Automatic vs quartz watches: differences and which to buy

Faced with two nearly identical watches, one marked "Automatic" and the other "Quartz", many buyers do not know which to choose. This article compares automatic vs quartz watches on the things that affect you every day: does it keep time, what care does it need, how heavy is it and who is it for.

How a quartz watch works

A quartz watch uses a small battery to power a quartz crystal. The crystal vibrates very evenly; a circuit counts those vibrations and moves the hands in steps, which is why the seconds hand usually ticks once per second. This makes quartz watches accurate, largely unaffected by how you wear them and almost maintenance-free apart from a battery change every few years.

How an automatic watch works

A mechanical watch runs on the energy stored in a mainspring. In an automatic, a rotor spins with the movement of your wrist and keeps winding the spring, so as long as you wear it daily it keeps running without a battery. The seconds hand sweeps smoothly instead of ticking. If you leave it off for a while, it stops once its power reserve runs out and needs winding and resetting.

Quick comparison

Real pros and cons for everyday wear

• Quartz suits busy people: pick it up and it is on time, no worries about it stopping. The downside is that battery changes must be done properly to keep water resistance, and an old battery left too long can leak.
• Automatic suits people who love mechanics and enjoy seeing the movement through an open dial or exhibition caseback. The downside is accepting some drift, keeping it away from speakers, magnets and phones, and re-winding if you rotate several watches.

Which should you buy?

Choose quartz if this is your first watch, you need precise time for work, you want something light, or you will not wear it every day. Choose automatic if you will wear it almost daily, enjoy the feel of a "living" watch, do not mind resetting the time now and then, and want something to keep for years. Many people own both: quartz for work, automatic for weekends.

Common myths

• "Automatic is always better": not really. Automatics have mechanical and emotional appeal, but quartz is usually more accurate.
• "Quartz means cheap": plenty of quartz watches are durable, beautiful and carefully made; quartz is simply a different way of keeping time.
• "Shake an automatic hard to wind it": there is no need, and it is not good for it. Normal wear, or gently turning the crown as the manual describes, is enough.
• "Automatics need no care": the parts inside rely on lubricating oils, so follow the maker's service recommendations to keep it running smoothly for years.
• "A sweeping seconds hand always means mechanical": a few quartz designs also sweep, so check the movement type in the listing rather than relying on how the hand moves.

Once you know these points, the choice becomes much easier: it comes down to how you live and what you enjoy, not which technology is "superior".

Tips for buying an automatic watch online

• Read the listing carefully: "automatic" or "self-winding" means mechanical. Some designs look mechanical but actually use a quartz movement.
• Ask the seller about the power reserve and how to hand-wind it.
• Check the return policy, since a mechanical watch is harder to judge from photos.
• Wear it for a few days and compare with your phone to learn how much your particular watch drifts.

Browse automatic watches or quartz men's watches on sale now. Still unsure? Try the watch finder.