Three days ago I was cleaning out the garage and found my son's old school backpack from 2017 (yes, I should clean more often). While checking the compartments for pencils or a long forgotten PB&J sandwich, I found his long-lost Casio FW-91; 10 minutes fast, but the date was correct! That's better accuracy over 7 years that the majority of my automatics are in a week. So, while I do love mechanical watches, quartz is demonstrably better as a timepiece.
If you're a fan of watches, you enjoy them all. More than soul, a watch gains its place in your collection by the adventures or events that you've worn it. Excellent video.
I have solidly move over to quartz from automatics. I have owned omegas, gs, tudor and the like. But im too much of an accuracy nut and i hate setting the time/date. Now I have 3 quartz and one manual dress watch for special occasions. I dailie rotate between a tuna, aerospace, and a citizen eco gmt
Yeah the high accuracy is always fun to check on but just knowing that the watch I want to wear is ready to go is a great feeling. The Aerospace Evo has been high on my wishlist ever since i wore one a few years ago. Plus the fact that its titanium makes it that much better!
I think the "quartz having no soul" is because there's little that manufacturers do to differentiate their quartz movement from anyone else's. In most cases the movement gets no more description than "quartz" and its accuracy. the Grand Seiko 9F feels like it has a soul because it's got a bunch of extra features on it (anti-backlash auto adjustment, instant date change, temperature sensing feeding input to an IC custom programmed for that crystal, crystal aging, etc) and the fact that it's hand assembled. Something has a soul when people put their souls into designing and building it.
There is as much variation in quartz movements as there are in mechanical movements. Don't believe me? Check out ETAs offerings in quartz or all the different Seiko quartz options.
I have 2 Omega quartz watches from 1998: the exact watch from the James Bond film Goldeneye, and a two tone constellation thermocompensated perpetual calendar. Both have never had to be cleaned in over 25 years. Both are enjoyable to wear with comfortable bracelets. Both movements are well finished. Both have real character and no one is going to convince me they "have no soul". Quartz clocks have been around for just about 100 years. The basic concepts of quartz watches: battery, motor have been around before the time of Abraham Breguet. I also have a GS 9F.
GREAT VIDEO! I have been a watch nut for over 40 years and have and do own automatic, mechanical, and quartz pieces ranging from less than $100 to more than $8k. I have gradually become more interested and reliant on quartz. Latest acquisition is an HAQ Grand Seiko (23 year old SBGF021)
Thanks I'm glad you enjoyed the video!! It's airways nice to have a wide range of watch to choose from so quartz is great to change things up a bit. I looked up the SBGF021 and it looks great I love the double signed dials from back in the day. I've got my eye on the SBGT037 of only it was titanium!
I'm a strong believer in that a watch's main purpose is to tell the time. I love g shocks and quartz pieces that have stopwatches, timers, alarms and other features time related but can't stand smart watches and their features. A smart watch imo is a duplicate phone. Your phone tells time and essentially performs the same tasks but additionally steals time away from your life to look at screen, no thanks
I started my hobby with mechanical watches. After collecting quite a few watches, I had to set the time most of the time when I put on an automatic watch. So, now end up wearing my quartz watches the most, but I still love my mechanical/automatic watches.
I love love love my 9F SBGV223. The way the seconds hand moves so uniformly is mesmerizing. Not to mention the fact that it’s always the correct time and I don’t need to wind it is so convenient.
I could not agree more TWI. As you may know I'm a huge Casio fan but also Omega, Oris and Rolex not to mention Longines and others. At the end of the day I like watches, period. As for the mechanical soul? I can sort of get it, the mechanical beating heart that requires power by mechanical means. When the watch runs out of power it's just sleeping and that's also the case for some solar G-Shocks that hibernate if they are in the dark for a while. Anyway, a watch serves a purpose to tell the time, on different occasions it's nice to wear different watches. I'm back into G-Shock land this month but this weekend may well be a mechanical one. As always thanks for sharing.
Yeah watches are watches and it's great that there's so much variety in the watch world! It would be quite a boring place if we had only one type of watch Gshocks are fantastic and I wanted to include them in this video but why digital watches are so cool can be an entire video on its own lol! I really need to wear my GW5000U again it's been a while. Most of my wrist time has been dominated by the titanium Longines SZT so maybe once it loosens its grip😁
My biggest problem with automatics is that I have to set the time and date every time I pick it up. I am now looking into the older Hydroconquest quartz for that very reason. Plus, no maintenance cost, just the occasional battery change.
Yeah I'm right there with you! It's all well and good while they're wound up lol. The quartz hydroconquests are nice, can't remember whether they all have HAQ movements but the ones that do definitely caught my attention
The Poo Pooing of quartz are from those snobs that I would not be interested in conversing with. Back in the day when quartz was in its infancy there were many brands that unfortunately offered cheaply made quartz movements which cost a dollar or 5 and eventually the consumer found out. This gave quartz a stigma that is still around this day. Of course things have changed but there are still watches out there with these types of movements which tarnishes its reputation. What is interesting is there are excellent mechanical movements that cost 25-30 dollars from Seiko and Miyota for example and are praised and respected but a quartz movement at that price is looked down on by the uneducated.
