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Results for Mechanical vs Quartz

2,378 articles · 15 videos found · page 12 of 80

The Case for Quartz Luxury Watches: Featuring F.P. Journe, Grand Seiko, and Accutron Quill & Pad
F.P. Journe Grand Seiko Mar 10, 2024

The Case for Quartz Luxury Watches: Featuring F.P. Journe, Grand Seiko, and Accutron

When starting out on a watch journey, one of the first questions to consider is the choice between quartz and automatic watches, with the perception that mechanical watches are "better" and more expensive, while quartz watches are entry-level and lower quality. While this may hold some truth, luxury brands also produce high-end quartz pieces that are equally impressive from a technological standpoint. 

Five Analog Quartz Watches That Prove The Snobs Wrong Fratello
Feb 12, 2024

Five Analog Quartz Watches That Prove The Snobs Wrong

As watch lovers, we tend to be drawn to mechanical movements. There is something mysterious about the dozens of springs, wheels, pinions, jewels, screws, and plates that conspire to unwind a mainspring and turn its stored tension into a precise display of the time. I think the allure is in the fact that it is […] Visit Five Analog Quartz Watches That Prove The Snobs Wrong to read the full article.

Grand Seiko Manufacture Tour Part 5: Seiko/Epson Shiojiri Studio Shinshu - home of all Spring Drive, 9F quartz, and the Micro Artist Studio Time+Tide
Grand Seiko Manufacture Tour Part 5 Sep 10, 2023

Grand Seiko Manufacture Tour Part 5: Seiko/Epson Shiojiri Studio Shinshu - home of all Spring Drive, 9F quartz, and the Micro Artist Studio

Editor’s note: We have finally reached the end of the Grand Seiko Manufacture Tour series. In part one I detailed my visit to Grand Seiko Studio Shizukuishi, the home of all things 9S mechanical, in Morioka. Part two detailed my return to Ginza and my visit to the incredible Seiko Museum Ginza. After leaving the … ContinuedThe post Grand Seiko Manufacture Tour Part 5: Seiko/Epson Shiojiri Studio Shinshu – home of all Spring Drive, 9F quartz, and the Micro Artist Studio appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.

Mr. Jones Continues to Expand their Mechanical Collection with the Release of The Accurate, A Clever Take on the Memento Mori Worn & Wound
Aug 17, 2023

Mr. Jones Continues to Expand their Mechanical Collection with the Release of The Accurate, A Clever Take on the Memento Mori

Mr. Jones, the brand whose slogan is “The Most Unique British Watches,” continues to update their eclectic collection with mechanical versions of their most popular and talked about quartz watches. Back in April, we told you about the mechanical release of “A Perfectly Useless Afternoon,” a watch that told time via a display that brings one of the laziest activities imaginable – floating aimlessly in a pool – into fluid motion on the wrist. That design is a perfect example of the Mr. Jones ethos, which is to use a watch dial as a blank canvas to tell a story in a highly specific way, and to get people talking. Their watches, while certainly not to every taste, are undeniably full of ideas, and remarkably creative in a way that most watches simply aren’t, as the brand isn’t inspired by traditional watchmaking. The newest watch in their mechanical collection actually does take an idea that has existed in watchmaking for just about as long as the practice has existed, the memento mori, and puts a uniquely Mr. Jones spin on it. “The Accurate” doesn’t use traditional memento mori iconography, but it is, as the brand says, the most accurate watch ever made.  The Mr. Jones collection is full of visual puns, and The Accurate is a good example. The words “remember you will die” appear spread across the hour and minute hands, such that whenever you read the time, you get a not-so-subtle reminder of your own mortality. This, of course, is the point of a mem...

Grand Seiko Introduces the 44GS 55th Anniversary Specially-Adjusted 9F Quartz SJX Watches
Grand Seiko Introduces Jun 14, 2022

