@@endi3386 Buddy. If you claim that "Quartz are very simple and low quality 95% of the time" you don't know jack shit about watches! Trust me on this! You don't even know what Quartz is, let alone anything about quartz watches. You are what we like to call a parrot. You just repeat what other people say without even understanding what you are saying.
Mechanical watches are like paintings to me.i just love art.but quartz is like photos.if I want to look at memories and also use them regularly I want photos not paintings of mine.always appreciate paintings in heart but when we want to really look at ourselfs we need photos not paintings.
@@endi3386 not really, quartz is much MUCH more accurate, cheap and overall more practical, I'm not saying this because I like quartz, I don't, I don't own a single quartz watch that fits me, all of my watches are mechanical, like you said a mechanical watch is like an art piece, it's nice, pretty to look at, but a photo shows more detail.
Quartz: Electronic fuel injetion, precise, relieable and more modern. Mechanical: Carburetors, mechanically complicated, oldschool, super fiddly, but very satisfying when you get one dialed up just right.
Well...my fountain pen (Parker Jotter) writes a lot better than any ballpoint. Mechs don't have that advantage over quartz in time telling, but they have significantly more awesomeness.
@@vaclav_fejt Yeah, but many ballpoints are rather cheaper and easier to mantain than their counterparts... much like quartz watches. Nonetheless, I'd still pick fountain pens and mechanicals over them any day! :)
@@GoodGuyPlayer2 Well, the only maintenance I do to my pen is to fill and dry it. Also, I don't mind ink stains on my fingers. With a ballpoint, my handwriting is illegible. (I'm kinda broken hearted right now, because I tried to regulate my no date Vostok by myself and I made a dog's dinner of it, so it's at a watchmaker who likely hates me for what I did to it... And my dream watch (date, good lume, elegant) is over twice what I can save up in a month, I have more important stuff to purchase before the price increases become insufferable and...yeah.)
For me personally wristwatches represents the history of technical progress. Human slowly learned how to keep time, from sun and water clocks to atomic and smart watches. That's why I can't say mechanical watches are better than quartz or visa versa. They all are parts of history of mankind.
I have a friend with a sun dial wristwatch. Yes, it's a joke watch, but, if the sun is shining and you are outside facing the right way, it actually works. Not super accurate though ;)
It's like the difference between electric cars and early model petrol or even steam engine cars. The electric is reliable, efficient, quiet and often high performance, but isn't quite as fun to someone who is a car enthusiast who really loves the workings of engines.
@@DM-rc4yu I just like it because not only does it tell relatively accurate time it's just interesting to look at and understand all of the small mechanisms that go into telling something as simple as time.
@@zayda.9569 Not to mention the immense amount of care and work that went into them hundreds of years ago. If you look up the by-hand building process you'll be amazed.
I totally get the “connection” thing with mechanical watches. Everything I own has a personal connection to me somehow and I get attached to inanimate objects that mean a lot to me. For example my very first zippo means the world to me.
Any Casio wave-captor within a signal zone, never more than half second out. (Or any atomic clock controlled watch.) A solar wave-captor: I never had to change the power cell in one now fourteen years old.
My girlfriend gave me a Seiko 5 automatic on my bday and I just love it, I have two Quartz watches but I just love watching the back of the Seiko 5 so it only leave my wrist at night.
In my business I really on accuracy. So for business and travel Casio Oceanus. I have few vintage mechanicals for free time and dress occasions. GS spring drive would cover both needs but it costs money 😒
Grand Seiko Quartz GMT? I am in the process of selling all mechanicals except for the SKX 007. I want the freedom back of the times I only had one Seiko Quartz every 10-15 years.
Looking for another watch that has a sweeping seconds hand and is quartz-powered (aka accurate)? Take a look at Bulova's Precisionist line. Quartz, smooth seconds, ±5 seconds a day. Winner.
I have access to "perfect" time in so many places... in my car, on my laptop/PC, on my phone, on the radio, on public clocks, etc. So I don't really need the perfectly accurate time on my wrist.. at least not down to the second. And so I'm wearing mechanical watches. I view most of them as a sort of jewellery for men with the added bonus that I can pretend to check the time when I want to stare at and admire my watch out in public... :)
Yesss... I was hoping someone will bring this up. The time that we were heavily reliant on watches for time keeping is over. Sometimes i look at my phone even though my watch is on. So i see my watch as an extension of myself. A statement. Basically a jewelry. And i like the idea of possibly being able to keep a mechanical watch going for a lifetime if i try n possibly pass it on. I'm sure you might have somewhat of a similar view.
I love mechanical watches, and I have four of them. I also love my quartz watches, and I own twelve of them. The difference is that I love the beauty of the face, case, etc. two different reasons for two different drive systems. They each have their own charm. My smoothest movement is actually a quartz Bulova precisionist. Lots of features and is a beautiful watch.
Nice summary Ben, good job. Up until recently, and my total ignorance, I thought most watches took batteries, and only high-end's were mechanical. But seems there is another world of watches out there. I totally appreciate the engineering that goes into them.
I like the idea of the independence of automatic mechanical watches. They aren't dependent on a battery and they aren't dependent on being part of the so-called grid.
Automatic mechanical all day, every day. The sweep, the moving parts, the feel of craftsmanship, even on the cheaper ones. They're almost living things. I quit wearing watches altogether back when I had nothing but Quartz. I got tired of the routine of having it quit unceremoniously, then having to fiddle with the back to get it open, and having to chase around to find the right tiny battery out of the thousands of different non-standard lithium batteries, and often not want to mess with it and just toss it in a drawer with no love lost.
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I just bought the new Orient 38mm open heart. It looks great. I enjoy having little pieces of craftsmanship. The good old zippo, mechanical watches, handmade knives. It just feels more meaningful. Part of the appeal is probably the uniqueness aspect as well.
Have had 4 quartz watches. 3 have died and they cannot be repaired without replacing the whole movement costing more than the watch cost originally. Mechanical watches with good maintenance will last a lifetime.
well if you buy trash quartz, then that's what you get. There's high quality quartz out there too - even an affordable quartz Victorinox has lasted me 15 years so far and counting. Some autos are trash too and not worth repairing after they break.
i personaly prefer quartz watches. i just like the presise time keeping and, yess, the lower cost. but in terms of horology, i like every kind of watch, auto, quartz, digital, spring drive, atomic, wave, whatever. i can apreciate the beautifull mechanical movement of a a. lange & söhne and also the technological marvel of the citizen caliber 0100
There's a very strong argument for quartz. Quality quartz needs time and care to develop and monitor for accuracy, to start with. Some quartz get rejected my higher end watchmakers, and only the most regular is accepted. Secondly I spend time watching my second hand go around on my quartz, and it hits every marker square on. Sometimes I do it for up to half an hour. It must be about loving it for what it is, in that this Casio MR-G is faultless. It charges up when put in front of a low energy bulb. It always tells me the exact time because it's atomic clock regulated. It's tough, and I love it. …….. However I am thinking about a mechanical to wear sometimes too. Quart watches on the whole though, combine physics, acoustics, and a little music, just in the quartz. What's not to appreciate about that? I think it's a real shame that Omega stopped making quartz, because they made the best. The finish watches to a very high standard, so you got something really gorgeous. Their quartz ones were about as accurate as it gets. I had one that only gained six seconds over the year.
I just purchased my first automatic watch. It's a fairly simple inexpensive Seiko and I'm very happy with it. It's kept perfect time for a week without any adjustments. I'm going to buy another of the same model but different color along with a few different bands. I think I should be set. I'm not much into watches but always wanted at least one or two that are old school and work.
i am an amateur watch enthusiast mainly because im young (15). i realy love skeletonized watches. i have showed many of my friends the movment inside ticing away.
I have 2 quartz watches and 3 mechanicals in my collection. In general, I prefer mechanical watches from a practical standpoint. I enjoy the short interaction I get with my mechanical watches while winding them up. However, recently I had a very difficult time finding a battery for one of my quartz watches. Apparently, everybody else needed the same size battery and the stores were typically sold out (in my area). The result was that I hadn’t worn that watch for a few months. I never have to concern myself with that when using a mechanical watch. As a matter of principle, I don’t think it’s wise to allow your entire lifestyle to be dependent on electricity. Putting all your eggs in one basket makes you vulnerable.
I’ve got Casio Duro and Seiko SNK803, the both that I really like. What makes the seiko feel really special to me is the ticking sound coming from its mechanical parts working. It does gain time a bit - a lot compared to Duro - but the sound just mesmerises me. Totally irrelevant to the horology though!
This is where I feel that solar splits the difference. You get the accuracy and ease of quartz with a biomechanical connection similar to an automatic. Wearing the watch out and about on your adventures is still powering the watch in a different way. I love solar G-Shocks and Citizen Eco Drives for this reason.
