Quartz or Automatic Watch: Which Is Right for You?
Quartz or automatic? The short answer: a quartz watch runs on a battery and an oscillating quartz crystal, so it is more accurate, cheaper to own and ready to wear at any time. An automatic watch is fully mechanical and winds itself as you move, so it needs no battery and gives you a sweeping seconds hand and a movement you can admire. Neither is better in absolute terms: the right one depends on how you wear your watch.
Quartz vs automatic at a glance
| Quartz | Automatic | |
|---|---|---|
| Power source | Battery | Mainspring wound by a rotor as you move |
| Accuracy | Typically within about 15 to 20 seconds a month | Typically several seconds a day |
| Seconds hand | Ticks once per second | Sweeps in small steps |
| Maintenance | Battery change every few years | Service every 5 years or so |
| If you don't wear it | Keeps running | Stops after its power reserve, then needs resetting |
| Price | Usually lower | Usually higher |
How a quartz watch works
A battery sends a small electric current through a tiny piece of quartz crystal. Quartz has a useful property: under current it vibrates at a very stable frequency, 32,768 times per second. A circuit counts those vibrations and sends a pulse to a small motor once per second, which moves the hands. Because the frequency is so stable, quartz watches are more accurate than any mechanical movement, and they keep running whether you wear them or not.
How an automatic watch works
An automatic watch is a mechanical watch that winds itself. Its energy is stored in a coiled mainspring. A weighted rotor on the back of the movement turns with every movement of your wrist and keeps that spring wound. The energy is released through the gear train to the balance wheel, which beats at a regular rate and keeps time. There is no battery: as long as you wear it, it runs.
When you take it off, it keeps going for the length of its power reserve. The NH35 automatic movement in our Aquadiver Automatic and Eterno divers, for example, has a power reserve of about 41 hours. Leave it in a drawer for a weekend and you will need to wind it a few turns with the crown and set the time.
And Mecha-Quartz?
Some of our chronographs, like the Batmobile and the Metal Slug Raid watches, use a Japanese Mecha-Quartz movement (VK series). Timekeeping is quartz, so it is accurate and runs on a battery, while the chronograph uses a mechanical module. The result is a crisp chronograph push and an instant reset that feel closer to a mechanical watch.
Which one should you choose?
Choose quartz if
- you want the most accurate time with no effort;
- you wear several watches and don't want to reset them;
- you want a lower price for the same design.
Choose automatic if
- you like the idea of a watch that runs on your own movement, without a battery;
- you enjoy the sweeping seconds hand and seeing the movement through a display caseback;
- you wear the same watch most days, so it stays wound.
Frequently asked questions
Is an automatic watch better than a quartz watch?
Not better, different. Quartz is more accurate and easier to own. Automatic is valued for its mechanical craftsmanship and needs no battery.
Do automatic watches need batteries?
No. They are powered by a mainspring that the rotor winds as you wear the watch.
Why are automatic watches less accurate?
A mechanical balance wheel is affected by position, temperature and the state of wind of the mainspring. A quartz crystal is far more stable.
How long does a quartz battery last?
Usually two to five years, depending on the movement and on how often a chronograph is used.
Browse our automatic watches and quartz watches, or read Automatic vs Manual Watch if you are choosing between two mechanical movements.