Grand Seiko Introduces the 44GS 55th Anniversary Specially-Adjusted 9F Quartz

Long a leading player in the arena of high-end quartz watches, Grand Seiko’s flagship offering is the 9F quartz movement that is built with an attention to detail comparable to that of its mechanical calibres. Beyond the almost-artisanal production, 9F movements are all about accuracy – the standard movements are rated to within 10 seconds a year. Now Grand Seiko a limited edition equipped with a specially-adjusted 9F calibre, the Heritage Collection 44GS 55th Anniversary SBGP017 “Blue Clouds”. Signified by the star emblem on the dial, the movement within is regulated to run within five seconds a year – an average of less than a half second deviation a month. Initial thoughts Watches with colourful, textured dials are almost the norm at Grand Seiko, which has rolled out enough limited editions that such watches seem almost more common than their plain dial counterparts. The SBGP017 dial has a familiar texture, so at first glance it seems like yet another Grand Seiko limited edition. But a closer look reveals the fact that the SBGP017 is unusual. For one, it’s quartz. Grand Seiko quartz watches rarely have patterned dials and when they do, the dials typically have motifs made up of repeating symbols. In contrast, the abstract pattern found on the SBGP017 is similar to that found on Grand Seiko’s mechanical and Spring Drive models. Put another way, the SBGP017 is an atypical Grand Seiko limited edition because it’s quartz but has the aesthetic of a me...

Why this is the golden age of mechanical watch collecting Time+Tide
Mar 24, 2022

Why this is the golden age of mechanical watch collecting

If you’re old enough to remember the song Video Killed the Radio Star, you’re also old enough to remember a time when most people wore quartz watches. This was a time of breakdancing, big hair, even bigger shoulder pads, and every song on the radio having at least one saxophone solo. The 80s might have … ContinuedThe post Why this is the golden age of mechanical watch collecting appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.

In-Depth: An Engineer’s Technical and Personal Perspectives on Quartz Timekeeping SJX Watches
Cartier Santos Dumont Feb 14, 2022

In-Depth: An Engineer’s Technical and Personal Perspectives on Quartz Timekeeping

For an uncompromising mechanical watch enthusiast, one of the most dreaded words in the specifications of a watch is surely “quartz”. Oftentimes that dread is followed by the thought, if only it was mechanical… I must admit this went through my mind when I discovered the lovely Cartier Santos Dumont in 2019. And that was despite Cartier’s best efforts in communicating that the movement inside was a long-autonomy quartz calibre with a six-year battery life. The Cartier Santos Dumont trio, with only the XL variant (extreme left) being mechanical In the time since, I began to ponder the question: why do I seek the latest electronic gadgets, but am dismissive towards quartz watches? Just because quartz movements are often cheap and easily available, does that leave them uniformly uninteresting? The Quartz Crisis On Monday, December 29, 1969, tucked somewhere in the The New York Times was an eight-line paragraph that ended with “[the] world’s first electronic wrist watch with a crystal oscillator.” That electronic watch, as you may have guessed, was the Seiko Quartz-Astron. It was barely obvious at the time, but the announcement, innocuous as it was, would be the harbinger of a crisis for Swiss watchmaking. The father of all quartz watches, the Seiko Quartz-Astron 35SQ in 18K yellow gold The Quartz-Astron cost as much as a Toyota Corolla at the time of of its release – its price was equivalent to about US$1,200 – and was without a doubt a luxury product. Ov...

Citizen Combines Japanese Paper Dials and Cutting-Edge Quartz SJX Watches
Grand Seiko 9F movement Feb 3, 2022

Citizen Combines Japanese Paper Dials and Cutting-Edge Quartz

Long available only to the Japanese domestic market, Citizen’s top-of-the-line quartz watches have been slowly making their way into foreign countries in recent years (although last year’s high-end mechanical Caliber 0200 was launched internationally). The latest high-end quartz model, however, is being launched globally. The Citizen Iconic Nature Collection is a quartet of lightweight titanium watches featuring dials made of traditional, translucent Japanese paper dyed in vivid, natural colours. But the mechanics are cutting edge in contrast – a solar-powered quartz movement accurate to within five seconds a year. Initial thoughts Citizen’s ultra-accurate quartz watches are largely unknown outside of Japan, but that is gradually changing with the global rollout of new models, which are crucially dressed in eye-catching colours instead of the muted dials historically found on these watches. Citizen has used washi for dials on The Citizen before, but usually in a low-key white. The new Iconic Nature quartet calls to mind high-end quartz watches from Citizen’s Japanese rival, though Citizen’s offering edges ahead, at least on paper. The solar-powered A060 inside the Iconic Nature is accurate to +/- 5 seconds per year, while the Grand Seiko 9F movement is rated to +/- 10 seconds per year. And the practicality of the A060 is boosted by a perpetual calendar as well as an “on-demand” power reserve indicator. The price tag of US$3,500 is might seem high for an...

