Automatic vs. Quartz Watches: Which Should You Actually Buy?
Automatic vs. Quartz Watches: Which Should You Actually Buy?
By Brian Costello, Co-Founder of Seaborne Trading Company
Ask enough watch enthusiasts whether you should buy a quartz or automatic watch and eventually someone will explain — at considerable length — why mechanical watches are obviously superior.
We make both.
So we're going to make a slightly different argument:
Buy the one that fits how you actually want to wear a watch.
Automatic watches are fascinating little machines powered by springs, gears and the movement of your wrist.
Quartz watches are extremely accurate, dependable and remarkably good at the basic job watches were invented to do:
Tell you what time it is.
Neither is universally better.
They're different solutions for different people.
And, as we've learned designing watches at Seaborne, sometimes the supposedly less romantic choice is exactly the right one.
Automatic vs. Quartz at a Glance
Choose an automatic watch if: You enjoy mechanical watches, appreciate the movement itself, wear the watch regularly and like the ritual that comes with ownership.
Choose a quartz watch if: You want maximum convenience, excellent accuracy, a thinner and lighter watch, and something you can pick up after several days and know is still showing the correct time.
Does an automatic watch need a battery? No.
Does a quartz watch need a battery? Traditional quartz watches generally do.
Which is more accurate? Quartz, by a significant margin.
Which is more interesting mechanically? Automatic.
Which is better? That depends entirely on what you want from your watch.
What Is an Automatic Watch?
An automatic watch is a mechanical watch that winds itself using the motion of your wrist.
Inside the watch is a mainspring that stores energy. As you move, a weighted rotor turns and helps wind that spring.
The stored energy then powers the movement through a system of gears, wheels, springs and an escapement.
No battery.
No electronics needed to keep time.
Just a remarkably small mechanical machine strapped to your wrist.
That's part of the appeal.
Look through the exhibition caseback of an automatic watch and you can actually see parts of the mechanism doing their work.
There's something inherently satisfying about that.
What Is a Quartz Watch?
A quartz watch uses a battery and a tiny quartz crystal to regulate timekeeping electronically.
When electrical current passes through quartz, the crystal oscillates at a highly stable frequency. The movement uses those oscillations as its timing reference.
The result is exceptionally accurate timekeeping in a movement that can also be very thin.
The technology revolutionized the watch industry for a reason.
It works extremely well.
That may not sound as romantic as a balance wheel oscillating inside a mechanical movement.
But if you're running late for dinner, romance probably isn't your primary concern.
Which Is More Accurate: Quartz or Automatic?
Quartz.
This one really isn't close.
For example, the Miyota GM12 quartz movement used in the Seaborne Runabout is rated by Miyota to approximately ±20 seconds per month.
By comparison, TMI specifies the NH34 automatic GMT movement used in the Seaborne WaveCatcher GMT at a much broader mechanical tolerance measured in seconds per day, rather than seconds per month.
That doesn't mean anything is wrong with the automatic movement.
That's simply the nature of mechanical timekeeping.
A mechanical movement is regulating time through interacting physical components.
A quartz movement is regulating it electronically against an extremely consistent quartz oscillator.
If your only measurement of watch quality were:
“Which one keeps better time?”
Quartz would win rather quickly.
Fortunately, watches are about more than that.
Why Do People Love Automatic Watches?
Because they're fascinating.
A quality automatic watch takes something fundamentally unnecessary in the modern world — a tiny mechanical machine whose primary purpose is telling time — and makes it enjoyable.
You can feel the rotor move.
You can watch the seconds hand sweep around the dial.
You can look through an exhibition caseback and see the movement.
You can wind it by hand.
And you can appreciate the fact that this entire collection of miniature parts works together without a battery.
For people who love mechanical objects, that's incredibly appealing.
It's why we chose an automatic movement for the Seaborne WaveCatcher GMT.
The WaveCatcher is meant to be an enthusiast's watch.
The automatic TMI NH34 movement is part of its personality.
But Automatic Watches Ask Something From You
Here's the part that sometimes gets left out.