They really don't know what they are talking about. Quartz analog movement's have a lot of mechanical parts. So not only is Quartz movement's don't have a soul statement lame but its dead wrong
I agree! Luxury watch brands should expand their quartz offerings. I have a 36mm Rolex explorer “hommage” that has a quartz movement. The second hand ticks about 3 times between each second, which gives the movement a graceful feel. I love it. And it’s nice not to have to set the watch after not wearing it for a couple of days.
You hit the nail on the head with this video, completely agree with all points. The reality is that we have been conditioned into believing that mechanical watches are superior and somehow 'special' by marketing, particularly from the upmarket luxury brands. The 'mechanical watches have a soul' argument was always silly . . . a case of perception being influenced by marketing. It is in the manufacturers own interests to push mechanical as i) they can charge significantly higher prices for them when they do not actually cost much more to make and ii) they also make more money through the higher maintenance costs of a mechanical watch throughout its life. It is all about premiumisation and the profit this brings at the end of the day. My collection is split roughly 50:50 between quartz and mechanical, definitely a place for both but mechanical watches are not inherently better and have many disadvantages.
I buy mostly quartz watches, and to save on the longevity of the battery life, when I am done using it, I pull out the crown, and push it back in when I am ready to wear that watch again. No point in the watch ticking if I ain't wearing it. One can say its redundant, but it's no different than if you're wearing a mechnical which will stop working after a couple of days if its not being used
I'm done with a high quality quartz watch. I have enough mechanical watches that there is room for a quartz or more. I have a Grand Seiko diver with a 9F61 quartz watch and it's rated to +10 s/year. I've been keeping track of it between DST periods recently, about 4 months, and it has barely gained +1 s. So, if it stays at this rate, then that's like going to be +3 s/year at most. I'm curious to see how it holds between the recent Spring forward, which i reset the watch, and 8 months later to Fall back. Who knows? But, I suspect it highly likely it may perform even better and maybe average to +2 seconds per year. Yeah, I think it is silly to dismiss quartz watches. I started my journey with all quartz watches mostly, then it was practically all mechanical, and these days it's all fair game to have both. Mechanicals will take a higher favoring. But, there are certainly good reasons to keep some quartz as well.
You also have to factor in service costs, particularly for sub 500$ automatics. Often the service costs half the price of the watch. On the other hand, quartz watches only require a 5$ battery change every 2-3 years. For solar, a change in capacitor every 10-15 years.
My biggest problem with quartz isn’t quartz itself. It’s that many manufacturers produce quartz watches to be cheap in every respect. See the Quartz PRX vs the automatic for an example of this. It’s not only the movement that accounts for the lower price. The finishing, quality control, and design details are a step or two down from the mechanical versions. Fortunately there are companies that tend to give quartz pieces equal treatment: Marathon, CWC, Seiko/GS, Citizen, to name a few.
Great points all around! I always have my citizen pro master ready to go and available to wear and I love that about it. I've been curious about the Seiko tunas your Darth tuna and the steel version are the two I've got my eye on. For me tuna means quartz 👍 looking forward to your review
Yes what you say is spot on in my mind while the mechanical tunas are cool a Seiko Tuna will always be quartz in my mind. Especially when the 7C46 movement exists lol! I'll be reviewing it soon although not exactly sure when hopefully this month😁
Until you enter the upper echelons of watchmaking, there´s no "soul" worth mentioning when it comes to mechanical watches. Half the brands were selling ETAs with some lipstick on it to pretend that their movements were special.
Excellent points! I love the craftsmanship of mechanical watches, but they can create more anxiety in today’s world, not knowing what time it is and having to service it. On the other hand, if one wants to distance himself from technology and fast paced life, mechanical is the way to go.
I'm not upset at all by this video, I agree with you. I generally prefer quartz, and whilst I enjoy mechanical too, I lean heavily towards quartz. I actually enjoy the accuracy of a quartz and I'm fascinated by good quality high accuracy quartz movements. When people say that quartz movements are not pretty to look at I disagree, a Seiko 9F is interesting, a Citizen 0100 is beautiful! And plenty of vintage movements like Omega's caliber 1332 are beautiful too.
I never had a mechanical watch before getting hooked on RUclips watch videos during the pandemic. I started buying mechanicals, but soon fell out of love and sold all except a JDM Seiko Willard. Seiko solar quartz and Citizen Eco-drive are all I have now. Sure they're boring, but the time is always correct. Also, the same person, taking pictures of his Rolex in his BMW, who says that a quartz has no "soul" says the same thing about my Toyota!
Totally agree ... if only there were nicer quartz offerings on the market. Quartz seems to mainly find its way into a certain type of "tactical" watch.
Agree on a lot of what you said. I hope that Seiko comes out with a quartz GMT that is wearable (currently just the excessively large and ugly Sumo). I Would love to see a quartz diver style GMT from them in the 38-42 mm range. Mechanical GMT watches just don't make sense to me. I would think a quartz version that can track several time zones to be much more functional and practical.
I don't own any quartz watches at the moment. I'm supposed to wear a radio synced watch for work but I can't bring myself to wear a digital so I have to set my automatics to it every day. I can see the appeal of a high accuracy grand Seiko or Seiko astron for when I just want to grab a watch in the morning and know it's accurate.
