Quartz vs Mechanical & Automatic Watches
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[Music]
In today's video, gents, the difference between
quartz and automatic watches.
So, a quartz watch by definition is defined
as having a movement that's powered by batteries,
no winding required.
Basically, the batteries inside sent an electrical
signal to a quartz crystal.
This causes it to vibrate 32,768 times per
second.
Those vibrations are then measured, they're
then converted into a single pulse per second.
The result, a very simple watch that is incredibly
accurate.
Now, mechanical watches on the other hand
and I'm including automatics, they need to
be manually wound or they're going to use
motion to actually automatically wind them.
So, this watch right here, I've got to go
through and I've got to manually wind it once
a day.
Now, when I'm winding the watch, what I'm
doing is I'm tightening a spring.
That spring is going to power the watch from
anywhere from maybe 24 hours to in some cases
10 days.
Now, in an automatic watch, we can actually
sometimes hear a rotor.
And, a rotor is basically going to be a device
that turns around and uses your own motion
when you're wearing the watch to actually
automatically wind it.
Again, for both types of watches here we're
putting tension on a mainspring.
This mainspring creates a force that's transferred
through a gear train to something called an
escapement which meters out power basically
bit by bit.
The math and engineering involved ensures
the power is released in intervals that correspond
with our concept of a 24-hour a day.
And, gents, if you're looking for a quartz
or automatic watch, you should check out Vincero,
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So, first up let's talk about heritage.
The quartz watch has been around for less
than fifty years which if you think about
it's pretty amazing as this has become the
dominant watch on the market.
Why?
It was able to come in and really disrupt
the whole market because of its accuracy and
of its price.
And by the way, I know some of you watch guys
are going to go crazy because sometimes I
use the word mechanical and automatic interchangeably.
I know there is a difference.
The point is the mechanical watch has a much
longer heritage and that's why so many people
love it.
We go back we look at 1275, the English are
credited with coming up with the first mechanical
watch.
In the 1540’s, we saw the Swiss actually
jump into the game and the thing what we saw
here is all of a sudden they started taking
watchmaking and building these mechanical
watches to a whole new level when they started
looking at building them up as jewelry.
And in the 1770’s, we saw the rise of the
pocket watch.
Why?
Because they actually developed a technology
to a point that you didn't have to constantly
wind the watch, you could simply keep it in
your pocket and it would keep pretty accurate
time.
They were very expensive, they were all made
by hand and it was very labor-intensive.
So, the watches were kind of the plaything
of the rich and those in a very high-level
position to be able to show off their wealth.
That being said, the ability to track time
was recognized very quickly by high-level
officials is actually something very valuable
for people's work day, so it was eventually
adopted as a tool.
Now, let's talk about craftsmanship.
So, quartz watches in general are going to
be simpler than the mechanical brethren.
In general, a quartz watch is going to consist
of a quartz oscillating crystal, an electronic
circuit to drive the watch and a means of
displaying time and a battery to power the
whole system.
Here, you're going to find a stem circuit
coil, battery insulator contact, battery strap,
plate, train bridge, dial foot clamp, a case
screw.
Overall, when it comes to watchmaking we're
talking very few parts.
And by the way, there are many advantages
to actually being a simpler watch, but let's
now talk about mechanical watches.
These have on average from one hundred and
thirty to over a thousand pieces.
And, gents, the vast majority of those parts
they are actually moving, so when you to think
about it the complexity of that system is
mind-blowing.
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Now, let's talk about assembly.
So, putting together a quartz watch because
there are so few pieces, it's relatively quick
and simple.
When we go to mechanical watches, we're talking
days, we're talking months, in some cases
years and that, gentleman, directly affects
the price.
So, let's talk cost.
The movement inside a quartz watch can go
anywhere if you were just to buy that movement
itself for $5 to $100.
The price is affected by the materials, who
makes it, where do they make it, and all the
complications that the movement is going to
have to drive.