INTRODUCING: The new Cartier Santos-Dumont XL gets a mechanical upgrade and adds just 0.2mm in thickness Time+Tide
Cartier Santos-Dumont XL gets Apr 18, 2020

INTRODUCING: The new Cartier Santos-Dumont XL gets a mechanical upgrade and adds just 0.2mm in thickness

At SIHH in 2019, Cartier released something very special, and oddly, it was powered by stock standard quartz. The Cartier Santos-Dumont was met with a standing ovation, not just because it was remarkably faithful to some of the earliest watch designs from Cartier, but it was also slim and relatively affordable thanks to that humble … ContinuedThe post INTRODUCING: The new Cartier Santos-Dumont XL gets a mechanical upgrade and adds just 0.2mm in thickness appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.

RECOMMENDED WATCHING: James May and the Quartz Watch Time+Tide
Sep 22, 2019

RECOMMENDED WATCHING: James May and the Quartz Watch

James May, doyen of automotive journalism, presenter of Amazon’s The Grand Tour and former presenter of BBC’s Top Gear, knows a great many things about the mechanical innards of an automobile. It turns out that Mr May is also rather savvy when it comes to understanding the complexity of the technology that almost single-handedly and … ContinuedThe post RECOMMENDED WATCHING: James May and the Quartz Watch appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.

VIDEO: “Quartz watches will be destroyed by the tsunami of the connected watch,” says TAG Heuer CEO Time+Tide
TAG Heuer CEO When ‘smart’ or Feb 25, 2018

VIDEO: “Quartz watches will be destroyed by the tsunami of the connected watch,” says TAG Heuer CEO

When ‘smart’, or ‘connected’, watches were first released there was immediate speculation about the impact they would have on the mechanical watch industry. President of the LVMH watch division, and CEO of TAG Heuer, Jean-Claude Biver, continues to think the real pain will ultimately be felt by a different segment of the market altogether. As … ContinuedThe post VIDEO: “Quartz watches will be destroyed by the tsunami of the connected watch,” says TAG Heuer CEO appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.

Is this evidence of the next Quartz Crisis? Time+Tide
Feb 8, 2020

Is this evidence of the next Quartz Crisis?

Watch enthusiasts face a somewhat unique challenge. When asked, “What are your hobbies?”, if you answer “rugby” or “dining out”, your response is almost immediately understood. In my own experience, when I say “watches”, the response is, more often than not, another question. “Watches?” My answer only seems to create echoing confusion. There are a … ContinuedThe post Is this evidence of the next Quartz Crisis? appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.

The Urwerk UR-300 Time Quantum Makes Every Hour A Mechanical Spectacle Fratello
Urwerk UR-300 Time Quantum Makes 3 days ago

The Urwerk UR-300 Time Quantum Makes Every Hour A Mechanical Spectacle

Urwerk explores the mechanics of quantum theory with the new UR-300 Time Quantum. Its unusual display combines two interconnected hour modules in a T-shaped frame that rapidly reconfigures itself every hour. The concept gives the independent watchmaker a fresh take on its signature wandering-hour complication, backed by a movement engineered to handle the forces involved […] Visit The Urwerk UR-300 Time Quantum Makes Every Hour A Mechanical Spectacle to read the full article.

SJX Podcast: Time for Quartz? SJX Watches
Patek Philippe s new Gondolo “Ladies 6 days ago

SJX Podcast: Time for Quartz?

A Cartier Cheich selling for US$3.38 million has put quartz in the spotlight, but does the huge result mean much for the broader market? On the latest episode of the SJX Podcast, we discuss the appeal of unusual Cartier shapes and why Patek Philippe’s new Gondolo “Ladies First” makes a practical case for quartz at the high end. Brandon also shares impressions from a visit to Manufacture La Joux-Perret, where solar quartz calibres account for a quarter of annual movement production. Despite the Citizen-owned manufacture’s Japanese technical foundations, these calibres are almost entirely Swiss-made, with more hands-on assembly than one might expect. We also discuss A. Lange & Söhne’s upcoming Singapore exhibition, dedicated to chronographs and classic cars. Listen now on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and YouTube.  