Yeah having a watch that is truly grab and go is a good feeling! Seiko astron would be a great option of radio synced time and check out casio Oceanus as well if you havent already. they are very much "normal" looking watches that are finished amazingly and are radio synced and theyre only a few hundred last i checked!
Don’t forget that when you buy a mechanical watch-you are now beholden to the manufacturer for an expensive service down the road. They can up their prices and basically hold you hostage. Pay up or they won’t fix it. It happened to me. Your watch will also be gone for months. Not a big deal if you just have a few mechanicals, but it can really add up and become a hassle with a larger collection. I’ve tried to limit my mechanicals to a handful for that reason. On the contrary, it’s not hard, expensive, or time consuming to change a battery. My oldest Quartz watch is a 40 year old Omega Seamaster and it’s still going strong. I’m confident that any quartz watch I buy will outlast me.
Quartz watches do what their name suggests IMPECCABLY even when compared to the best of the best mechanical movements. They are reliable and do not need servicing especially if we are talking about a solar one. I had the same romantic love relationship with mechanical watches till i got a solar citizen (tsuki yomi) which has for the past 3 months put all myechanical watches (oris,tissot,seiko,tudor) in the drawer and i am seriously considering of selling them all...there is nothing else i need! A titanium, sapphire, solar quartz, radio controlled, perpetual day date piece with a stunning design and dial which most important of all, is accurate down to the atomic second all the time!
I love both auto and quartz watches. Especially solar quartz watches (they easily run for 10-15 years). Truth be told you give me the exact same watch in quartz or automatic and I’d choose quartz. More accurate, more durable and way less servicing costs.
Sorry I didn't see part two of the comment lol! Yes it's the super engineer bracelet from uncle straps it's really great especially bc it tapers down to 16mm which helps manage the weight bc it still has some heft to it. It's comfortable but you can definitely tell that it's on the wrist
@@thewatchidiot thanks, I actually bought this watch recently after seeing your review. I don't have it in hand yet as my buddy from hong Kong is bringing it over (shipped it there to avoid 20% import tax) Now I know which bracelet to buy. Thanks for the help!
@pk1342 awesome happy to hear I was able to help a bit! I'm excited for you to get it, you're in for a treat when you see it in the metal and it'll feel even better after basically getting it 20% off!
There are lots of hobbies where people prefer technology that is objectively worse. Manual transmission vs auto, vinyl records vs digital, straight razor vs safety razor, etc. Humans aren’t always logical
The only thing about quartz watches that sort of bother me is the ticking seconds hand. Otherwise, they're great. I have several aside from my mechanical pieces.
I want more quartz I want a high quality quartz but very little available. I have both and appreciate both. The auto snobs though snub any luxury watch if quartz so the manufacturers stopped making. I would love a modern aqua terra quartz etc
In this world of rapid technological change - mechanical watches reflect a connection to a simpler, less electrified/digital time while also embodying incredible ingenuity.
I have a collection of antique pockwatches and wrist watches. I love the artistry and history of them. That being said my Casio duro get worn a lot. You like what you like, be your own person, and rock it
Mechanical watch fans are always saying mechanical watches have soul. Maybe they do but does that mean other propulsions systems can't have soul? I think there's something mysterious & exotic about an electronic pulse being sent to a crystal that makes it vibrate and create accurate energy. A mechanical movement is steampunk whereas a quartz movement is Star Trek. It's not the movements that seduce me anyway, it's the dials. The innards of a watch are hidden whereas the dials are on display and mechanical watch dials aren't any more beautiful than quartz watch dials.
What people really dislike about MOST quartz watches in the lack of precision in the movement of the second hand which makes it look poorly designed or executed. I have a Cartier quartz with no second hand which I love. I have a Dan Henry quartz with a small seconds where I cannot see the imprecision. I have a Casio with a digital seconds which I love. Looking forward to a Grand Seiko where the hand can hit the markers.
Quartz IS better,it's not even a debate,the whole mechanical watches scthick is simply the result of swiss marketing hype. Has Quartz been invented first? No one would ever have bothered making mechanical watches
Since 1969, quartz has become overwhelmingly successful for a very good reason. That being, with a minimum of fuss, most people just need to tell the time.
I own a Rolex oysterquartz, it got an interesting movement even a pallet fork and wheel. Does it have a soul it tiks loud 😢. Tissot copied the design 😂
Quartz is just objectively better. As a functional device, it just beats mechanical, hands down, in every logical area. But we don’t just logically buy watches to have a functional device. If we looked at it only that way, then I can see why some people say they have no soul. But then the purchases we make with the heart over the head aren’t restricted to just mechanical either.
I have a simple rule: mechanical = dress, quartz = sports. I am not going to buy a mechanical sports watch (a diver for example). They are too fragile.
Solar Quartz maybe them batteries can last for a lot of years into double figures. But basic Quartz 3 year battery life annoying. Specially if you pick up the watch to wear as it goes with the attire and its dead then you require a new battery, yes pulling out the crown can help the battery last longer. That means going out your way to get a battery. I love mechanical and automatic watches no maintenance. Yes automatic and mechanical watches should be serviced. I have a Seiko 5 since the year 2000 never serviced, it just runs a bit fast thats fine by me. If l want the perfect time l look on my phone. Quartz watches are for children as far as l am concerned.