Automatic watches are convenient if you wear them regularly.
Take one off and leave it on the dresser long enough, and eventually it stops.
The NH34 used in the WaveCatcher, for example, has a manufacturer-rated power reserve of more than 41 hours when fully wound.
So if you rotate among several watches and leave your automatic sitting for a few days, you may pick it up to find:
The time is wrong.
The date is wrong.
And, on a GMT watch, your additional time zone may need attention too.
For a watch enthusiast, that's often no big deal.
Set it.
Wind it.
Put it on.
There's even a little enjoyment in the ritual.
But not everyone feels that way.
And that's important.
Why We Chose Quartz for the Runabout
When we designed the Seaborne Runabout, we were designing it for a different kind of experience.
We kept hearing a version of the same thing from people who liked watches but weren't necessarily watch people:
They wanted something cool.
Something colorful.
Something well made.
Something they could wear everywhere.
But they didn't necessarily want another object in their life that required attention.
They didn't want to pick up a watch after four days and discover it had stopped.
They didn't want to wind it.
They didn't want to reset the date.
They wanted to:
Grab it. Put it on. Go.
That's why we chose quartz.
Not because it was the cheaper substitute for the automatic movement we really wanted.
Because quartz was the better movement for the watch we were designing.
The Runabout is supposed to be light, easy and reliable.
Coffee run.
Boat.
Beach.
Weekend away.
Monday morning.
Grab it from the dresser and it already knows what time it is.
That's the point.
Quartz Doesn't Mean Cheap
This is another misconception worth clearing up.
Quartz describes how the movement keeps time. It doesn't describe the quality of the watch surrounding it.
A quartz watch can still have:
A high-quality stainless-steel case.
Sapphire crystal.
Excellent finishing.
A carefully designed dial.
A well-made strap or bracelet.
Strong water resistance.
And thoughtful proportions.
Likewise, putting an inexpensive automatic movement inside a poorly constructed watch doesn't magically make the entire watch luxurious.
Movement type is one part of the design.
It isn't a quality grade.
For the Runabout, we use the Miyota GM12, a slim Japanese quartz movement measuring just 2.71mm high. That thin movement helps us build the kind of compact 36mm watch we wanted.
Quartz Has Its Own Advantages
If you're deciding between quartz and automatic, quartz offers some very practical benefits.
Accuracy
Quartz generally keeps considerably more accurate time than a traditional mechanical watch.
Convenience
Leave it on the dresser for a week.
Pick it up.
It's still running.
Thinness
Quartz movements can be extremely thin, which gives designers more flexibility to make slim watches.
Weight
Depending on the overall watch design, quartz can contribute to a lighter, easier-wearing watch.
Lower Everyday Maintenance
There's no need to keep it wound or reset it simply because you didn't wear it for several days.
Eventually, you'll replace the battery.
And then you'll go back to mostly forgetting about the movement.
For a lot of people, that's exactly what they want.
Automatic Has Advantages Too
Automatic watches offer something quartz can't really duplicate.
Mechanical Character
Hundreds of tiny interactions are happening inside the movement to keep the watch running.
That's objectively cool.
No Regular Battery Changes
Wear or wind the watch and the mainspring provides the energy.
The Ownership Experience
For enthusiasts, setting, winding and interacting with a mechanical watch isn't an inconvenience.
It's part of the fun.
Visual Appeal
An exhibition caseback gives you something worth looking at beyond the dial.
That's one reason we wanted the sapphire exhibition back on the WaveCatcher.
The movement is part of the watch's story.
Does an Automatic Watch Last Longer Than Quartz?
Either type can last for many years when properly maintained.
But they require different kinds of care.
A mechanical watch contains many moving components that eventually benefit from professional servicing as lubricants age and parts experience wear.
A traditional quartz watch has fewer mechanically demanding components but will need battery replacement periodically.
So “automatic lasts forever and quartz gets thrown away” isn't particularly useful advice.
Quality matters.
Construction matters.
Maintenance matters.
And whether someone actually takes care of the watch matters quite a bit too.