I love to watch the movement of a mechanical watch. Knowing that someone manually inserted those gears with patience and precision. Knowing that whenever I am there’s a small automated factory on my wrist that relies on a century old mechanism to tell the time.
I bought my first watch in 1979. Back then everyone was buying Quartz watches and automatics were seen as passé. I bought an automatic watch as I appreciated the craftsmanship and the history behind the brand. I still have that watch today. For daily wear I like mechanical watches but Quartz still has a place as they have tough movements and are cheap to replace
I have both , 42 watches and ten are mechanical, can’t beat accuracy of a quartz watch , enjoy my mechanical watches but if I had to choose one for the rest of my life, it would be a solar quarts with atomic, you have everything in one package that’s light and comfy , deadly accurate water magnetic and shock resistant, the day date and yr , stop watch , timer , bla bla ,,main reason to me for a watch is to arrive to work or important events on time , phones are for speaking on in my eyes cheers Shane uk 🇬🇧
I own around 14 watches. Most of them Festina, a couple of Casio's and my first ever automatic : A Cititizen Promaster Sea. Couldn'"t keep up with replacing the batteries anymore, so I only buy automatics from now on. Just ordered a Tissot Swissmatic. Looking forward to the unboxing and strapping it arount my wrist.
With some mechanical and automatic movements being assembled by robots and or by cheap labor in China, it's hard to categorize all mechanical watches as having "soul". Another point to think about is that crystals are believed to have spiritual qualities by some belief systems...quartz crystals are included. So maybe mechanicals and quartz watches both have "soul". I appreciate both types of watches because they are both artifacts of human ingenuity. I like my Tudor and my Eco Drives for this reason.
I prefer analog timepieces in general, but mechanical is where it's at. I know it's less accurate, but they are beautiful! I love watching wheels and gears move and spin. Quartz watches have gears too, but they aren't as complicated as a mechanical watch. Plus, they're made of plastic instead of metal, which kinda takes away the charm
Yeah, mechanicals are less accurate and plenty of quartz fans like to point to that fact; however, mechanical watches were plenty accurate enough to bring victories in multiple battles and wars and to manage safe space travel. Both Omega and Bulova mechanical watches have been to space.
I have no interest in quartz watches just like I have no interest in smart watches. Because it's really not about being a purely practical tool or fashion piece. The whole reason I like/wear watches in the first place is because I love the idea I'm wearing a tiny complicated machine on my wrist. I love engineering and mechanics. And the fact it serves a practical purpose is just a bonus.
I think that unless you have a Spring Drive it is pretty important to have a quartz in your collection. They function as a grab and go and help you maintain the accuracy of your entire collection. Admittedly, a cell phone can do the same now (and if it weren't for cell phones I don't think the mechanical watches would have made the comeback they have). We need acuracy in the modern world and quartz and cell phones help us maintain that. It is hard to develop the same bond with a quartz that we can establish with a mechanical. Even my higher end Seiko Quartz isn't warn anywhere near as often as my automatic watches despite costing more than some of them. I have developed bonds with some of my quartz watches too though. Especially the G-shocks. Trech up a 14er with one or have one as a constant companion on an excursion and you bond with it. Heck I am pretty attached to a Casio Edifice that I have warn for many years. At this point I wish the case was pure stainless (rubbed through the stainless polishing the scratched crystal). In summery, you need a quartz in your collection, you can bond with them given the opportunity. It just sometimes takes longer.
People like mechanical watches for the same reason they do zippos, records, mechanical switches and all of the other sorts of analog revival. Its something physical and real in an increasingly digital society.
2 autos and 3 quartz in my collection. I wear the quartz most. Love my Certina Precidrive going at +1s/year. One second in front of atomic. Always. As for for 2:04 I found my Promaster Eco-Drive had just as much soul as an auto, and I had as much, if not more of a connection to that than any of my automatic watches. Something about the watch being capable of being autonomous for decades.
I have to agree with you about the solar powered ones. In my experience of the oldest I have which is fourteen years, it never needed its cell changed. The fact that the atomically controlled ones can set themselves too, makes them like magic. Pinnacles of time telling. I love knowing exactly what time it is, and I don't exactly know why.
I love mechanical watches, I got a Seiko 5 similar to the one showed here, bought 25 years ago and it is still ticking. I love it. Also a Omega Seamaster (2001) and wear it some times. But I like quartz watches with analogue and digital dial like my Casio G-Shock when I want reliable time keeping, but both are chosen for quality vs accuracy and quartz movements are in that regard better and less expensive to keep running reliably. Great video.
end of day we don't NEED a watch, we buy them because we want one, and mechanical are just MORE than just a object that tells the time, they are a price of history, art and the future all wrapped up in a tiny package. I have lots of mechanicals, AND lots of quartz. (about 50/50) but if i could only choose one, it would be a mechanical automatic.
Nah, I'd argue you *need* a watch. At the very least, you *should* wear a watch. It's a super practical way to check the time. It's more convenient than pulling our your pocket watch (phone). It completes an outfit. It's part of your everyday carry.
Phafanapolis your confusing need with convenience. We need food. We need water. We don’t need a watch. The concept of time itself is a construct. We would survive just fine with or without being even aware of time, let alone measuring it in time arbitrary slices.
@@biscuitsalive Sure. Yes, you are correct. You will not die without a wrist watch. I was using "need" a little more losely, like how in modern times you need to wear clothes or have a cell phone and probably a car. IMO it's a very valuable tool that every man should have.
I own and love both equally for different reasons. I love Casios retro digital watches. I also love a good chronograph and when the large seconds hand is positioned at 12 until you start the chrono I’m fine with quartz. However if it’s analog and not a chrono I prefer mechanical for that lovely sweep. I also like Citizens Eco-drive when they can be found around $100 I think they are a great value.
My work requires precise time keeping and the ability to withstand rough handling and the elements, so my work watch is a quartz Casio G Shock. In my free time, I like wearing a watch as a tool or an accessory. Quartz means that I can have a bunch of rotating options without having to reset the time or worry about maintenance.
Well said Ben. This is how I try to explain it to my friends and family . I have both automatic and quartz watches . I travel with a quartz watch . It is reliable . I have a longine Conquest V H P quartz . I do love my swiss and Japanese automatic watches better . ( Hamilton and Sieko )
Good video but i feel like saying quartz doesn't have soul is really sad because i actually have more emotional feelings towards my Casio Databank than my Seiko 5. And i know mechanical watches kinda like magic but don't forget when the first quartz watch unveiled (Seiko), people's going crazy about how they do it, and its fascinating to learn about quartz watches. You have quartz crystal that vibrate inside of a tube that happens to be the perfect timekeeper. While the mechanical one are powered by spring and gear. Now im not saying quartz are superior than mechanical, no. Im just saying that Quartz watches does have soul if you love it.
My dad recently passed away and I inherited 20+ of his quartz watches. I still wear my mechanicals (Seiko, Hamilton, Junghans) but I’m keeping all of these. Memories!
For me it all becomes worth it when I'm wearing my Tudor or Christopher Ward chronometer and meet a fellow watch enthusiast and he notices my watch and we get into an excited conversation about the hobby we love so much....
I prefer automatic watches but at my budget I can’t buy very “cool” ones. Most of my automatics are cheap Chinese homages in addition to one Invicta Pro Diver and an Orient Bambino. I’ve gotten back into quartz when I learned about chronographs and currently my daily driver is a Seiko mechaquartz chronograph.
@@oes2546 Oh I agree, I love my Bambino but it's just not super versatile, ya know? It's a bit too dressy for casual outfits but I've worn it to many job interviews.
To me, it's simply Convenience vs Tradition; However, a good quality quartz is a sweet spot for me. Got a Seiko SQ with "double tick" (it aligns the markers almost perfectly!), similar to GS quartz, which I find as satisfying, if not more, than mechanical sweep.
I love mechanical watches. I find them so much more fascinating with the number of parts that work together to keep almost perfect time and the only power source is a spring. Quartz movements are just boring to me. When I think of watchmaking, I think mechanical. It’s the same thing with cars. I much prefer good old fashioned combustion engines over electric motors. I find the operation more interesting. I definitely don’t fault anyone for preferring quartz watches, though. They definitely have some significant upsides like cost and accuracy. However, I do find the accuracy part to be less impressive than the accuracy of a good mechanical movement
A quartz watch is much more accurate, and also more durable and reliable. And certainly as a watch for occasional wear, it cannot be beat because it does not require any winding. My old Seiko quartz is still running after 40 years non-stop except for annual battery changes. Is is virtually impossible for any mechanical watch (however simple the movement is) to last anywhere near that long (at least not without having to overhaul it every few years.
I beg to differ.....I have a few vintage watches from the 60s that my Dad gave me a few years back and they have not been serviced even once since the time he bought them in the 60s.....they are still accurate and look great.....Your Quartz seems to be an exception to the rule...quartz watches typically last between 10 to 15 years at best....however it is finally up to each of us with regards to what we wear and enjoy....you seem to have a good watch...enjoy it.