Go wear a citizen chronomaster and you will question why u got any other watch ever I wear it more than my tudors or any other Seiko I own but I have to say I rotate between all of them on a weekly basis
Oh man I've been tempted by them for years now! The only problem is that i rarely wear non dive watches so its tough to justify for me but that hasnt stopped me from trying!
Setting woes are just a symptom of owning too many watches, by the way. Tell me an F.P. Journe Elegante has no soul... I get the feeling of superiority of having mechanical watches and the beauty of finely finished movments and high complications. Personally my draw is case construction, materials and design. I prefer hand wound time only pieces or cases with designs i like in alternative materials so im not going to go full blown zealot about mechanical movements. I think quartz can help collecting be a touch more sustainable. I wouldnt like having a rotation of mechanical watches always being serviced personally. If you could focus on obtaining a dream watch (if it was even a mechanical piece), quartz watches could help you have fun with trends and experiements especially if you arent convinced you want to live with a given piece.
Is it about the commissioned watch that set out to beat a quartz movement and was accurate to 1 second a month in Tokyo, or something else? If anyone can do it its George Daniels although I have a feeling that I wouldnt be able to afford it over a quartz watch 😂
@@thewatchidiot if I remember well in one of the interviews he said he had no respect for Quartz watches because they were made by electricians, or something to that effect 😂
Mechanical watches are my favourites but to say quartz watches are crap, that's to be too ignorant and despise without having deep comprehension, again at the end of the road, ignorance. Quartz rocks. Watches all rock. Stop.
I would add to this nonsense of no quartz soul discussion. What could have MORE soul than a solar watch also in a low tech sense. The sun gives life and growth to us, to plants, to the oceans, to the planet in general and to our watches. Near death experiences and ancient texts commonly talk of heading to the light. I think that right there smashes it to the quartz haters. Also as you say, bottom line, we have watches to FIRSTLY tell the time (accurately ideally) and quartz ultimately does it better, the rest is just decoration, end of.
everything is mechanical man. for example saying quantum physics or quantum mechanics is the same thing because very small particles such as electrons who make the quartz crystal vibrate are mechanical too lol. its not about science but rather about misleading words used in a specific way to ditch quartz and make dumbly complicated fragile things seem 'class'
A lil late to the party though I rarely comment on YTube horological vids as most of these channels' OP's didn't even own a mechanical watch ten years ago, much less a luxury example, lol. Speaking as a collector of luxury pieces for 43+ years, along with having co-owning a luxury vintage/pre-owned store for 18+ years, the last 9+ as a Swiss Certified Master(CSOMH), I always find it amusing when most speak of quartz watches, of which they know almost as little as they do about mechanical pieces, though the one cliche that seems to have been stamped into every one of the sheeps' 🐑 brains is, "quartz has no soul,"😂😂😂 When I hear this ignorant uneducated cliche out of an individual's mouth, while my demeanor with them will not change, my horological conversation with them will have ended with that statement as their ignorance tells me that they are not worth conversing with regarding horological subjects. I am very involved in myriad FB horological groups, including Timmy Mosso's, where I find it amazing the number of guys that actually own a substantial luxury collection, yet they are so horologically ignorant, lolz. It's great to see an accurate educated vid amongst the ocean of bullsh!t💩💩 Continued Success My Friend👊 RP
Quartz watches have no soul fact , simple,end of,, the end,..ohh and it's so hard to wined a watch , though grand Seiko are the bomb........... I'm writing this while watching this video so THERE and quartz aren't More hi tech they just that you have no relationship with a quartz watch as you don't have to play with it and you haven't got the sweep of the second hand to warm you through the Cold Winter nights the ebd😂😂😂
@@deanwaller8283 see you got it magical souly.,... I'm using that mate..,.... It's not that really brother but setting the time watching the smooth sweep of the second hand and winding the watch gives you a relationship with said piece where as a battery powered watch isn't the same
Watches worn by interesting people are interesting. Watches worn by boring people are boring. Too many watch buyers use romanticised ideas of gears of springs to try and plug the gaps in their personality.
nah the soul* is a marketing gimmick. you buy a shirt because its comfortable and from high quality materials and it looks good. You dont care about the heritage and that the cotton was picked by 14y virgin girls on full moon. Would you still buy mechanical if they were to offer same exact quartz version for 2x less the price? also zero maintenance costs, like solar battery once in a 20years for like 15bucks.
Congrats on parroting the marketing message verbatim out of Switzerland. You’ve been played. Quartz are far more accurate, robust, inexpensive, less servicing costs, etc. there are no souls in any watch. They are inanimate objects.
Three days ago I was cleaning out the garage and found my son's old school backpack from 2017 (yes, I should clean more often). While checking the compartments for pencils or a long forgotten PB&J sandwich, I found his long-lost Casio FW-91; 10 minutes fast, but the date was correct! That's better accuracy over 7 years that the majority of my automatics are in a week. So, while I do love mechanical watches, quartz is demonstrably better as a timepiece.
