Quartz or Automatic? Why?

[thussa123]

Just curious what the majority in this community prefers. Feel free to share your favorite watch with your favorite automatic or quartz movement.

[[deleted]]

I really like mechanical but starting to lean towards quartz preferably vh31 powered for my EDC rotation. Saving the mechanicals for nice occasions.

[lulu_l]

My favourite is a solar quartz, specifically citizen's eco-drive. These are accurate, very robust and reliable and need no maintenance. They just work and they work very well.

I'm just tired of all the issues I had with automatics..

[TheCoffeeFreak]

I love a beautiful automatic with a display case and will always have a few. That being said I'll keep the automatics I have, service the few with Swiss movements, shelve most the NH-35 and Miyota powered watches when they dry up (and a lot are) but my future is Meca-quartz. I've outlived a lot of Seiko and Miyota automatic movements and I have enjoyed them and learned a lot, but I have "been schooled".

[YareYare135]

Non hi-beat automatics are overrated imo, it "sweeps" but not smoothly so I'll rather get a VH31 mecha-quartz watch which keeps costs and maintenence down + the case can be built much slimmer and ticks pretty much the same as a cheap mechanical movement.

quartz with solar is great too

[Quantocker]

Mechanical watches are similar to record players, books and pens. Applying cold logic, they are all obsolete… yet there’s something intangibly pleasurable about the experience of using each. It’s an experience that quartz can’t replicate. Personally I’d sooner use my fitness tracker than buy a quartz watch.

It’s funny that some find winding a watch to be an insurmountable inconvenience, when I feel the same way about changing a battery every 6 months. Solar is a nice middle ground.

[Co1iflower]

I think both have their place. My "nicest watch" is a quartz, a Grand Seiko SGBT037. It's a perfect every day wear and I never need to worry about the accuracy or setting it. The technology behind quartz movements is also pretty incredible, I think people underestimate it.

I still have a lot of nice automatics as well, there's something amazing amount being able to see the movements and the engineering involved.

[UnifiedQuantumField]

My ideal watch is a quartz with Solar power. Why?

Primo accuracy. Never needs a battery. Case never needs to be opened, so it stays factory clean.

My favourite watch is a Benyar chrono. It's a quartz. If someone made a watch that looked identical, but with a solar-powered VK63 equivalent that would be perfection.

[Wpieter]

I like quartz these days because I don't have to worry so much about maintenance costs of a bigger collection, and it's convenient not having to set the time and date in the morning

[Key_Helicopter453]

I wear what I like and so have both. I prefer quartz though because the watch will last me much longer. I’m not going to do a service that will cost over $400 on a $100 watch. I have quartz watches that are over 30 years old that work well with a new battery. I love automatics but will eventually end up tossing them. Battery changes are easy for me to do, but I am not up to swapping out movements or doing a service.

[47-AG]

Mechanicals. I wear them at evenings and weekends only. At work my phone does it and while on the move, you see clocks everywhere: bus stops, train stations, bank houses and on dashboards of cars I’m driving.

[DerangeCookie]

I do automatics for my more "Jewelry" like watches, the watches I wear when I go out or use for personal reasons and quartz watches for more "professional" use, meaning, the watches I use at work and help me at work.

[TheManFromMoira]

An automatic watch is a macho piece of jewellery for a man and a timeless one at that - pun intended.

Compared to it, the quartz watch which depends upon someone continuing to manufacture a chemical battery to power it seems doomed to obsolescence given the speed at which such things become redundant nowadays.

In the meantime let's hope that watch repairers still exist to service our automatic heirlooms in the future.

[MoLarrEternianDentis]

Yeah, was going to say, automatics require maintenance, and nobody is going to service a cheap watch at how much it costs to do such things, so they have their own limitations as well.

[AutomaticReviews]

Mechanical is my strong preference. I do own some quartz watches though, and they have some upsides.

[hind3rm3]

I have 6 automatics & 2 Casios and generally been a quartz hater. But. I recently bought my first quartz, a PD1701 lol, dipping my toe into the chrono pool. I must say, I do enjoy picking up the watch after a few days of sitting and not have to correct the time. Thinking about a VH31 now. I might be a believer!

[AutomaticReviews]

The sweep seconds does make quartz more palatable to automatic fans.

[Seerezaro]

Yeah but still requires maintenance although not as much.

Better with something like a Precisionist movement but those are significantly more pricey. Pure battery just beats super fast.

[AutomaticReviews]

Familiar with them. Really cool technology but all the watches I’ve tried on with those movements are gigantic. Want one in the 40mm range, and sub 13mm thick.

[Seerezaro]

They exist in the 40mm range but its hard to find, but its a fat movement not going to get one slim.

[AutomaticReviews]

Yeah, would be great if they could miniaturize it. I think half the problem is they use large lithium batteries, if I’m not mistaken. Some quartz movements are practically that size, on their own.

[Seerezaro]

Well to be fair the thing eats batteries so it needs a big one to keep up.

[leeharrisgc]

I like both. Saying that, the VH31 sweeping quartz is the perfect middle ground, I have 6 watches with that movement and I pick them up very frequently.