I prefer hand wind watches Since I can't wear any watch at my workplace, I can only wear a watch when I'm home. So an automatic watch is nothing for me since I don't move enough with it. But I still prefer mechanic watches than quartz. You can really feel the craftmanship and the human work inside it, and also I love the sound of that fast ticking!
I think automatic watches take on a more expensive persona and therefore coveted more by some enthusiasts. Personally I like the movement better on the automatic but find my quartz watches keep better time and you never have to wind them.
I must say you are wrong about few things. quartz movement watches can be with great carftmenship, take a look on the Grand Sieko Quartz and you will see for yourself, crafting reflecting pricing. swiftly second hand exist in Bulova quartz movement, and ticking second hand can be exist in luxury mechanics watches. the only reason why I love mechanics movements because it's fascinating how small metallic pieces can work as one in a way that we got the final result which is telling the time, the date, month, year and even farther than that.. mechanical movement give you the feeling of wonder, that's why people feel more connected to mechanic movements watches.
When I wear my late grandfather's manual wind mechanical watch, I feel a deep connection with him. As I set the time and wind up the watch, I am reminded of how he must have done the same thing over 60 years ago. The watch's intricate mechanical movements and ticking sound evoke a sense of nostalgia and warmth that is hard to find in modern quartz watches.
I bought me a fossil watch at the beginning of the year when I just got into watches. I set it once at the beginning of the year. I set the seconds marker about half a second too late and to this day the watch is still only half a second late. It's been almost 11 months and the watch didn't go noticably faster or slower at all. Definitely a very reliable watch. But I still want an automatic watch because of how satisfying it looks.
I just purchased my first automatic movement and at this time I prefer quartz. Actually I should say solar quartz. Just set it and forget it and it's always ready. My automatic is done after two days, and after those two days I have to reset the time and date. It just seems like a hassle.
Mechanical is the way to go for me by now. I've used to not understand why people buy these over a quartz, but once I got my first automatic, I was fixed! Seeing the movement, the rotor, even sometimes hearing and feeling it on your wrist plus the sweeping second hand give those watches a soul the quatz lacks.
Choosing a quartz watch over a mechanical one, is like choosing an Eau de Toilette perfume over an Eau de Parfum one. With no doubts, I would go with a mechanical watch, as would I with EdP over EdT. I in fact bought a mechanical pocket watch today. It is a Chronometre ROMEO, from the nineteen-thirties, from a shop ran by a nice old german man (an S.P. business). I also bought an old chain with it and now I look like a train conductor with the chain connected to the middle button on my waist vest (I wear three piece suits everyday) and the other end of the chain connected to the pocket watch, that goes in my right waist vest pocket (I am right-handed). Believe it or not, I am fifteen years old. Salutations, Moses K. Frost
Mechanical wstches have a HUGE advantage over quartz. It eliminates the pesky requirement to go to a service center to get new batteries when they run out. Some expensive models have solar power recharging which helps. Btw I own both types.
Regarding your mention of the pesky requirement to get new batteries fitted in a quartz watch. FYI - Only get good quality batteries fitted, they can last 5 years. And a mechanical watch needs a full very expensive service every 5 to 8 years or it just dies. Also many solar quarts watches are actually cheaper that mechanical watches.
Quartz watches have HUGE advantages over mechanical. They eliminate the pesky requirement to wear the watch at all times so it doesn't die in a day or so, also the annoying task to wind the watch and reset the time/date every few weeks because of their innacuracy. They also eliminate the need to get an expensive service (sometimes more costly than the watch itself) every 5 years, because with quartz movements, in the same timespan (sometimes even around 10 years) you just need to pop open the watch back once and install a new 3 dollar battery (wich you can easily do by yourself). Don't pretend your feelings about mechanical watches translate to facts and practicity. If you like mechanical, it's just for what it means in a sentimental way to you.
i look for screw off or screw back type watches. amazon sells a cheap tool you can buy to take off the backs and replace the battery yourself. the pressure fit watch backs is a hassle for me though.
Problem with me is most of my watches I use in aquatic environment, and swapping out batteries without the necessary equipment basically renders them NOT waterproof. So it usually requires a reputable center to replace battery and pressure test the watch. Otherwise the DIY option is viable.
I currently have two of each, but I'm planning on expanding my automatic collection. I'll still keep the quartz watches as my daily wearers, they're always ready to go and if anything happens to them it's not such a big deal.
Both have their time and place - need my citizen ecodrive promaster 200m diver for sports - but I prefer a small mechanical with a display caseback for pure enjoyment, especially the seiko 5 snk series most of which you can dress up or dress down. Smaller watches are finally coming back into style and it's about time! esp for smaller and average-sized wrists! A 37mm seiko 5 with a 40mm lug-to-lug width disappear on my 7" wrist without looking feminine or too delicate, and they're so simple and robust I don't need worry about them. No hacking or handwinding, who cares? Plenty accurate and reliable. The 7S26 movement is kind of a purist's movement anyway, designed for those who wear their watch all the time.
Most (85%) of my modern wristwatches are quartz for the value, accuracy or complications which are impossible or extremely expensive to build in a mechanical. I enjoy my mechanical watches very much, but I hopefully am keeping the “soul” thing grounded in reality.
I'm young at watches. Started with quartz now transitioning to mechanical. So I have an Armani and Nixon quartz. Also 2 Seiko 5 - SRPD65K4 and SKX009J. Love my Seikos. I like this channel so I'm subbing. Keep it up Ben.
Is it true that modern mechanical watches really require more effort to be produced than quartz movements? The only reason why I would consider buying an automatic watch is the fact that you do not need to change a battery. Having said this I would prefer a solar quartz. Because an automatic watch needs a service from time to time.And I love the ticking second hands of quartz movements because you can count the seconds with their help. I possess an older M&M automatic watch with an Eta movement and a window on the back to watch the movement but I don´t wear it. It is a little bit slow and to service it is expensive.
I'm a watch newb and bought 2 digital watches for functionality - like barometer, altimeter, compass, timers, alarms, calculator, databank, etc. I knew I wanted an analog watch as my next and, the more I looked on Amazon, the more I saw mechanical watches, then skeletonized mechanical auto watches really hit the spot for me when I could see those gears and wheels turning! I like how I do have that direct connection with having to keep the watch powered! Either by directly winding it, and/or moving my wrist. I enjoy being interactive with my watch, so automatic mechanical watches are definitely what I prefer most in analog watches. I don't care if they're not _as_ accurate as quartz. I am not living by the second here. Even if I was, I also have my digital watches for that, and I do wear two watches at the same time (one analog, other digital). I don't care how odd it might seem to everyone else, I am doing what I like for me, not waiting for society's approval to tell me what I should like or not like. 😋
I have five mechanical (soon to be six) and one quartz, the quartz I like because it's Solar and I don't have to worry about it stopping and loosing time if I don't wear it often, really the only time I wear it is a beater gym watch, as it won't break my heart if it gets damaged and the chronograph comes in handy. For day to day watch wearing, I love my automatics, like you say there's something about a physically beating movement that gives that little fizz, when you glance at the caseback when taking it off or putting it on, when you glance down to tell the time and admire the seconds hand sweeping along. My grail watch is a Grand Seiko Spring Drive though, it's the perfect marriage of both, the accuracy of quartz with the craftsmanship and physical machinery of a mechanical, and that seconds hand gliding along with no beatrate at all.
Last week I bought this one but it is not on my hands yet ua-cam.com/video/rt__lhTke5Q/v-deo.html I already had this one for rainy days and for the beach ua-cam.com/video/Jk7p-yIij4s/v-deo.html
I like mechanical watches better, I like the engineering behind them (which I've studied). Mechanical chronographs in particular. I do own more quartz watches though, because a good mechanical chronograph is prohibitively expensive to buy and maintain.
TL;DR summary (although I think actually only four reasons are listed): Watches with mechanical movements ... 1) ... are more interesting due to their complexity, craftmanship, and roots in the history of watch-making 2) ... are easier to connect with, because the watch relies on your own movements to keep moving itself 3) ... have a higher prestige, due to how they present the task of time-keeping 4) ... can show you how the movement actually works (although I personally think, this is already said in 2 and 3) 5) ... and their smooth seconds hand movement looks more premium (and can serve to hide an off-set seconds hand)
I used to own just quartz watches, but liked inexpensive automatics for a little more prestige. But now I'm sold on Citizen's Eco-drive watches, which never need batteries or winding.