100% agree. And "soul" is nothing more than the owners feelings projected onto the watch.
If you're a fan of watches, you enjoy them all. More than soul, a watch gains its place in your collection by the adventures or events that you've worn it. Excellent video.
Any object can be imbued with a soul!
There basically is no service money to be made for watch companies, or watch stores if more people bought a quartz over automatic watches...
I have solidly move over to quartz from automatics. I have owned omegas, gs, tudor and the like. But im too much of an accuracy nut and i hate setting the time/date. Now I have 3 quartz and one manual dress watch for special occasions. I dailie rotate between a tuna, aerospace, and a citizen eco gmt
Yeah the high accuracy is always fun to check on but just knowing that the watch I want to wear is ready to go is a great feeling. The Aerospace Evo has been high on my wishlist ever since i wore one a few years ago. Plus the fact that its titanium makes it that much better!
I think the "quartz having no soul" is because there's little that manufacturers do to differentiate their quartz movement from anyone else's. In most cases the movement gets no more description than "quartz" and its accuracy.
the Grand Seiko 9F feels like it has a soul because it's got a bunch of extra features on it (anti-backlash auto adjustment, instant date change, temperature sensing feeding input to an IC custom programmed for that crystal, crystal aging, etc) and the fact that it's hand assembled.
Something has a soul when people put their souls into designing and building it.
This is exactly how I feel too. The 9F movement is a wonderful piece of engineering.
There is as much variation in quartz movements as there are in mechanical movements. Don't believe me? Check out ETAs offerings in quartz or all the different Seiko quartz options.
I have 2 Omega quartz watches from 1998: the exact watch from the James Bond film Goldeneye, and a two tone constellation thermocompensated perpetual calendar. Both have never had to be cleaned in over 25 years. Both are enjoyable to wear with comfortable bracelets. Both movements are well finished. Both have real character and no one is going to convince me they "have no soul". Quartz clocks have been around for just about 100 years. The basic concepts of quartz watches: battery, motor have been around before the time of Abraham Breguet. I also have a GS 9F.
If all my automatics had quartz version's I'd own no automatics. I wouldn't mind a SPB143 or a BB58 with quartz movements.
Agreed. Tudor needs a line of quartz divers. They would sell like crazy.
GREAT VIDEO! I have been a watch nut for over 40 years and have and do own automatic, mechanical, and quartz pieces ranging from less than $100 to more than $8k. I have gradually become more interested and reliant on quartz. Latest acquisition is an HAQ Grand Seiko (23 year old SBGF021)
Thanks I'm glad you enjoyed the video!! It's airways nice to have a wide range of watch to choose from so quartz is great to change things up a bit. I looked up the SBGF021 and it looks great I love the double signed dials from back in the day. I've got my eye on the SBGT037 of only it was titanium!
I'm a strong believer in that a watch's main purpose is to tell the time. I love g shocks and quartz pieces that have stopwatches, timers, alarms and other features time related but can't stand smart watches and their features. A smart watch imo is a duplicate phone. Your phone tells time and essentially performs the same tasks but additionally steals time away from your life to look at screen, no thanks
I started my hobby with mechanical watches. After collecting quite a few watches, I had to set the time most of the time when I put on an automatic watch. So, now end up wearing my quartz watches the most, but I still love my mechanical/automatic watches.
I love love love my 9F SBGV223. The way the seconds hand moves so uniformly is mesmerizing. Not to mention the fact that it’s always the correct time and I don’t need to wind it is so convenient.
Hell yea! Quartz FTW! I love quartz even more b/c of how hated it is haha
I could not agree more TWI. As you may know I'm a huge Casio fan but also Omega, Oris and Rolex not to mention Longines and others. At the end of the day I like watches, period. As for the mechanical soul? I can sort of get it, the mechanical beating heart that requires power by mechanical means. When the watch runs out of power it's just sleeping and that's also the case for some solar G-Shocks that hibernate if they are in the dark for a while. Anyway, a watch serves a purpose to tell the time, on different occasions it's nice to wear different watches. I'm back into G-Shock land this month but this weekend may well be a mechanical one. As always thanks for sharing.
Yeah watches are watches and it's great that there's so much variety in the watch world! It would be quite a boring place if we had only one type of watch
Gshocks are fantastic and I wanted to include them in this video but why digital watches are so cool can be an entire video on its own lol! I really need to wear my GW5000U again it's been a while. Most of my wrist time has been dominated by the titanium Longines SZT so maybe once it loosens its grip😁
My biggest problem with automatics is that I have to set the time and date every time I pick it up. I am now looking into the older Hydroconquest quartz for that very reason. Plus, no maintenance cost, just the occasional battery change.
Yeah I'm right there with you! It's all well and good while they're wound up lol. The quartz hydroconquests are nice, can't remember whether they all have HAQ movements but the ones that do definitely caught my attention
The Poo Pooing of quartz are from those snobs that I would not be interested in conversing with. Back in the day when quartz was in its infancy there were many brands that unfortunately offered cheaply made quartz movements which cost a dollar or 5 and eventually the consumer found out. This gave quartz a stigma that is still around this day. Of course things have changed but there are still watches out there with these types of movements which tarnishes its reputation. What is interesting is there are excellent mechanical movements that cost 25-30 dollars from Seiko and Miyota for example and are praised and respected but a quartz movement at that price is looked down on by the uneducated.
