to a couple of seconds a day but a high end quartz watch can be accurate to a couple of seconds a month or even a couple of seconds per year.

@@mikekent7724 It means Japan and swiss movement regarding mechanical watch are better than all . Thank you so much for your response.

You are welcome.

+Ahmed7Jazi There are chronographs in each category. Most affordable chronographs are quartz. There are also many choices of automatic chronographs, often $1000 or more. If you want a hand wind chronograph, the Omega "moon watch" is an excellent choice.

Thanks for the compliment.

There are some quartz movements that have a smoother sweeping hand like a mechanical. The easiest to find are Bulova Precisionist and some Bulova Accutron. In luxury watches (big money) the Seiko Spring drive is fantastic.

Most automatic watches have a power reserve of about 40 hours. If you wear it for a day, it should be fully wound. Then when you take it off, it will run for about 40 more hours before it stops.

Synthspike Thanks, that's useful info for someone who's interested in buying an automatic watch.

panchoskywalker It's not so bad when you own one Automatic and you wear it daily. But what usually happens is that you become a watch collector because it's fun! And then you wind up with all these watches that need, well, "wound up"! :) They make powered watch winders for Automatic Mechanical watches where you fasten the watch to a pad inside the case and it gently spins the watch in both directions to keep it wound for you. They make these with multiple pods so if you have multiple auto's you can keep them all ready to go. If you go with a straight mechanical (hand wind) then you will have to keep it hand wound.

Your watch probably needs an overhaul. At least it could be calibrated for accuracy. Mechanical watches need to be serviced and oiled like a car's engine. Most manufacturers recommend an overhaul once every 5 years but I usually stretch that to 7 or 8. Then the repairer should do a calibration on it to make it more accurate. You can expect a good automatic to be accurate within 10 seconds a day. Some don't match that accuracy but most can be within 30 seconds a day.

Synthspike Thanks for the reply man, and how much would an overhaul like that approximately cost on a Seiko 5 for instance (my watch)?

Kostas1601 Servicing an Automatic Mechanical or straight Mechanical, prices will vary from the low side of say 50 dollars to the high side of $200. I wouldn't go cheap and I wouldn't go expensive (unless it was a high end watch). I own numerous Seiko 5's and I don't think I would spend too awful much for a service (that's why I am learning to service my own). I don't think I paid more than $80.00 each for my Seiko 5's straight out of Japan.

All quartz watches use some kind of battery. Most have a battery that needs to be replaced every few years. You can get long life batteries that last about 10 years. Then there are quartz watches with rechargeable battery. Some use solar power to keep a charge: Citizen Ecodrive is a common series. Some use motion to charge he battery: Seiko Kinetic is a common series. But I don't know of a quartz that is also an automatic mechanical. If I needed a military watch I would choose a Casio Protrek with Solar Power and Atomic Time keeping or a G-Shock with those features.

Solar powered quartz movement. In theory, if you give it 8 minutes of day light a day, it'll last 30-50 years before you have to change the battery in it. If not in use - not charged, the battery life time is dramatically reduced, just like when you let your car battery go flat.

Mike Kent The Seiko Spring-Drive is a Mechanical Automatic with a secondary Quartz Regulator.

I don't know the cost. It is a discontinued model Baume Mercier Classima Executive 8735. I bought mine used 5 years ago and Swiss watch prices have gone up noticeably since then.

Who cares, it's the beauty and the incredible craftsmanship that goes into mechanical watches which makes them so appealing. Its more of a statement than a time keeper

You are welcome. I'm glad my simple video is helpful.

Happy to help.

thanks for the prompt response i do have the exact model but the dial is plain white with the hands are silver

I am not sure exactly but I got in about 2010. Model is Classima Executive 8735

I own many of all types of watches, as you can see in my videos including the one above. Quartz certainly makes most sense for most people. If you want the least expensive to maintain (a battery every few years) then quartz is most worry free. If you want something that looks good, the movement inside is basically hidden anyway. Quartz is great, I'm wearing a quartz watch as I type this. But I still admire old style mechanical watches. I can't fully explain the attraction of mechanical movements for everyone but to me there is something admirable about a tiny machine made of springs, sprockets, gears, and levers, balanced on pin point ends of tiny jewels. It's all moving parts, no electronics, no battery, , all technology from the days before electricity and electronics. Modern engineering makes mechanical movements better than they used to be but the essence is a tiny machine that has evolved on ideas and discoveries over centuries.

Synthspike thanks guys both have been a ton of help. I personally own both but i have more quartz just because i am new and dont want to sink money into something until i know it will be a long term thing

Yea great point. If I had 4k going towards something I would put it towards travel long before a watch

Synthspike wow that was very well said, thank you for your feedback, much appreciated!

Well I just think quartz takes the beauty out of clocks and watches and I just love the beautiful brass gears in mechanical clocks and watches but I suppose most people don't really care about that

It is Baume & Mercier Classima Executive 8735

Synthspike Thanks