A long term employment awarded me a couple of watches as work anniversary milestones. First was a Citizen SkyHawk Blue Angel edition. A radio-controlled, solar large watch I'm actually pretty fond of. But, y'know. Quartz. Second I got was a Gucci (meh) with an ETA Quartz. Then I inherited a Waltham 1908 model (built 1917) pocket watch. A mechanical marvel that still works, after I made a light service to remove enamel contaminant. These watches together made me appreciate watches in their own rights and I ended up devouring watch videos (WatchTV, restoring channels etc). When leaving my job after 27 years, I decided to award myself with a watch kind I didn't have: an automatic watch with multiple complications. My choice was the Hamilton Khaki Aviator Pilot, 48mm watch. I've worn this thing day & night for more than a month. Can't get enough of how I'm fascinated by it. Might not have a gyrotourbillon, but it's a dang fine thing to have on my large wrist.
My quartz Invicta always hits the mark, it allows me to move the second hand when I want, and its a crono so I can move any of the hands. It has a screw down crown, stainless steel body, ect... for 60 dollars, quartz are an amazing first watch because they dont have daunting repair costs and they are easy to preform general maintenance by yourself.
I own quartz watches. But I agree with Ben about mechanical watches. The wearer of the watch ensures that the watch works and gives him the time. The watch isn't connected to the internet. It doesn't depend on a battery to tell the time. In a way that is exciting.
I prefer mechanical but do have a few quartz which are ok. It's a bit like steam locomotives and diesel electric trains. The locomotives are a lot more interesting and rely on human activity to keep them going.😆😺
I seem to be an odd duck in the watch world because I’m not only a quartz guy, I’m also an Ani-Digi freak. I do own a mechanical watch, but it spends more time motionless than it does ticking. I simply do not have the patience required to fiddle with a mechanical watch. Hell, even changing analog dates irks me a little bit. On top of that, I’m very outdoorsy and adventurous. If I wore your average mechanical watch wade fishing, spelunking, or mountaineering, I would probably kill it. And I know what you’re thinking, buy a G-Shock and be done with it. I do own a G-Shock, but it spends most of the time playing second fiddle to my Timex Dual Shock. This watch truly has taken a licking and kept on ticking. Whether it’s the recoil from a day on the skeet field, all day submerged while snorkeling, or being bashed into trees on a hike, it’s done it all and the only maintenance I’ve ever done is glue the bezel back on and change the battery. Just the way I like it.
I love my Seiko Kinetic because it's part mechanical and part electrical. I love the window on the back so I can see the coils and swinging pendulum weight. But, I also love my automatic and even my smart watch. I can never decide which one to wear.
The only valid reason to wear a mechanical watch is because you really want to. Quartz is superior in almost every meassurable way. As for beat rates, quartz beats typically at 32768 times a second, the second hand moves once a second. But the beat rate of a quartz watch is much higher than that of a mechanical.
I have several watches (quartz and mechanical), but at the moment, my favorite one is Casio Pro-Trek PRW-2500T. I just love having (literally) a time and weather computer on my wrist. In my opinion, this is the pinnacle of quartz watch movements. That being said, I would love to have Grand Seiko. I find the way spring drive works fascinating.
Well let us go through a small personal history. When my dad died a couple of years ago, I was given some of his watches. A Tissot and a Longines quartz from late 90s, a piaget quartz from mid 80s, and my grand father's mid 40s omega and early 50s zenith. Guess what, the the Tissot, the Longines and the Piaget were dead, with battery leaking and overpriced cleaning quotes from the shop to get them back to work. At the contrary, my granddad zenith and omega, I just had to shake them for a few seconds, and here they were up and running, I have been wearing these last 2 watches regularly since then with no issues. The quartz are sitting in the bottom of my drawer still not working.
Your heirlooms are special to you; I'm sorry they're no longer working. You could probably take them to a local watch repair and have the movements replaced with Miyota or somesuch, though you would probably need to get new hands as well.
@@michaelhorn8962 maybe I should look into it, but I think it would still be better with respective mouvements, just way too expensive so they sit and wait for the moment. However I can tell you that I only buy/will buy mechanical/automatic watches from now on. I bought 4 watches since then, 2 for me 2 for my son they are automatics.
@@seanmaxwell3319 well yes you are probably right, that is what I am saying to myself when I see all these videos about watches, but to be honest I have not, and knowing my grandfather, he most certainly never did,I have been wearing them regularly since 2012 and they never failed me. OK, not that sharp accurate, they are loosing or adding a min at the end of the day but hey, I still enjoy them and they have been serving their job nicely to me. I am afraid of a bad service that could make things worse. Plus as they are 'collectors' these service could be inflated.
Im welder and time is the essen, but i use still mecanical molnija pocket watch. Its old but reliable and you can instantley know is a pocket watch mecanical or battery. Its More quaet but there is the problem because the battery clock is so silent i dont know when it stops.
Smooth seconds hands can be found in quartz and were more common in the past. There are the Bulova High Frequency watches of course. And the 5S21 movement had a true smooth sweep with no ticking whatsoever, similar to how spring drive looks today. The thing is, there's no real horological reason for more beats as there's basically no gain in accuracy. I actually quite like that you have clear units in quartz
I haven’t taken the dive into mechanical, but I just got a Casioak (GM-2500C), and the lack of a physical second hand and the crisp minute hand click are major selling points. It feels like a more proper treatment of the quartz movement.
I love them too. However it's a bit like saying we prefer steam trains over diesel or electric. Yes steam is more romantic, but if wanted reliability to get somewhere, you would not choose steam.
Mechanical watches are easy to fall in love with. As soon as I wake up I put it on, i love taking few seconds to wind it, and a few extra seconds once a week or so to fix the +/- time.
Quartz: more accurate, thinner, less expensive, huge power reserve, easier to maintain
Mechanical: dat smoove seconds sweep
*cough*Bulova*cough"
@@isaacr.1348 How do we get a hold of Bulova and convince them to sell that movement? I want a UHF quartz but... Bulova watches are ugly.
Mechanical watches also use heavier and more readable hands for the price, generally.
Except even 28800bph is visibly ticking rather than sweeping.
then get a sweeping quartz watch. boom problem solved
To be really vulgar about it:
Quartz - Facts
Mechanical - Feels
You can tell by my profile picture what I prefer, and you're not wrong.
@@endi3386 Buddy. If you claim that "Quartz are very simple and low quality 95% of the time" you don't know jack shit about watches! Trust me on this! You don't even know what Quartz is, let alone anything about quartz watches. You are what we like to call a parrot. You just repeat what other people say without even understanding what you are saying.
Mechanical watches are like paintings to me.i just love art.but quartz is like photos.if I want to look at memories and also use them regularly I want photos not paintings of mine.always appreciate paintings in heart but when we want to really look at ourselfs we need photos not paintings.
@@endi3386 not really, quartz is much MUCH more accurate, cheap and overall more practical, I'm not saying this because I like quartz, I don't, I don't own a single quartz watch that fits me, all of my watches are mechanical, like you said a mechanical watch is like an art piece, it's nice, pretty to look at, but a photo shows more detail.
I love quartz , most my quartz watch are orient quartz
Quartz: Electronic fuel injetion, precise, relieable and more modern.
Mechanical: Carburetors, mechanically complicated, oldschool, super fiddly, but very satisfying when you get one dialed up just right.
Heh, more like steam engines. There's always that aesthetics angle.
@@nu1x Have you ever heard of the spinning dorito lada?
@@nu1x but just like car mechanical watches when the world goes to shit will last a lot longer then an electric one
More like:
Digital: EV
mechanicals are the manual transmissions of the watch world
As a new guy to this, I kinda feel the Mechanical watch appeal is similar to that of the Fountain pen appeal.
And I kinda dig the idea.
Well...my fountain pen (Parker Jotter) writes a lot better than any ballpoint. Mechs don't have that advantage over quartz in time telling, but they have significantly more awesomeness.
@@vaclav_fejt Yeah, but many ballpoints are rather cheaper and easier to mantain than their counterparts... much like quartz watches.
Nonetheless, I'd still pick fountain pens and mechanicals over them any day! :)
@@GoodGuyPlayer2 Well, the only maintenance I do to my pen is to fill and dry it. Also, I don't mind ink stains on my fingers. With a ballpoint, my handwriting is illegible.
(I'm kinda broken hearted right now, because I tried to regulate my no date Vostok by myself and I made a dog's dinner of it, so it's at a watchmaker who likely hates me for what I did to it...
And my dream watch (date, good lume, elegant) is over twice what I can save up in a month, I have more important stuff to purchase before the price increases become insufferable and...yeah.)
@@vaclav_fejt for sure. Their swag is unparalleled.
True my Sailor pro gear writes better than any rollerball/Ballpoint
For me personally wristwatches represents the history of technical progress. Human slowly learned how to keep time, from sun and water clocks to atomic and smart watches. That's why I can't say mechanical watches are better than quartz or visa versa. They all are parts of history of mankind.
I have a friend with a sun dial wristwatch. Yes, it's a joke watch, but, if the sun is shining and you are outside facing the right way, it actually works. Not super accurate though ;)
Same can be said if quartz.