They really don't know what they are talking about. Quartz analog movement's have a lot of mechanical parts. So not only is Quartz movement's don't have a soul statement lame but its dead wrong
4:50 I thought it was well known by now that the 50 year service interval for Grand Seiko quartz watches is a myth based on a mistranslation.
True. People use the lubricant lifespan as the maintenance interval. Either way, 9F are a very impressive movement
@@lx95020 Exactly.
I agree! Luxury watch brands should expand their quartz offerings. I have a 36mm Rolex explorer “hommage” that has a quartz movement. The second hand ticks about 3 times between each second, which gives the movement a graceful feel. I love it. And it’s nice not to have to set the watch after not wearing it for a couple of days.
You hit the nail on the head with this video, completely agree with all points. The reality is that we have been conditioned into believing that mechanical watches are superior and somehow 'special' by marketing, particularly from the upmarket luxury brands. The 'mechanical watches have a soul' argument was always silly . . . a case of perception being influenced by marketing. It is in the manufacturers own interests to push mechanical as i) they can charge significantly higher prices for them when they do not actually cost much more to make and ii) they also make more money through the higher maintenance costs of a mechanical watch throughout its life. It is all about premiumisation and the profit this brings at the end of the day. My collection is split roughly 50:50 between quartz and mechanical, definitely a place for both but mechanical watches are not inherently better and have many disadvantages.
Quartz watches have no soul are the best marketing tag line came out from sales departement.
It's the Swiss' revenge for the Quartz Crisis lol!
I own a Rolex oysterquartz from 1977. Its a fun Rolex that I like to wear
Because a bunch of cogs and gears mass produced in a factory have a "soul"😂😂😂😂?
GTFO
Yeah that's a crock of 💩 but whatever makes you feel better.
I changed my attitude when I learned how quartz movements work. It took them years to get it right and it's quite an engineering feat.
I buy mostly quartz watches, and to save on the longevity of the battery life, when I am done using it, I pull out the crown, and push it back in when I am ready to wear that watch again. No point in the watch ticking if I ain't wearing it. One can say its redundant, but it's no different than if you're wearing a mechnical which will stop working after a couple of days if its not being used
I'm done with a high quality quartz watch. I have enough mechanical watches that there is room for a quartz or more. I have a Grand Seiko diver with a 9F61 quartz watch and it's rated to +10 s/year. I've been keeping track of it between DST periods recently, about 4 months, and it has barely gained +1 s. So, if it stays at this rate, then that's like going to be +3 s/year at most. I'm curious to see how it holds between the recent Spring forward, which i reset the watch, and 8 months later to Fall back. Who knows? But, I suspect it highly likely it may perform even better and maybe average to +2 seconds per year.
Yeah, I think it is silly to dismiss quartz watches. I started my journey with all quartz watches mostly, then it was practically all mechanical, and these days it's all fair game to have both. Mechanicals will take a higher favoring. But, there are certainly good reasons to keep some quartz as well.
You also have to factor in service costs, particularly for sub 500$ automatics. Often the service costs half the price of the watch. On the other hand, quartz watches only require a 5$ battery change every 2-3 years. For solar, a change in capacitor every 10-15 years.
My biggest problem with quartz isn’t quartz itself. It’s that many manufacturers produce quartz watches to be cheap in every respect. See the Quartz PRX vs the automatic for an example of this. It’s not only the movement that accounts for the lower price. The finishing, quality control, and design details are a step or two down from the mechanical versions. Fortunately there are companies that tend to give quartz pieces equal treatment: Marathon, CWC, Seiko/GS, Citizen, to name a few.
It's refreshing to see quartz watches not getting talked down to, well done.
love my OMEGA SEAMASTER PROFESSIONAL 2264.50.00
What GS do you have? Looks great! I love quartz too, have about a 50/50 split. The grab and go argument wins it for me
I love Swatch! Easy battery change and accurate plus durable and water resistant. Very fashionable also.
I love quartz watches. I wear a 9f grand seiko and a seiko solar regularly. Waiting on citizen to make an eco drive that I like
Great points all around! I always have my citizen pro master ready to go and available to wear and I love that about it. I've been curious about the Seiko tunas your Darth tuna and the steel version are the two I've got my eye on. For me tuna means quartz 👍 looking forward to your review
Yes what you say is spot on in my mind while the mechanical tunas are cool a Seiko Tuna will always be quartz in my mind. Especially when the 7C46 movement exists lol! I'll be reviewing it soon although not exactly sure when hopefully this month😁
Until you enter the upper echelons of watchmaking, there´s no "soul" worth mentioning when it comes to mechanical watches. Half the brands were selling ETAs with some lipstick on it to pretend that their movements were special.
get ready for all the rolex snobs to attack you
Excellent points! I love the craftsmanship of mechanical watches, but they can create more anxiety in today’s world, not knowing what time it is and having to service it. On the other hand, if one wants to distance himself from technology and fast paced life, mechanical is the way to go.