Now, mechanical and automatic watches on the
other hand can have movements that maybe only
cost $50 to $75.
Other automatic or mechanical watches can
have movements that cost hundreds to thousands
of dollars.
In general, what you're going to see is for
the same movement that's able to do basically
the same thing, quartz watches are going to
be a fraction of the price.
Now, one of the most common questions out
there is how when I'm looking at a watch as
a potential buyer do I immediately tell if
it's a quartz or a mechanical watch?
So, they should always be marked if you're
looking to buy one.
But, if you look at the second’s hand, you
can actually see when it's a quartz watch
it's going to have just a ticking movement,
very distinctive versus a sweeping hand on
a mechanical watch.
Now, the reason on a quartz watch that we
see that movement every second is it simply
the most efficient way for the second hand
to move versus if it were to move multiple
times which is actually happening on the mechanical
watches.
So, mechanical watches five times to eight
times a second we're actually seeing really
small ticks and that's why it has that sweeping
movement.
Now, what about sound?
Quartz watches you're not going to hear anything,
some mechanical watches you will actually
be able to hear a ticking sound.
So, now, let's talk about accuracy.
This is where quartz watches shine.
The cheapest quartz watch out there is going
to be relatively accurate to 1 plus or minus
second a day.
Mechanical watches can have wide variations
depending on a number of factors such as the
watch position.
Is the dial up?
Is the crown down?
The susceptibility to gain seconds due to
shock.
So, if basically you're out playing tennis,
you can actually lose or gain a few seconds.
The temperature, the state of the wind of
the mainspring, basically, if it's not fully
wound consistently, you can actually have
an inaccurate watch.
Specifically when we're talking about the
accuracy of mechanical watch all those factors
I just talked about plus actually what is
the quality of the watch.
Was it chronometer certified?
If it's a high-end luxury watch, then you
should expect about two to three seconds variation
per day, but if it's just something that you
bought very inexpensively, it's an older mechanical
watch, you could sometimes see 12 to 15 seconds
of variation per day.
And what about durability?
So, quartz watches because they have less
parts in them, they're going to be in general
less susceptible to shock damage.
So, if you're playing a lot of sports, a quartz
watch is good versus a mechanical watch especially
a mechanical watch that has a lot of parts.
Just think about that, you're playing golf
or if you bang it up against something, all
of a sudden that watch can have just one small
piece get ajar and all of a sudden you have
a watch that doesn't tell time accurately
or stops working.
And, let's talk about maintenance.
Quartz watches, incredibly easy.
Every two to five years when the battery dies,
simply change out the battery.
Occasionally, you may have a mechanical issue,
you can send it in to get it fixed.
Now, gents, when it comes to mechanical watches
and maintenance, this is where it can become
a nightmare.
So, it depends on who you talk with, some
watchmakers are going to say.
Okay, every three years, you've got to get
that watch in for maintenance because the
oils break down and it's something that a
little bit of preventative maintenance is
going to really prevent something bad from
happening at some point in the future.
On the other side and I have to admit I’m
with these other guys over here is I we'll
send it in when it stops working.
Whenever we've got some issues, you can expect
if you've had a watch for fifteen, twenty
years it's been running strong, you can expect
something is going to happen at some point.
Now, what about case style and type?
Actually, with both quartz and mechanical
watches, you have a wide range.
But, quartz watches do have a big advantage
on the case and that is actually the thickness
of the case.
So, quartz watches, they can be incredibly
thin because they just simply don't have all
the mechanical parts you need for a mechanical
watch.
That being said, a good-looking mechanical
watch will oftentimes have a clear case back
in which you can actually see the inside workings
of the watch.
So, gents, what side are you on?
Quartz?
Mechanical?
Or automatic?
Let me know down in the comments.
So, what video to watch next?
Guys, check out this one right here, the chronograph.
I talk about the history, how they work.
If you are into watches, you are going to
absolutely love this video.
Go check it out, guys.
I will also link to it down in the description.
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