The Depancel Série-R Chronograph Skeleton Is A Mechanical Open Book Fratello
Oct 11, 2026

The Depancel Série-R Chronograph Skeleton Is A Mechanical Open Book

Today, Depancel opens up and shares its mechanical heart. The new Série-R Chronograph Skeleton takes that approach to a fresh extreme. Fully skeletonized, the dial looks entirely different from the rest of the brand’s lineup. It’s a racy design that takes its cues from ’70s automotive prototypes like the Maserati Boomerang. Unlike that one-off, though, […] Visit The Depancel Série-R Chronograph Skeleton Is A Mechanical Open Book to read the full article.

Sunday Morning Showdown: Omega Seamaster Diver 300M James Bond Vs. Spectre Edition Fratello
Omega Seamaster Diver 300M James Oct 11, 2026

Sunday Morning Showdown: Omega Seamaster Diver 300M James Bond Vs. Spectre Edition

It’s Sunday morning, so it’s time for a vodka martini, shaken, not stirred. In this week’s Sunday Morning Showdown, we end a busy Bond week with a battle between good and evil. On Monday, Omega released a duo of new Seamasters to celebrate Global James Bond Day on October 5th (chosen because it marks the […] Visit Sunday Morning Showdown: Omega Seamaster Diver 300M James Bond Vs. Spectre Edition to read the full article.

First Look - Hamilton Brings Art Deco Back with the American Classic Cushion Mechanical Collection Monochrome
Hamilton Brings Art Deco Back Oct 5, 2026

First Look - Hamilton Brings Art Deco Back with the American Classic Cushion Mechanical Collection

As smaller, historically inspired, shaped watches find renewed interest, it is no surprise that Hamilton looks back almost a century for its latest collection, reviving the cushion-shaped watches that defined part of its portfolio in the 1920s and 1930s. The new American Classic Cushion Mechanical takes direct inspiration from the Cushion Plain and Cushion Engraved […]

Sunday Morning Showdown: Ianos Amfivios Vs. Doxa Sub 300 Ti5 Fratello
Doxa Sub 300 Ti5 It’s Oct 4, 2026

Sunday Morning Showdown: Ianos Amfivios Vs. Doxa Sub 300 Ti5

It’s Sunday morning, so it’s time for a nice cup of coffee and another watch battle. This week, our Sunday Morning Showdown is a contest between two divers that immediately stand out in a crowd. In the saturated world of dive watches (no pun intended), both the Ianos Amfivios and the Doxa Sub 300 Ti5 […] Visit Sunday Morning Showdown: Ianos Amfivios Vs. Doxa Sub 300 Ti5 to read the full article.

Sunday Morning Showdown: Hamilton Khaki Field Murph 38mm Vs. Seiko Prospex Alpinist Fratello
Hamilton Khaki Field Murph 38mm Sep 27, 2026

Sunday Morning Showdown: Hamilton Khaki Field Murph 38mm Vs. Seiko Prospex Alpinist

It’s another Sunday morning, so it’s time for a hot cup of coffee and a heated watch battle. This week, Daan is back, and he takes on Jorg once more in a clash of two cult favorites. Daan’s pick is the recently released 38mm Hamilton Khaki Field Murph. The Murph has become a proper darling […] Visit Sunday Morning Showdown: Hamilton Khaki Field Murph 38mm Vs. Seiko Prospex Alpinist to read the full article.

Sunday Morning Showdown: Orient Star Sakigake Three Hand Vs. Tissot Gentleman 38mm Fratello
Tissot Gentleman 38mm It’s Sunday Sep 20, 2026

Sunday Morning Showdown: Orient Star Sakigake Three Hand Vs. Tissot Gentleman 38mm

It’s Sunday morning, which means it’s time for another installment of Sunday Morning Showdown. This week, we’re pitting two affordable daily wearers against each other. They represent different sides of the watchmaking world, with one hailing from Switzerland and the other from Japan. But both brands have gained a lot of respect from watch enthusiasts […] Visit Sunday Morning Showdown: Orient Star Sakigake Three Hand Vs. Tissot Gentleman 38mm to read the full article.

Hamilton Returns To Call Of Duty With A New Khaki Field Mechanical 38mm Fratello
Hamilton Returns Sep 17, 2026

Hamilton Returns To Call Of Duty With A New Khaki Field Mechanical 38mm

Do you have October 23rd marked in your calendar? If so, that’s probably because that’s when Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 is coming out. Today, however, we see the watch that goes with the video game. Hamilton returns to Call of Duty with a new Khaki Field Mechanical 38mm in black PVD steel. It […] Visit Hamilton Returns To Call Of Duty With A New Khaki Field Mechanical 38mm to read the full article.