We need more high end quatz watches
I'm not upset at all by this video, I agree with you. I generally prefer quartz, and whilst I enjoy mechanical too, I lean heavily towards quartz.
I actually enjoy the accuracy of a quartz and I'm fascinated by good quality high accuracy quartz movements. When people say that quartz movements are not pretty to look at I disagree, a Seiko 9F is interesting, a Citizen 0100 is beautiful! And plenty of vintage movements like Omega's caliber 1332 are beautiful too.
I never had a mechanical watch before getting hooked on RUclips watch videos during the pandemic. I started buying mechanicals, but soon fell out of love and sold all except a JDM Seiko Willard. Seiko solar quartz and Citizen Eco-drive are all I have now. Sure they're boring, but the time is always correct. Also, the same person, taking pictures of his Rolex in his BMW, who says that a quartz has no "soul" says the same thing about my Toyota!
Totally agree ... if only there were nicer quartz offerings on the market. Quartz seems to mainly find its way into a certain type of "tactical" watch.
What model GS is the one you have. It's beautiful. Cheers!
Agree on a lot of what you said. I hope that Seiko comes out with a quartz GMT that is wearable (currently just the excessively large and ugly Sumo). I Would love to see a quartz diver style GMT from them in the 38-42 mm range.
Mechanical GMT watches just don't make sense to me. I would think a quartz version that can track several time zones to be much more functional and practical.
I don't own any quartz watches at the moment. I'm supposed to wear a radio synced watch for work but I can't bring myself to wear a digital so I have to set my automatics to it every day. I can see the appeal of a high accuracy grand Seiko or Seiko astron for when I just want to grab a watch in the morning and know it's accurate.
Yeah having a watch that is truly grab and go is a good feeling! Seiko astron would be a great option of radio synced time and check out casio Oceanus as well if you havent already. they are very much "normal" looking watches that are finished amazingly and are radio synced and theyre only a few hundred last i checked!
Don’t forget that when you buy a mechanical watch-you are now beholden to the manufacturer for an expensive service down the road. They can up their prices and basically hold you hostage. Pay up or they won’t fix it. It happened to me. Your watch will also be gone for months. Not a big deal if you just have a few mechanicals, but it can really add up and become a hassle with a larger collection. I’ve tried to limit my mechanicals to a handful for that reason. On the contrary, it’s not hard, expensive, or time consuming to change a battery. My oldest Quartz watch is a 40 year old Omega Seamaster and it’s still going strong. I’m confident that any quartz watch I buy will outlast me.
I like quartz but only tough solar, ecodrive, kinetic and precisionist.
Agree with all 4 reasons, that’s why I prefer digital watches over quartz, and mechanical it’s another category.
Quartz watches do what their name suggests IMPECCABLY even when compared to the best of the best mechanical movements. They are reliable and do not need servicing especially if we are talking about a solar one. I had the same romantic love relationship with mechanical watches till i got a solar citizen (tsuki yomi) which has for the past 3 months put all myechanical watches (oris,tissot,seiko,tudor) in the drawer and i am seriously considering of selling them all...there is nothing else i need! A titanium, sapphire, solar quartz, radio controlled, perpetual day date piece with a stunning design and dial which most important of all, is accurate down to the atomic second all the time!
I love both auto and quartz watches. Especially solar quartz watches (they easily run for 10-15 years). Truth be told you give me the exact same watch in quartz or automatic and I’d choose quartz. More accurate, more durable and way less servicing costs.
I must say the spb265 definitely doesn't look out of place next to the black bay. What a beauty.
What bracelet have you got on it??
Thanks its a good looking duo! The SPB265 dial continues to surprise me to this day Seiko did well with this one
@@thewatchidiot and the bracelet? Is it an uncle Seiko engineer?
Sorry I didn't see part two of the comment lol! Yes it's the super engineer bracelet from uncle straps it's really great especially bc it tapers down to 16mm which helps manage the weight bc it still has some heft to it. It's comfortable but you can definitely tell that it's on the wrist
@@thewatchidiot thanks, I actually bought this watch recently after seeing your review. I don't have it in hand yet as my buddy from hong Kong is bringing it over (shipped it there to avoid 20% import tax)
Now I know which bracelet to buy. Thanks for the help!
@pk1342 awesome happy to hear I was able to help a bit! I'm excited for you to get it, you're in for a treat when you see it in the metal and it'll feel even better after basically getting it 20% off!
There are lots of hobbies where people prefer technology that is objectively worse. Manual transmission vs auto, vinyl records vs digital, straight razor vs safety razor, etc. Humans aren’t always logical
Amen to that! We love what we love despite the flaws. And my SKX has many😅
The only thing about quartz watches that sort of bother me is the ticking seconds hand. Otherwise, they're great. I have several aside from my mechanical pieces.
I want more quartz I want a high quality quartz but very little available. I have both and appreciate both. The auto snobs though snub any luxury watch if quartz so the manufacturers stopped making. I would love a modern aqua terra quartz etc
I love my mechanicals, but I’ve also spent thousands of dollars on high accuracy quartz. I think a well-rounded collection includes both.
