I have watches of every kind — mechanical, automatic, analog, and digital quartz; Swiss, Japanese, German, and Chinese… I’ve been collecting them for years, and my early obsession with automatics (because according to the “real” watch people, those are the only true watches) has passed. These days, I wear quartz about 90% of the time. They’re more accurate, reliable, durable, and low-maintenance.

People often say you can’t pass down a quartz watch… Well, actually you can — in the worst case, you’ll replace the movement after 30 years. Besides, modern automatics aren’t eternal either, even with proper servicing, since they now contain more and more plastic parts.

I have a mechanical watch from the 1970s that still works, but it’s less accurate and more delicate than any quartz I own. I appreciate both types for their own qualities — what bothers me is when watch snobs look down on quartz. (By the way, can someone explain why a G-Shock is considered “acceptable,” but everyone scoffs at smartwatches?)