What If You're Not a Watch Enthusiast?
This may be the easiest decision of all.
If you are primarily looking for:
A good-looking watch that is accurate and easy to own
quartz makes an enormous amount of sense.
You do not need to graduate from quartz into automatic watches.
Automatic isn't Level Two of watch ownership.
Some people own nothing but mechanical watches.
Some prefer quartz.
Plenty of people own both.
We do.
Different watches can serve different purposes.
What If You Love Watches?
Then automatic probably deserves a place in your collection.
There is something genuinely compelling about mechanical watchmaking.
It's inefficient in the most enjoyable possible way.
Your phone will tell you the time more accurately.
So will the microwave.
That's clearly not why you're wearing the watch.
Mechanical watches survive because people enjoy the object itself.
That's a perfectly good reason.
Quartz vs. Automatic for an Everyday Watch
For a true everyday, grab-and-go watch, we'd give quartz a very serious look.
That's especially true if you rotate watches, don't wear one every day, or simply don't want to think about whether your watch is wound.
That's exactly the thinking behind the Runabout.
For something more mechanical, enthusiast-oriented or emotionally connected to the movement itself, automatic becomes much more appealing.
That's the WaveCatcher.
Two very different watches.
Two different movements.
Both deliberate choices.
Quartz vs. Automatic: Which Should You Buy?
Here's our extremely sophisticated test.
Ask yourself this:
**If you picked up your watch tomorrow and discovered it had stopped, would you enjoy winding and setting it — or would it annoy you?
If your reaction is:
“That's part of owning a mechanical watch.”
You may love an automatic.
If your reaction is:
“Why isn't my watch telling me the time?”
Buy quartz.
Seriously.
Watch ownership should be enjoyable.
Choose the version you'll actually enjoy owning.
Why This Fits the Seaborne Idea
We aren't interested in putting an automatic movement into every watch simply because it makes the specification sheet sound more impressive.
The movement should fit the watch.
The WaveCatcher GMT is mechanical because the movement, GMT complication and enthusiast experience are all part of its personality.
The Runabout is quartz because simplicity, reliability, thinness and grab-and-go ownership are part of its personality.
Neither choice needs an apology.
One lets you enjoy a tiny mechanical machine.
The other lets you grab your watch and get on with your day.
Depends what kind of day you're planning.
Carry Your Adventure.
Frequently Asked Questions About Quartz and Automatic Watches
Is an automatic watch better than a quartz watch?
Not inherently. Automatic and quartz movements have different strengths. Automatic watches offer mechanical character and an enthusiast-oriented ownership experience, while quartz watches generally provide greater accuracy and convenience.
Which is more accurate, quartz or automatic?
Quartz watches are generally much more accurate. The Miyota GM12 used in the Seaborne Runabout, for example, is rated to approximately ±20 seconds per month.
Does an automatic watch need a battery?
No. Automatic watches use a mechanical mainspring for energy. A rotor inside the movement helps wind the mainspring through movement of the wearer's wrist.
Does a quartz watch need a battery?
Most traditional quartz watches do. The battery provides the electrical energy used by the movement and eventually requires replacement.
Will an automatic watch stop if I don't wear it?
Yes. Once its stored power is exhausted, a mechanical automatic watch will stop. The NH34 used in the Seaborne WaveCatcher GMT has a manufacturer-rated power reserve of more than 41 hours when fully wound.
Is quartz good for an everyday watch?
Absolutely. Quartz is particularly well suited to everyday watches because of its accuracy, convenience and ability to remain running when the watch isn't worn regularly.
Why is the Seaborne Runabout quartz?
We wanted the Runabout to be light, thin, dependable and easy to own. It's designed as a grab-and-go everyday watch, and the slim Miyota GM12 quartz movement fits that purpose extremely well.
Why is the Seaborne WaveCatcher GMT automatic?
The WaveCatcher is designed as a mechanical GMT for people who enjoy the movement and the experience of owning an automatic watch. Its TMI NH34 GMT movement is a fundamental part of the watch's character.
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