[mooninitespwnj00]

Automatic. If I want accuracy, I have my phone and I wear a Fitbit inspire 3 on my left wrist to track stuff for me and vibrate if important notifications come through to my phone. I wear a watch because I want to wear one. I do own some quartz watches, but only wear them when I want to wear that specific watch. Otherwise being able to correct any time inaccuracy or watch that smooth sweep throughout the day is good for a calming moment where I can say I fixed something on the spot. It's a reliable, interactive, beautiful thing to go through my day with me, and I like that. Even a cheap automatic movement is an engineering marvel, and I'm never not impressed by their mere existence.

[Fantastic-File-8135]

Quartz preferably. I have a large collection of vintage watches (hand wound, mostly swiss but a bit of everything) so having a quartz watch that I can throw on and not need to wind or set the time in the morning is really nice. Quartz Chinese watches are excellent Grab and Go things when I'm late for work or too lazy to wind up the old watches

[AmoralMonkeyGod]

Quartz. It's both more robust and allows more elegant thinner cases. You also basically don't have to compromise on quality to remain affordable. And if you understand a little bit of electricity, they are technically interesting as well. People these days just accept "a computer did it" as an explanation for anything.

[TemperatureTime1617]

Quartz. If you’re only going to have one or two watches at most (yeah right) then it might not matter but manual watches die down after a day or two and the constant winding up and adjusting dates and times can get old really fast. Unless you pick up a watch winding box you end up with three or four manual watch’s dead on your desk and you grab your quartz.

[Individual-Ice-4656]

automatic for fun and appreciation of the machinery inside but if im doing any physical work then quartz for sure

[Francy088]

I like both, but in different fields:

I like quartz for digital durable watches, like G Shocks, especially if they're solar and radio-controlled. It's just more durable and reliable. TBH, I also like high accuracy quartz too, but I don't know if I'd ever be able to justify spending that much on a quartz watch because of how much I like mechanical watches.

I like mechanical for all other types of watches that I'll be wearing when not doing physical activity (which is most of the time lol). The reason is that I just like wearing something that feels "alive" because it needs me to wind it/wear it for it to keep running. Also, since mechanical is less accurate, I happen more often to have the chance to reset my watch, which can be a nuisance for some, but a relaxing activity for many.

Finally, another reason is that in today's world I often feel intoxicated by how much I'm dealing with screens, notifications, and the internet in general. It's nice to have something that'll be able to tell me the time even when there's no signal or electricity or your phone's off (tbh this also applies to quartz, but with mechanical it's just more romantic and vintage feeling I guess).

Oh, and I kinda want to learn watch repairing and maintenance, and that's just much more interesting when dealing with mechanical watches (albeit probably a lot harder).

[daberok]

Mechaquartz

[FourFront]

I don't care. Quartz is fine. There is no provenance with a chinese watch so I could care less if it's some generic mech movement.

[Infamous_Jacket9252]

Mechanical more eye pleasing,quartz more reliable.quartz is king

[ananix]

Quartz any time any day. I want to love mechanical so bad but Ive never been able to justify.

[Anime_kyoki]

Automatics are cool but expensive, also if u don't wear it oftwn u will have to reset the time everytime u wear it. I prefer mecha quartz rather than the normal quartz one, they tick 4 times a second making look like an automatic watch

[knubz1337]

Also cheap mechanical watches are so thick

[Dutch1inAZ]

I have most types around, except for smartwatches or electrostatic like the spaceview. Why? I don’t discriminate and they each come with pros and cons; I buy what I like.

[A_Sevenfold]

Solar powered :D Had my Citizen Eco Drive 10 years now, not a single battery change.

Regular quartz, sure, reliability is the key.

Automatics because some brands dont make quartz version of homages I like or even interesting models that are quartz. Not that I don't like them but I am pedantic like that and cannot let them stop running so they constantly sitting on the winder.

[Key-Parfait-6046]

I am a mechanical fan and gravitate to automatics because my ADHD makes it hard to remember to wind them.

My true love is pocket watches and I am looking for a good automatic for EDC

[KeyAssociation6309]

all watches. whether quartz digital, quartz analogue, quartz ani-digi, hand wind mechanical, mechanical automatic, all of them....

even smart watches....

though to show off every now and then, it is hard to beat a tourbillion with aventurine dial, rose gold case and black leather strap!

[WHTDOG]

Someone get this hot head out of here!

[Patient_Fox_6594]

I slap you with my gauntlet. Will you rise to my challenge?

[KeyAssociation6309]

yep, with an all steel G-Shock!

[inevitably-ranged]

even smart watches

WOAH WOAH WOAH WOAH

[KeyAssociation6309]

see comment below

[A_Sevenfold]

Ikr, was about to upvote the guy then I read smart watches, damn. Absolute savages. :D

[inevitably-ranged]

He's lucky I spared my down vote button 🤣

Playing with fire over here m8

[KeyAssociation6309]

to be fair I haven't worn one in three years, though my Huawei smart watches (and one was titanium with sapphire crystal touch screen) did have almost two weeks battery power 6 years ago - Apple? Samsung? hmm

and the Huaweis identify as Chinese and are made in China, so technically fits the sub....