@N.MARWIN JOSHUA Someone will pull the plugs of the ventilator eventually...😩
It's like the difference between electric cars and early model petrol or even steam engine cars. The electric is reliable, efficient, quiet and often high performance, but isn't quite as fun to someone who is a car enthusiast who really loves the workings of engines.
I prefer mechanical watches. They are simply fascinating and impressive.
Mechanical watches have a certain x-factory that defies reason.
They're such simple mechanisms though, what exactly is it that is so fascinating and impressive to you?
@@DM-rc4yu I just like it because not only does it tell relatively accurate time it's just interesting to look at and understand all of the small mechanisms that go into telling something as simple as time.
@@zayda.9569 Not to mention the immense amount of care and work that went into them hundreds of years ago. If you look up the by-hand building process you'll be amazed.
Yes its so beautiful
I totally get the “connection” thing with mechanical watches. Everything I own has a personal connection to me somehow and I get attached to inanimate objects that mean a lot to me. For example my very first zippo means the world to me.
I Have many Zippo lighters because I wear them out. Over time the click becomes dull or the flint wheel needs to be replaced.
Loves gonna getcha
My question is, is it still in good service though? :)
If mechanical watches have hearts, then quartz watches have brains.
If quartz watches have brains, mechanical watches have hearts.
Yehoshua Cirt these comments go with what I was saying. Two different drives for two different sets of charm!
Than you got spring drive who got "heart & brain"?
Hahaha
@@riodwiputra7281 Spring drive 1 second per day.... My citizen promaster 1-2 seconds every 2 months Hahaha!
Any Casio wave-captor within a signal zone, never more than half second out. (Or any atomic clock controlled watch.) A solar wave-captor: I never had to change the power cell in one now fourteen years old.
My girlfriend gave me a Seiko 5 automatic on my bday and I just love it, I have two Quartz watches but I just love watching the back of the Seiko 5 so it only leave my wrist at night.
which reference is it mate
Cool man
She’s a keeper!
Wait,how do u watch the back of ur watch if u leave it on ur wrist?😂
Great gift. Wear it in good health.
In my business I really on accuracy. So for business and travel Casio Oceanus. I have few vintage mechanicals for free time and dress occasions. GS spring drive would cover both needs but it costs money 😒
Grand Seiko Quartz GMT? I am in the process of selling all mechanicals except for the SKX 007. I want the freedom back of the times I only had one Seiko Quartz every 10-15 years.
Thumbs up for the Oceanus. I love mine, a truly elegant quartz watch.
Looking for another watch that has a sweeping seconds hand and is quartz-powered (aka accurate)? Take a look at Bulova's Precisionist line. Quartz, smooth seconds, ±5 seconds a day. Winner.
For accuracy u can use your mobile phone 😀
I have access to "perfect" time in so many places... in my car, on my laptop/PC, on my phone, on the radio, on public clocks, etc. So I don't really need the perfectly accurate time on my wrist.. at least not down to the second. And so I'm wearing mechanical watches. I view most of them as a sort of jewellery for men with the added bonus that I can pretend to check the time when I want to stare at and admire my watch out in public... :)
Yesss... I was hoping someone will bring this up. The time that we were heavily reliant on watches for time keeping is over. Sometimes i look at my phone even though my watch is on. So i see my watch as an extension of myself. A statement. Basically a jewelry. And i like the idea of possibly being able to keep a mechanical watch going for a lifetime if i try n possibly pass it on. I'm sure you might have somewhat of a similar view.
fair point
I love mechanical watches, and I have four of them. I also love my quartz watches, and I own twelve of them. The difference is that I love the beauty of the face, case, etc. two different reasons for two different drive systems. They each have their own charm. My smoothest movement is actually a quartz Bulova precisionist. Lots of features and is a beautiful watch.
Nice summary Ben, good job.
Up until recently, and my total ignorance, I thought most watches took batteries, and only high-end's were mechanical.
But seems there is another world of watches out there.
I totally appreciate the engineering that goes into them.
Are you living at planet Earth?
He is so majestic
I like the idea of the independence of automatic mechanical watches. They aren't dependent on a battery and they aren't dependent on being part of the so-called grid.
Who doesn't like giving an automatic a little shake to wake it up.
Just use the crown to wind them, don't be a wanker
@@johnfadds6089 I have an automatic without a crown wind though
@@TheAechBomb those exist? Mine has a crown but I tend to just keep wearing it at all times except when I sleep. So it never stops on me
@@Temeria4ever it's a cheap chinese watch, the crown only adjusts the time (and only forward too)
@@johnfadds6089 Lower end Seikos often need the old “Seiko shake” when you haven’t worn it for a while.
"When you stop, it stops" Somebody needs to make a movie out of this.
"Crank"
Once upon a time in Mumbai
In time
Automatic mechanical all day, every day. The sweep, the moving parts, the feel of craftsmanship, even on the cheaper ones. They're almost living things. I quit wearing watches altogether back when I had nothing but Quartz. I got tired of the routine of having it quit unceremoniously, then having to fiddle with the back to get it open, and having to chase around to find the right tiny battery out of the thousands of different non-standard lithium batteries, and often not want to mess with it and just toss it in a drawer with no love lost.
I just bought the new Orient 38mm open heart. It looks great. I enjoy having little pieces of craftsmanship. The good old zippo, mechanical watches, handmade knives. It just feels more meaningful. Part of the appeal is probably the uniqueness aspect as well.
I just bought the Orient Maestro blue greenish dial, it's my First Mechanical watch.
Have had 4 quartz watches. 3 have died and they cannot be repaired without replacing the whole movement costing more than the watch cost originally. Mechanical watches with good maintenance will last a lifetime.
Depends on the quartz you buy a lot of Seiko Quartz can be serviced and easily replaced by a battery
well if you buy trash quartz, then that's what you get. There's high quality quartz out there too - even an affordable quartz Victorinox has lasted me 15 years so far and counting. Some autos are trash too and not worth repairing after they break.
i personaly prefer quartz watches. i just like the presise time keeping and, yess, the lower cost. but in terms of horology, i like every kind of watch, auto, quartz, digital, spring drive, atomic, wave, whatever. i can apreciate the beautifull mechanical movement of a a. lange & söhne and also the technological marvel of the citizen caliber 0100
There's a very strong argument for quartz. Quality quartz needs time and care to develop and monitor for accuracy, to start with. Some quartz get rejected my higher end watchmakers, and only the most regular is accepted.
Secondly I spend time watching my second hand go around on my quartz, and it hits every marker square on. Sometimes I do it for up to half an hour. It must be about loving it for what it is, in that this Casio MR-G is faultless. It charges up when put in front of a low energy bulb. It always tells me the exact time because it's atomic clock regulated. It's tough, and I love it. …….. However I am thinking about a mechanical to wear sometimes too.
Quart watches on the whole though, combine physics, acoustics, and a little music, just in the quartz. What's not to appreciate about that? I think it's a real shame that Omega stopped making quartz, because they made the best. The finish watches to a very high standard, so you got something really gorgeous. Their quartz ones were about as accurate as it gets. I had one that only gained six seconds over the year.
That they don't make them as beautiful as they were
I just purchased my first automatic watch. It's a fairly simple inexpensive Seiko and I'm very happy with it. It's kept perfect time for a week without any adjustments. I'm going to buy another of the same model but different color along with a few different bands. I think I should be set. I'm not much into watches but always wanted at least one or two that are old school and work.
i am an amateur watch enthusiast mainly because im young (15). i realy love skeletonized watches. i have showed many of my friends the movment inside ticing away.
I have 2 quartz watches and 3 mechanicals in my collection. In general, I prefer mechanical watches from a practical standpoint. I enjoy the short interaction I get with my mechanical watches while winding them up. However, recently I had a very difficult time finding a battery for one of my quartz watches. Apparently, everybody else needed the same size battery and the stores were typically sold out (in my area). The result was that I hadn’t worn that watch for a few months. I never have to concern myself with that when using a mechanical watch.
As a matter of principle, I don’t think it’s wise to allow your entire lifestyle to be dependent on electricity. Putting all your eggs in one basket makes you vulnerable.
I’ve got Casio Duro and Seiko SNK803, the both that I really like. What makes the seiko feel really special to me is the ticking sound coming from its mechanical parts working. It does gain time a bit - a lot compared to Duro - but the sound just mesmerises me. Totally irrelevant to the horology though!
Agree. I like quartz just fine, but the ticking of a mechanical is soothing. The tick of a quartz can be irritating like a dripping faucet.
I have one watch that's quartz but ticks like a mechanical watch. I find that fascinating. So far it's keeping perfect time too.
This is where I feel that solar splits the difference. You get the accuracy and ease of quartz with a biomechanical connection similar to an automatic. Wearing the watch out and about on your adventures is still powering the watch in a different way. I love solar G-Shocks and Citizen Eco Drives for this reason.
