The Differences Between Quartz and Mechanical Movements

Two philosophies of time

On the wrist, everything begins with a beat. The crisp, regular beat of a seconds hand snapping forward on a quartz watch. Or the hushed, almost organic beat of a seconds hand gliding along the seconds track on a mechanical watch. This comparison doesn’t merely pit two technologies against each other: it tells the story of two visions of time, two cultures, two kinds of pleasure.

1969. Seiko unveils the Astron and quartz upends watchmaking. Precision becomes industrialised, costs collapse, and the watch turns into an almost infallible measuring instrument. Opposite, Switzerland closes ranks, reasserting the excellence of its workshops and the refinement of centuries-old know-how. Since then, quartz and mechanical have coexisted, each with its own arguments, rituals and myths.

Quartz: electricity in the service of precision

The principle is as simple as it is elegant. A battery sends current to a quartz crystal cut as a resonator. At 32,768 Hz, the crystal vibrates with extraordinary stability; a circuit divides this frequency to drive a small stepper motor that advances the hands, second by second. The expected result: a slim, light, highly accurate watch that asks very little of you day to day. The tick-tock of the seconds hand jumping from marker to marker becomes its visual signature.

Mechanical: hand-made energy

Here, there’s no electronics. A mainspring in the barrel stores the energy from your movements (automatic) or from winding (manual). The escapement releases that energy in impulses, regulated by the balance and hairspring oscillating at 2.5, 3 or 4 Hz (up to 5 Hz for “high-beat” movements). The motion of the hands is stepped, but so fine it appears fluid: it’s that hypnotic glide that has carried mechanical watchmaking into culture, beyond pure measurement.

Accuracy and stability: the truth in numbers

If your compass is called exactitude, quartz leads the dance. A standard quartz watch often runs at around ±15 seconds per month. Thermo-compensated versions, which correct for temperature variation, drop to ±10 seconds per year. As for radio-controlled or GPS quartz watches, they synchronise to atomic time.

On the mechanical side, everything depends on adjustment and certification. A non-certified calibre can wander between −20 and +40 seconds per day. The best executions come in at −4/+6 seconds per day (COSC) or 0/+5 seconds (METAS). They remain sensitive to position, shocks and magnetism. Silicon hairsprings and anti-magnetic cases have nevertheless worked wonders over the past ten years.

Maintenance, cost and durability

Quartz shines for its simplicity. A battery change every 2 to 5 years, a water-resistance test, sometimes new gaskets, and you’re good to go. Solar quartz even eliminates the conventional battery in favour of a rechargeable accumulator, often lasting around fifteen years. Failures do happen (coil, circuit), but they’re rare and often inexpensive.

Mechanical watches demand real follow-through. A full service every 4 to 7 years depending on use and water resistance, with lubrication, regulation and checks. Costs vary widely: from a few hundred euros for a three-hander to far higher sums for grand complications. The upside is long-term repairability: a well-maintained mechanical movement can accompany several generations.

Environmental impact? Quartz raises the question of batteries and electronic components at end of life, even if volumes remain modest. Mechanical, by contrast, runs on wrist power and can be dismantled, repaired and passed on. It’s up to each person to weigh that argument according to their sensitivity.

Emotion, design and use cases

Technology shapes aesthetics. Thinner quartz modules allow for svelte cases, pared-back designs and extremely light watches. Mechanical movements, bulkier by nature, add presence on the wrist and open a window onto a living décor: bevelled bridges, Geneva stripes, perlage… Beauty isn’t only a dial-side effect; it’s also found on the back.

And then there’s the gesture. Winding your watch, feeling the click engage, is a minute for yourself—a discreet ritual. Quartz, by contrast, sets you free: you forget it, it does the job, ready for the first Monday meeting as much as for a dawn take-off.

• For a no-fuss daily watch, travel and intensive sport: quartz reassures with its accuracy and robustness.
• For the pleasure of the object, watch culture and an emotional bond: mechanical offers a sensual, enduring experience.
• For affordable complications (alarm, chronograph, world time): quartz wins on cost.
• For visible craftsmanship (finishing, micro-rotor, high frequency): mechanical has the edge.

Myths and realities

• “Quartz is cheap”: false. High-end quartz watches can feature impeccable cases, sumptuous dials and exceptional thermo-compensated movements.
• “Mechanical is fragile”: let’s qualify that. A modern tool watch, shock-resistant and anti-magnetic, handles real life very well—provided maintenance keeps up.
• “Quartz has no soul”: that’s to forget the poetry of exactitude. Charm can be born of a minimalist design served by clinical precision.
• “Mechanical is never on time”: good regulation and a simple usage routine are enough to stay within a very comfortable daily tolerance.
• “Complications only make sense in mechanical”: their cultural value is strong there, but a quartz chronograph often offers superior legibility and measurement precision.

A practical comparison: how to choose

Ask yourself the right questions before you put it on your wrist. This quartz/mechanical comparison isn’t a duel; it’s a mirror of your habits.

• Lifestyle: do you wear the same watch every day, or do you rotate often? (Quartz starts up instantly; mechanical may require setting the time.)
• Maintenance tolerance: would you rather change a battery every few years, or schedule regular services?
• Priority on accuracy: are you obsessed with the exact second, or are you looking for a more organic rhythm?
• Total budget: factor in purchase price and running costs (services, batteries, gaskets, water-resistance tests).
• Aesthetic affinity: jumping seconds, case thinness, display back, movement decoration… what truly speaks to you?

And if you’re hesitating, know that bridges exist. “Meca-quartz” chronographs pairing a quartz module with mechanical actuation deliver impeccable tactile engagement. Seiko’s Spring Drive, a hybrid with electronic regulation and mechanical energy, lets the seconds hand glide in a hypnotic continuum. The comparison therefore doesn’t stop at two boxes; it opens up a spectrum of nuances.

In conclusion

Choosing between quartz and mechanical is choosing a relationship with time. The first favours exactitude and availability; the second celebrates engineering, gesture and transmission. Both are legitimate—complementary, even. The ideal? Let your collection tell your life: a quartz that never lets you down when precision matters, and a mechanical that quietly reminds you that time is also a matter of emotion. That is the finest comparison of all. As for me, my choice was made a very long time ago.