First Look - The Blancpain Lady B, a Small, Spherical and yet Mechanical Wrist-Worn Jewel Monochrome
Blancpain Lady B Sep 17, 2026

First Look - The Blancpain Lady B, a Small, Spherical and yet Mechanical Wrist-Worn Jewel

With its motto of never producing quartz watches, its manufacturing capabilities and its rich heritage in dive watches, Blancpain is often spontaneously associated with technical, masculine watchmaking. But this overlooks an important chapter in the brand’s history. In the middle of the 20th century, its development was driven by Betty Fiechter, a remarkable figure at […]

Mechanical Resurrection: The New Christopher Ward C63 Sealander Chronograph Fratello
Christopher Ward C63 Sealander Chronograph Sep 17, 2026

Mechanical Resurrection: The New Christopher Ward C63 Sealander Chronograph

In a recent discussion I had with someone about Christopher Ward, the question of why the brand doesn’t have any mechanical chronographs in its collection came up. This stands out, as watch enthusiasts tend to love such pieces. But the English brand now has a new series of mechanical chronographs for the enthusiasts. The C63 […] Visit Mechanical Resurrection: The New Christopher Ward C63 Sealander Chronograph to read the full article.

Alpina Expands their Solar Quartz Offerings with New Startimer Pilot Solarmetre References Worn & Wound
Citizen Group who Sep 10, 2026

Alpina Expands their Solar Quartz Offerings with New Startimer Pilot Solarmetre References

As part of their Geneva Watch Days presentation, Alpina unveiled several new solar quartz references in their Solarmetre line, which effectively places solar quartz movements made by La Joux-Perret in familiar Alpina references. It’s about the most natural move possible from a business perspective. Alpina and La Joux-Perret are both owned by the Citizen Group, who of course make Citizen watches and have been leaning heavily into solar quartz technology for years. The Alpina watches sit at a higher price point than the average Citizen, so the expansion of solar quartz across Alpina’s collection naturally begins an interesting conversation about value for enthusiasts who might have an interest in both brands.  The core of the release last week would have to be a trio of new Startimer Pilot Solarmetre watches. These are solar quartz powered versions of the still new Alpina pilot watch introduced earlier this year at Watches & Wonders. I think the value here is in the particular way these watches take advantage of the smaller La Joux-Perret quartz movement compared to their mechanical counterparts. The mechanical versions of these watches measure 40mm in diameter and a hair over 10mm tall, while the Solarmetre watches come in at 38mm wide and 9.3mm thick. That’s a meaningful difference in size, with the added grab and go benefits of solar quartz (Alpina says the AL-140 movements here will run for 10 months in total darkness, and of course it doesn’t take much light to...

Sunday Morning Showdown: Zenith Chronomaster Solo Sport Vs. Breitling Chronomat Automatic B31 40 Fratello
Breitling Chronomat Automatic B31 40 Sep 6, 2026

Sunday Morning Showdown: Zenith Chronomaster Solo Sport Vs. Breitling Chronomat Automatic B31 40

It’s Sunday morning, which means it’s time for a coffee and a heated installment of Sunday Morning Showdown. After a busy week with plenty of Geneva Watch Days madness, it’s time to settle down and enjoy a lazy Sunday. The only excitement comes from this battle of sporty three-handers. Both are derived from popular chronographs, […] Visit Sunday Morning Showdown: Zenith Chronomaster Solo Sport Vs. Breitling Chronomat Automatic B31 40 to read the full article.

First Look - The Frederique Constant Classics Moneta Handwinding, now with a Mechanical Movement Monochrome
Frederique Constant Classics Moneta Handwinding now Sep 1, 2026

First Look - The Frederique Constant Classics Moneta Handwinding, now with a Mechanical Movement

Frederique Constant launched its Classics Moneta Moonphase in 2024, a compact and stylish dress watch with a distinctive retro-inspired coin-edge bezel.  With a diameter of just 37mm and a slim height of 7.65mm, the watch was enthusiastically received, but because it is powered by a quartz movement, we did not cover it on MONOCHROME. However, […]