It would be nice if Citizen put their Bulova sweeping seconds quartz movement in their pro master tough series.
@@JeeGee114 fr fr, like the solar powered watches should 100% sacrifice some reserve for the sweeping hand
I love to watch the movement of a mechanical watch. Knowing that someone manually inserted those gears with patience and precision. Knowing that whenever I am there’s a small automated factory on my wrist that relies on a century old mechanism to tell the time.
I bought my first watch in 1979. Back then everyone was buying Quartz watches and automatics were seen as passé. I bought an automatic watch as I appreciated the craftsmanship and the history behind the brand. I still have that watch today. For daily wear I like mechanical watches but Quartz still has a place as they have tough movements and are cheap to replace
I have both , 42 watches and ten are mechanical, can’t beat accuracy of a quartz watch , enjoy my mechanical watches but if I had to choose one for the rest of my life, it would be a solar quarts with atomic, you have everything in one package that’s light and comfy , deadly accurate water magnetic and shock resistant, the day date and yr , stop watch , timer , bla bla ,,main reason to me for a watch is to arrive to work or important events on time , phones are for speaking on in my eyes cheers Shane uk 🇬🇧
I own around 14 watches. Most of them Festina, a couple of Casio's and my first ever automatic : A Cititizen Promaster Sea. Couldn'"t keep up with replacing the batteries anymore, so I only buy automatics from now on. Just ordered a Tissot Swissmatic. Looking forward to the unboxing and strapping it arount my wrist.
With some mechanical and automatic movements being assembled by robots and or by cheap labor in China, it's hard to categorize all mechanical watches as having "soul". Another point to think about is that crystals are believed to have spiritual qualities by some belief systems...quartz crystals are included. So maybe mechanicals and quartz watches both have "soul". I appreciate both types of watches because they are both artifacts of human ingenuity. I like my Tudor and my Eco Drives for this reason.
That's a very good point, it really made me think about the relationships I have with my watches.
there's no REAL reason to buy a mechanical watch... Im still gonna do it tho
I'll go one better: there is no REAL reason to buy a watch at all.
gak usah sok Inggris lu
@@sweetalert480 wtf are taking about?
I prefer analog timepieces in general, but mechanical is where it's at. I know it's less accurate, but they are beautiful! I love watching wheels and gears move and spin. Quartz watches have gears too, but they aren't as complicated as a mechanical watch. Plus, they're made of plastic instead of metal, which kinda takes away the charm
Yeah, mechanicals are less accurate and plenty of quartz fans like to point to that fact; however, mechanical watches were plenty accurate enough to bring victories in multiple battles and wars and to manage safe space travel. Both Omega and Bulova mechanical watches have been to space.
Some days I love mechanical watches, some days it's all about quartz. I usually choose quartz in more day to day affairs. Automatics give me swag :))
There's 5 reasons to buy a mechanical watch, but at least a million reasons to subscribe to this channel and his other one Ben Arthur
I have no interest in quartz watches just like I have no interest in smart watches. Because it's really not about being a purely practical tool or fashion piece.
The whole reason I like/wear watches in the first place is because I love the idea I'm wearing a tiny complicated machine on my wrist. I love engineering and mechanics.
And the fact it serves a practical purpose is just a bonus.
I think that unless you have a Spring Drive it is pretty important to have a quartz in your collection. They function as a grab and go and help you maintain the accuracy of your entire collection. Admittedly, a cell phone can do the same now (and if it weren't for cell phones I don't think the mechanical watches would have made the comeback they have). We need acuracy in the modern world and quartz and cell phones help us maintain that.
It is hard to develop the same bond with a quartz that we can establish with a mechanical. Even my higher end Seiko Quartz isn't warn anywhere near as often as my automatic watches despite costing more than some of them.
I have developed bonds with some of my quartz watches too though. Especially the G-shocks. Trech up a 14er with one or have one as a constant companion on an excursion and you bond with it.
Heck I am pretty attached to a Casio Edifice that I have warn for many years. At this point I wish the case was pure stainless (rubbed through the stainless polishing the scratched crystal).
In summery, you need a quartz in your collection, you can bond with them given the opportunity. It just sometimes takes longer.
People like mechanical watches for the same reason they do zippos, records, mechanical switches and all of the other sorts of analog revival. Its something physical and real in an increasingly digital society.
My friend once had a quartz watch with the class back. That was weird but also cool and unique
2 autos and 3 quartz in my collection. I wear the quartz most. Love my Certina Precidrive going at +1s/year. One second in front of atomic. Always.
As for for 2:04 I found my Promaster Eco-Drive had just as much soul as an auto, and I had as much, if not more of a connection to that than any of my automatic watches. Something about the watch being capable of being autonomous for decades.
I have to agree with you about the solar powered ones. In my experience of the oldest I have which is fourteen years, it never needed its cell changed. The fact that the atomically controlled ones can set themselves too, makes them like magic. Pinnacles of time telling. I love knowing exactly what time it is, and I don't exactly know why.
I love mechanical watches, I got a Seiko 5 similar to the one showed here, bought 25 years ago and it is still ticking. I love it. Also a Omega Seamaster (2001) and wear it some times. But I like quartz watches with analogue and digital dial like my Casio G-Shock when I want reliable time keeping, but both are chosen for quality vs accuracy and quartz movements are in that regard better and less expensive to keep running reliably. Great video.
end of day we don't NEED a watch, we buy them because we want one, and mechanical are just MORE than just a object that tells the time, they are a price of history, art and the future all wrapped up in a tiny package. I have lots of mechanicals, AND lots of quartz. (about 50/50) but if i could only choose one, it would be a mechanical automatic.
Nah, I'd argue you *need* a watch. At the very least, you *should* wear a watch. It's a super practical way to check the time. It's more convenient than pulling our your pocket watch (phone). It completes an outfit. It's part of your everyday carry.
Phafanapolis your confusing need with convenience.
We need food. We need water. We don’t need a watch.
The concept of time itself is a construct. We would survive just fine with or without being even aware of time, let alone measuring it in time arbitrary slices.
@@biscuitsalive Sure. Yes, you are correct. You will not die without a wrist watch. I was using "need" a little more losely, like how in modern times you need to wear clothes or have a cell phone and probably a car. IMO it's a very valuable tool that every man should have.
@ biscuitsalive I think that sums up mechanical automatics perfectly. Although if I could choose only one, I 'I think' I would choose quartz.
Quartz watches are like digital books, mechanical watches are like paper books. One is easier to use, one has that romantic appeal.
I own and love both equally for different reasons. I love Casios retro digital watches. I also love a good chronograph and when the large seconds hand is positioned at 12 until you start the chrono I’m fine with quartz. However if it’s analog and not a chrono I prefer mechanical for that lovely sweep. I also like Citizens Eco-drive when they can be found around $100 I think they are a great value.
My work requires precise time keeping and the ability to withstand rough handling and the elements, so my work watch is a quartz Casio G Shock. In my free time, I like wearing a watch as a tool or an accessory. Quartz means that I can have a bunch of rotating options without having to reset the time or worry about maintenance.
Well said Ben. This is how I try to explain it to my friends and family . I have both automatic and quartz watches . I travel with a quartz watch . It is reliable . I have a longine Conquest V H P quartz . I do love my swiss and Japanese automatic watches better . ( Hamilton and Sieko )
Good video but i feel like saying quartz doesn't have soul is really sad because i actually have more emotional feelings towards my Casio Databank than my Seiko 5. And i know mechanical watches kinda like magic but don't forget when the first quartz watch unveiled (Seiko), people's going crazy about how they do it, and its fascinating to learn about quartz watches. You have quartz crystal that vibrate inside of a tube that happens to be the perfect timekeeper. While the mechanical one are powered by spring and gear. Now im not saying quartz are superior than mechanical, no. Im just saying that Quartz watches does have soul if you love it.
Agreed! The heart of a quartz watch is a vibrating crystal... How much more "magical" can you get?
I flat out agree with you. Given quartz robustness over mechanical watches, it's a hard sell to buy automatics.
I've got the Casio DB520 in my collection😍
My dad recently passed away and I inherited 20+ of his quartz watches. I still wear my mechanicals (Seiko, Hamilton, Junghans) but I’m keeping all of these. Memories!
I’m sorry about your dad
@@warrenrhinerson6373 Thank you!
For me it all becomes worth it when I'm wearing my Tudor or Christopher Ward chronometer and meet a fellow watch enthusiast and he notices my watch and we get into an excited conversation about the hobby we love so much....
I prefer automatic watches but at my budget I can’t buy very “cool” ones. Most of my automatics are cheap Chinese homages in addition to one Invicta Pro Diver and an Orient Bambino. I’ve gotten back into quartz when I learned about chronographs and currently my daily driver is a Seiko mechaquartz chronograph.
Just buy a Seiko 5 Automatic.