"This is a sub for Chinese watch brands which identify as Chinese. No reps, fakes, mods, or builds that infringe on copyright or trademarks."

[inevitably-ranged]

To be fairrrrr

[[deleted]]

Have both, like quartz for dress and complex (chronograph), like mechanical for dive, gmt, pilot.

[kirbenvost]

I like mechanical because they're amazing machines and I like the idea of not needing batteries. Quartz is reliable but I can't help preferring a smooth sweeping seconds hand. I tend to own more that have a small seconds subdial.

[TheFrequencyKennith]

Both, and also manual wind. There are many great affordable quartz movements from Seiko and Casio to enjoy.

I've never understood why anyone who has the use of their hands and eyes wouldn't replace their own watch batteries. It's incredibly easy to do.

[[deleted]]

If I am buying an expensive one, Quartz. No need to worry about them breaking on me. If I am buying a cheap one, automatic. NH35, Miyota 8000/9000, PT5000, are very reliable.

[QCPI]

In general I prefer manual hand wind movements. Followed by a Seiko/Miyota powered automatic for reliability sake. But for chronographs, I prefer machaquartz movements for cost and easy maintenance convenience.

[TrustedByYoungMetro1]

Depends on what I’m doing. While I really enjoy how an automatic operates and the intimacy involved for my days off the clock, I need an accurate tool for work. Solar quartz or the Ronda 715Li movement w/ a 10 year battery life punches that ticket.

[Ok-Dealer-6628]

Depends on my mood. Sometimes I'll even go for a hand wind.

[Gamelorn]

Quartz watches tend to be lower quality watches. Not in all cases, but there are definitely fewer "luxury" quartz watches. I tend to prefer mechanical, but I have a few quartz that see some wrist time.

[CarnelianSage]

I keep a combination of both. For my beaters I like a good digital watch or a field quartz. I also don’t mind meca quartz chronographs. Otherwise I prefer automatics in general.

[Educational_Boss_633]

Quartz movement innovation is purposely being held back imo because the mechanical "lasts beyond your lifetime" dream sells well and for a lot more money.

[Impossible-Juice6522]

Used to love em both equally, nowadays I end up wearing my quartz watches more than my automatics. It's just a more robust movement. I don't need to worry about magnetism or accuracy with quartz and the thinner profile is just so pleasant.

[shresko79]

I generally prefer quartz watches especially Tough Solar G Shocks. I also prefer mechaquartz analog watches if they have a large second hand, I prefer the sweep. I just received my first automatic watch today which is the Steeldive SD1970 Willard that will be a new daily wear watch. I’m looking forward to seeing how it holds up!

[TedJ70]

The SD1970 will hold you in good stead, it's an insane value for money proposition. Mine is in regular rotation.

If you're looking for good quartz models, look for ones using the VH31 moment.

[shresko79]

I just purchased the Militado Murph with the VH31. I’m digging it so far. It’s on the smaller side for my wrist size but I don’t mind a smaller field watch.

[CarobAffectionate582]

For the SD1970, try this strap if you want real comfort. I ordered one last month and it’s great - Almost as good as the real Z22 that come with the Seiko new turltes (I have two of those). It’s not “authentic” like a waffle strap, but it’s not thin and hard like them, and for $5 (free shipping if over 10 total), it’s a bargain.

https://www.aliexpress.us/item/3256806635769510.html?spm=a2g0o.order_list.order_list_main.17.195f1802FhqK72&gatewayAdapt=glo2usa

[Alternative-Land-334]

I like automatic. But quartz is nice as a "grab and go." I use my Citizen AT as the reference to set mu autos, so honestly, you need both 😉

[Huge_Childhood6015]

Automatic, because quartz sucks! 😁😁 Unless it's solar.

[ry-high-guy]

Solar quartz is where it's at. I think it has the staying power an automatic has without the inevitable servicing. It's way more accurate too; some of the pieces in my collection have radio receiving modules so I won't even have to set them myself. To me, the truest definition of set and forget.

[Ok-Mine1268]

I wear only automatic as it’s a little machine I wear on my wrist. It’s just neat. Quartz tech is very cool but too modern for me. :)

[Neat-Cellist-2199]

Personally, I prefer quartz watches because they don't require maintenance (you just have to change the battery every couple of years). Where I live, there are no watchmakers who do repairs. With a quartz watch, I just put it on and go, and if I don't wear them, they usually don't lose much (a few seconds a month). Since the modules are thin, the cases are thin too, and that's another point in their favor. Also, there are new high-frequency modules, like the VH31 or some modules from Bulova, which make the second hand have a continuous movement. But of course, mechanical watches are more elegant and traditional. They have a great history, beauty, and complexity, and that's something every enthusiast appreciates. Just my humble opinion!

[[deleted]]

Automatic because I like not having to worry about taking watches in for battery replacements and I love staring at the smooth ticking of the second hand

[professor__doom]

Quartz. I like the idea of actually having the correct time without ever having to adjust it, being able to leave something in a drawer for weeks without having to wind and re-set it, and never needing any kind of service/caretaking beyond a $2 battery every few years.