The Bambino is just as cool as many a Swiss piece costing 5x as much as it. It's not all about the cost/price :)
@@oes2546 Oh I agree, I love my Bambino but it's just not super versatile, ya know? It's a bit too dressy for casual outfits but I've worn it to many job interviews.
Try a seagull movement. U can get a cool chrono movement for pretty cheap
Vostok Amfibia! You can get one for 60 bucks already.
To me, it's simply Convenience vs Tradition; However, a good quality quartz is a sweet spot for me. Got a Seiko SQ with "double tick" (it aligns the markers almost perfectly!), similar to GS quartz, which I find as satisfying, if not more, than mechanical sweep.
I love open back mechanical watches because I love watching the mechanisms moving
I love mechanical watches. I find them so much more fascinating with the number of parts that work together to keep almost perfect time and the only power source is a spring. Quartz movements are just boring to me. When I think of watchmaking, I think mechanical. It’s the same thing with cars. I much prefer good old fashioned combustion engines over electric motors. I find the operation more interesting. I definitely don’t fault anyone for preferring quartz watches, though. They definitely have some significant upsides like cost and accuracy. However, I do find the accuracy part to be less impressive than the accuracy of a good mechanical movement
A quartz watch is much more accurate, and also more durable and reliable. And certainly as a watch for occasional wear, it cannot be beat because it does not require any winding.
My old Seiko quartz is still running after 40 years non-stop except for annual battery changes. Is is virtually impossible for any mechanical watch (however simple the movement is) to last anywhere near that long (at least not without having to overhaul it every few years.
I beg to differ.....I have a few vintage watches from the 60s that my Dad gave me a few years back and they have not been serviced even once since the time he bought them in the 60s.....they are still accurate and look great.....Your Quartz seems to be an exception to the rule...quartz watches typically last between 10 to 15 years at best....however it is finally up to each of us with regards to what we wear and enjoy....you seem to have a good watch...enjoy it.
I prefer hand wind watches
Since I can't wear any watch at my workplace, I can only wear a watch when I'm home. So an automatic watch is nothing for me since I don't move enough with it. But I still prefer mechanic watches than quartz. You can really feel the craftmanship and the human work inside it, and also I love the sound of that fast ticking!
I think automatic watches take on a more expensive persona and therefore coveted more by some enthusiasts. Personally I like the movement better on the automatic but find my quartz watches keep better time and you never have to wind them.
I must say you are wrong about few things. quartz movement watches can be with great carftmenship, take a look on the Grand Sieko Quartz and you will see for yourself, crafting reflecting pricing. swiftly second hand exist in Bulova quartz movement, and ticking second hand can be exist in luxury mechanics watches. the only reason why I love mechanics movements because it's fascinating how small metallic pieces can work as one in a way that we got the final result which is telling the time, the date, month, year and even farther than that.. mechanical movement give you the feeling of wonder, that's why people feel more connected to mechanic movements watches.
I loved that you showed the 5th watch automatic while saying that being automatic sometimes just gives the impression of being better, well done
When I wear my late grandfather's manual wind mechanical watch, I feel a deep connection with him. As I set the time and wind up the watch, I am reminded of how he must have done the same thing over 60 years ago. The watch's intricate mechanical movements and ticking sound evoke a sense of nostalgia and warmth that is hard to find in modern quartz watches.
I find winding my watch entertaining which is why I like manuals. It’s satisfying
I bought me a fossil watch at the beginning of the year when I just got into watches. I set it once at the beginning of the year. I set the seconds marker about half a second too late and to this day the watch is still only half a second late. It's been almost 11 months and the watch didn't go noticably faster or slower at all. Definitely a very reliable watch. But I still want an automatic watch because of how satisfying it looks.
Shake it, set it, put it on.. skx007😍 a real men's watch😁👍🍻🇱🇷
I just purchased my first automatic movement and at this time I prefer quartz. Actually I should say solar quartz. Just set it and forget it and it's always ready. My automatic is done after two days, and after those two days I have to reset the time and date. It just seems like a hassle.
Mechanical is the way to go for me by now. I've used to not understand why people buy these over a quartz, but once I got my first automatic, I was fixed! Seeing the movement, the rotor, even sometimes hearing and feeling it on your wrist plus the sweeping second hand give those watches a soul the quatz lacks.
I wear mechanical watch daily. And a quartz when going out hiking, so i dont have to worry if i bump around 😉
Choosing a quartz watch over a mechanical one, is like choosing an Eau de Toilette perfume over an Eau de Parfum one. With no doubts, I would go with a mechanical watch, as would I with EdP over EdT.
I in fact bought a mechanical pocket watch today. It is a Chronometre ROMEO, from the nineteen-thirties, from a shop ran by a nice old german man (an S.P. business). I also bought an old chain with it and now I look like a train conductor with the chain connected to the middle button on my waist vest (I wear three piece suits everyday) and the other end of the chain connected to the pocket watch, that goes in my right waist vest pocket (I am right-handed).
Believe it or not, I am fifteen years old.
Salutations,
Moses K. Frost
Mechanical wstches have a HUGE advantage over quartz. It eliminates the pesky requirement to go to a service center to get new batteries when they run out. Some expensive models have solar power recharging which helps. Btw I own both types.
Regarding your mention of the pesky requirement to get new batteries fitted in a quartz watch. FYI - Only get good quality batteries fitted, they can last 5 years.
And a mechanical watch needs a full very expensive service every 5 to 8 years or it just dies. Also many solar quarts watches are actually cheaper that mechanical watches.
Quartz watches have HUGE advantages over mechanical. They eliminate the pesky requirement to wear the watch at all times so it doesn't die in a day or so, also the annoying task to wind the watch and reset the time/date every few weeks because of their innacuracy. They also eliminate the need to get an expensive service (sometimes more costly than the watch itself) every 5 years, because with quartz movements, in the same timespan (sometimes even around 10 years) you just need to pop open the watch back once and install a new 3 dollar battery (wich you can easily do by yourself).
Don't pretend your feelings about mechanical watches translate to facts and practicity. If you like mechanical, it's just for what it means in a sentimental way to you.
i look for screw off or screw back type watches. amazon sells a cheap tool you can buy to take off the backs and replace the battery yourself. the pressure fit watch backs is a hassle for me though.
Problem with me is most of my watches I use in aquatic environment, and swapping out batteries without the necessary equipment basically renders them NOT waterproof. So it usually requires a reputable center to replace battery and pressure test the watch. Otherwise the DIY option is viable.
Get any G-Shock solar powered wantch. If you want the absolute best for what you do, get a Frogman.
I currently have two of each, but I'm planning on expanding my automatic collection. I'll still keep the quartz watches as my daily wearers, they're always ready to go and if anything happens to them it's not such a big deal.
Both have their time and place - need my citizen ecodrive promaster 200m diver for sports - but I prefer a small mechanical with a display caseback for pure enjoyment, especially the seiko 5 snk series most of which you can dress up or dress down. Smaller watches are finally coming back into style and it's about time! esp for smaller and average-sized wrists! A 37mm seiko 5 with a 40mm lug-to-lug width disappear on my 7" wrist without looking feminine or too delicate, and they're so simple and robust I don't need worry about them. No hacking or handwinding, who cares? Plenty accurate and reliable. The 7S26 movement is kind of a purist's movement anyway, designed for those who wear their watch all the time.
Most (85%) of my modern wristwatches are quartz for the value, accuracy or complications which are impossible or extremely expensive to build in a mechanical. I enjoy my mechanical watches very much, but I hopefully am keeping the “soul” thing grounded in reality.
Mechanical watches are so much cooler
I'm young at watches. Started with quartz now transitioning to mechanical. So I have an Armani and Nixon quartz. Also 2 Seiko 5 - SRPD65K4 and SKX009J. Love my Seikos. I like this channel so I'm subbing. Keep it up Ben.
Is it true that modern mechanical watches really require more effort to be produced than quartz movements? The only reason why I would consider buying an automatic watch is the fact that you do not need to change a battery. Having said this I would prefer a solar quartz. Because an automatic watch needs a service from time to time.And I love the ticking second hands of quartz movements because you can count the seconds with their help. I possess an older M&M automatic watch with an Eta movement and a window on the back to watch the movement but I don´t wear it. It is a little bit slow and to service it is expensive.
Mechanical and solar quartz for me. The less I need to have someone taking the back off the better.
I'm a watch newb and bought 2 digital watches for functionality - like barometer, altimeter, compass, timers, alarms, calculator, databank, etc. I knew I wanted an analog watch as my next and, the more I looked on Amazon, the more I saw mechanical watches, then skeletonized mechanical auto watches really hit the spot for me when I could see those gears and wheels turning! I like how I do have that direct connection with having to keep the watch powered! Either by directly winding it, and/or moving my wrist. I enjoy being interactive with my watch, so automatic mechanical watches are definitely what I prefer most in analog watches. I don't care if they're not _as_ accurate as quartz. I am not living by the second here. Even if I was, I also have my digital watches for that, and I do wear two watches at the same time (one analog, other digital). I don't care how odd it might seem to everyone else, I am doing what I like for me, not waiting for society's approval to tell me what I should like or not like. 😋
Got my first automatic a week ago , the VICTORINOX INOX auto . It’s an amazing piece of kit . Solid
I like my Victorinox Officer’s (241732). It’s cheaper than the INOX, but I love it :3. It’s still going strong after 3 years.
I have five mechanical (soon to be six) and one quartz, the quartz I like because it's Solar and I don't have to worry about it stopping and loosing time if I don't wear it often, really the only time I wear it is a beater gym watch, as it won't break my heart if it gets damaged and the chronograph comes in handy.
For day to day watch wearing, I love my automatics, like you say there's something about a physically beating movement that gives that little fizz, when you glance at the caseback when taking it off or putting it on, when you glance down to tell the time and admire the seconds hand sweeping along.
My grail watch is a Grand Seiko Spring Drive though, it's the perfect marriage of both, the accuracy of quartz with the craftsmanship and physical machinery of a mechanical, and that seconds hand gliding along with no beatrate at all.
Just compared looking at my automatic and my casio royale, for some reason the casio square face just keep charming me with that digital screen.
The best quartz to buy Is solar powered without a doubt. Forget a battery replacement 🙂.
I agree, I have a seko and Casio both solar powered. theyre amazing
Last week I bought this one but it is not on my hands yet ua-cam.com/video/rt__lhTke5Q/v-deo.html I already had this one for rainy days and for the beach ua-cam.com/video/Jk7p-yIij4s/v-deo.html
I like mechanical watches better, I like the engineering behind them (which I've studied). Mechanical chronographs in particular. I do own more quartz watches though, because a good mechanical chronograph is prohibitively expensive to buy and maintain.
TL;DR summary (although I think actually only four reasons are listed):
Watches with mechanical movements ...
1) ... are more interesting due to their complexity, craftmanship, and roots in the history of watch-making
2) ... are easier to connect with, because the watch relies on your own movements to keep moving itself
3) ... have a higher prestige, due to how they present the task of time-keeping
4) ... can show you how the movement actually works (although I personally think, this is already said in 2 and 3)
5) ... and their smooth seconds hand movement looks more premium (and can serve to hide an off-set seconds hand)
I used to own just quartz watches, but liked inexpensive automatics for a little more prestige. But now I'm sold on Citizen's Eco-drive watches, which never need batteries or winding.
I love mechanical movements. They are practically ageless.
A long term employment awarded me a couple of watches as work anniversary milestones.
First was a Citizen SkyHawk Blue Angel edition. A radio-controlled, solar large watch I'm actually pretty fond of. But, y'know. Quartz.
Second I got was a Gucci (meh) with an ETA Quartz.
Then I inherited a Waltham 1908 model (built 1917) pocket watch. A mechanical marvel that still works, after I made a light service to remove enamel contaminant. These watches together made me appreciate watches in their own rights and I ended up devouring watch videos (WatchTV, restoring channels etc).
When leaving my job after 27 years, I decided to award myself with a watch kind I didn't have: an automatic watch with multiple complications. My choice was the Hamilton Khaki Aviator Pilot, 48mm watch. I've worn this thing day & night for more than a month. Can't get enough of how I'm fascinated by it. Might not have a gyrotourbillon, but it's a dang fine thing to have on my large wrist.
I don't know. just love it.
I love all watches except imitation.
Have a Rolex Explorer but also very much enjoy Grand Seiko quartz
My quartz Invicta always hits the mark, it allows me to move the second hand when I want, and its a crono so I can move any of the hands. It has a screw down crown, stainless steel body, ect... for 60 dollars, quartz are an amazing first watch because they dont have daunting repair costs and they are easy to preform general maintenance by yourself.
I own quartz watches. But I agree with Ben about mechanical watches. The wearer of the watch ensures that the watch works and gives him the time. The watch isn't connected to the internet. It doesn't depend on a battery to tell the time. In a way that is exciting.
I prefer mechanical but do have a few quartz which are ok. It's a bit like steam locomotives and diesel electric trains. The locomotives are a lot more interesting and rely on human activity to keep them going.😆😺
I have an Invicta Pro-diver automatic. Love it. But I just can't find the battery.
I seem to be an odd duck in the watch world because I’m not only a quartz guy, I’m also an Ani-Digi freak. I do own a mechanical watch, but it spends more time motionless than it does ticking. I simply do not have the patience required to fiddle with a mechanical watch. Hell, even changing analog dates irks me a little bit. On top of that, I’m very outdoorsy and adventurous. If I wore your average mechanical watch wade fishing, spelunking, or mountaineering, I would probably kill it. And I know what you’re thinking, buy a G-Shock and be done with it. I do own a G-Shock, but it spends most of the time playing second fiddle to my Timex Dual Shock. This watch truly has taken a licking and kept on ticking. Whether it’s the recoil from a day on the skeet field, all day submerged while snorkeling, or being bashed into trees on a hike, it’s done it all and the only maintenance I’ve ever done is glue the bezel back on and change the battery. Just the way I like it.
I love my Seiko Kinetic because it's part mechanical and part electrical. I love the window on the back so I can see the coils and swinging pendulum weight. But, I also love my automatic and even my smart watch. I can never decide which one to wear.
The only valid reason to wear a mechanical watch is because you really want to. Quartz is superior in almost every meassurable way.
As for beat rates, quartz beats typically at 32768 times a second, the second hand moves once a second. But the beat rate of a quartz watch is much higher than that of a mechanical.
I have several watches (quartz and mechanical), but at the moment, my favorite one is Casio Pro-Trek PRW-2500T. I just love having (literally) a time and weather computer on my wrist. In my opinion, this is the pinnacle of quartz watch movements.
That being said, I would love to have Grand Seiko. I find the way spring drive works fascinating.
Qaurtz is listening to your favourite band on your ipod .Mechanical is being at the gig .
Well let us go through a small personal history. When my dad died a couple of years ago, I was given some of his watches.
A Tissot and a Longines quartz from late 90s, a piaget quartz from mid 80s, and my grand father's mid 40s omega and early 50s zenith.
Guess what, the the Tissot, the Longines and the Piaget were dead, with battery leaking and overpriced cleaning quotes from the shop to get them back to work.
At the contrary, my granddad zenith and omega, I just had to shake them for a few seconds, and here they were up and running, I have been wearing these last 2 watches regularly since then with no issues. The quartz are sitting in the bottom of my drawer still not working.
Your heirlooms are special to you; I'm sorry they're no longer working. You could probably take them to a local watch repair and have the movements replaced with Miyota or somesuch, though you would probably need to get new hands as well.
You should still get those mechanical watches serviced!
@@michaelhorn8962 maybe I should look into it, but I think it would still be better with respective mouvements, just way too expensive so they sit and wait for the moment. However I can tell you that I only buy/will buy mechanical/automatic watches from now on. I bought 4 watches since then, 2 for me 2 for my son they are automatics.
@@seanmaxwell3319 well yes you are probably right, that is what I am saying to myself when I see all these videos about watches, but to be honest I have not, and knowing my grandfather, he most certainly never did,I have been wearing them regularly since 2012 and they never failed me. OK, not that sharp accurate, they are loosing or adding a min at the end of the day but hey, I still enjoy them and they have been serving their job nicely to me.
I am afraid of a bad service that could make things worse.
Plus as they are 'collectors' these service could be inflated.
Im welder and time is the essen, but i use still mecanical molnija pocket watch. Its old but reliable and you can instantley know is a pocket watch mecanical or battery. Its More quaet but there is the problem because the battery clock is so silent i dont know when it stops.
3:20 ooooh I would love to have one of these, I give such a Steampunk vibe to it and I love it.
Smooth seconds hands can be found in quartz and were more common in the past. There are the Bulova High Frequency watches of course. And the 5S21 movement had a true smooth sweep with no ticking whatsoever, similar to how spring drive looks today.
The thing is, there's no real horological reason for more beats as there's basically no gain in accuracy. I actually quite like that you have clear units in quartz
I haven’t taken the dive into mechanical, but I just got a Casioak (GM-2500C), and the lack of a physical second hand and the crisp minute hand click are major selling points. It feels like a more proper treatment of the quartz movement.
Definitely mechanical, as an engineer I appreciate the art of making a timepiece that is entirely mechanical. I do love my quartz chronos though.
I love them too. However it's a bit like saying we prefer steam trains over diesel or electric. Yes steam is more romantic, but if wanted reliability to get somewhere, you would not choose steam.
Mechanical watches are easy to fall in love with. As soon as I wake up I put it on, i love taking few seconds to wind it, and a few extra seconds once a week or so to fix the +/- time.