In this world of rapid technological change - mechanical watches reflect a connection to a simpler, less electrified/digital time while also embodying incredible ingenuity.
Well put! I agree with every single word, and I love the fact that they can last for decades and generations. Makes a watch feel more like a companion
I have a collection of antique pockwatches and wrist watches. I love the artistry and history of them. That being said my Casio duro get worn a lot. You like what you like, be your own person, and rock it
Simpler? Mechanical movements are more complicated.
Quartz is pretty old technology from a simpler time too 🤣
So it is just feeling. And to impress others. This are all marketing to sell you the watches.
Mechanical watch fans are always saying mechanical watches have soul. Maybe they do but does that mean other propulsions systems can't have soul? I think there's something mysterious & exotic about an electronic pulse being sent to a crystal that makes it vibrate and create accurate energy. A mechanical movement is steampunk whereas a quartz movement is Star Trek. It's not the movements that seduce me anyway, it's the dials. The innards of a watch are hidden whereas the dials are on display and mechanical watch dials aren't any more beautiful than quartz watch dials.
Each type of Time Piece has its advantages and disadvantages
What people really dislike about MOST quartz watches in the lack of precision in the movement of the second hand which makes it look poorly designed or executed. I have a Cartier quartz with no second hand which I love. I have a Dan Henry quartz with a small seconds where I cannot see the imprecision. I have a Casio with a digital seconds which I love. Looking forward to a Grand Seiko where the hand can hit the markers.
Nothing like a good G Shock square eh?!? 😂
Quartz IS better,it's not even a debate,the whole mechanical watches scthick is simply the result of swiss marketing hype.
Has Quartz been invented first?
No one would ever have bothered making mechanical watches
Since 1969, quartz has become overwhelmingly successful for a very good reason. That being, with a minimum of fuss, most people just need to tell the time.
I totally agree , Automatic watches just don't fit my life , solar does , quartz also .
My ideal watch would be a solar powered mechanical escapement.
Quartz is to mechanical watch movements as EFI is to carburated engines.
I love the automatic watch , personal preference.
I own a Rolex oysterquartz, it got an interesting movement even a pallet fork and wheel. Does it have a soul it tiks loud 😢. Tissot copied the design 😂
I don’t know if anyone realized but no watches have souls haha.
I totally agree with your opinion ✌
Glad to hear a bunch of us are on the same page!
Why don't you just get a watch winder?
Quartz is just objectively better. As a functional device, it just beats mechanical, hands down, in every logical area.
But we don’t just logically buy watches to have a functional device. If we looked at it only that way, then I can see why some people say they have no soul. But then the purchases we make with the heart over the head aren’t restricted to just mechanical either.
Spot on!
Quartz means the watch shows the right time still after a week off the wrist 😊
I have a simple rule: mechanical = dress, quartz = sports. I am not going to buy a mechanical sports watch (a diver for example). They are too fragile.
Solar Quartz maybe them batteries can last for a lot of years into double figures.
But basic Quartz 3 year battery life annoying.
Specially if you pick up the watch to wear as it goes with the attire and its dead then you require a new battery, yes pulling out the crown can help the battery last longer.
That means going out your way to get a battery.
I love mechanical and automatic watches no maintenance.
Yes automatic and mechanical watches should be serviced.
I have a Seiko 5 since the year 2000 never serviced, it just runs a bit fast thats fine by me. If l want the perfect time l look on my phone.
Quartz watches are for children as far as l am concerned.
Go wear a citizen chronomaster and you will question why u got any other watch ever I wear it more than my tudors or any other Seiko I own but I have to say I rotate between all of them on a weekly basis
Oh man I've been tempted by them for years now! The only problem is that i rarely wear non dive watches so its tough to justify for me but that hasnt stopped me from trying!
damn goat
Some of us like watches but our line of work would damage an automatic movement so for work, quartz wins
Yeah thats fair enough, in that case its a tool watch in the truest sense!
I love both
Setting woes are just a symptom of owning too many watches, by the way. Tell me an F.P. Journe Elegante has no soul... I get the feeling of superiority of having mechanical watches and the beauty of finely finished movments and high complications. Personally my draw is case construction, materials and design. I prefer hand wound time only pieces or cases with designs i like in alternative materials so im not going to go full blown zealot about mechanical movements. I think quartz can help collecting be a touch more sustainable. I wouldnt like having a rotation of mechanical watches always being serviced personally. If you could focus on obtaining a dream watch (if it was even a mechanical piece), quartz watches could help you have fun with trends and experiements especially if you arent convinced you want to live with a given piece.
Love mechanical watches its like giving two fingers to all the digital crap of to days world
Check what the legendary George Daniels said about quartz watches… 😉
Is it about the commissioned watch that set out to beat a quartz movement and was accurate to 1 second a month in Tokyo, or something else? If anyone can do it its George Daniels although I have a feeling that I wouldnt be able to afford it over a quartz watch 😂
@@thewatchidiot if I remember well in one of the interviews he said he had no respect for Quartz watches because they were made by electricians, or something to that effect 😂
Mechanical watches are my favourites but to say quartz watches are crap, that's to be too ignorant and despise without having deep comprehension, again at the end of the road, ignorance. Quartz rocks. Watches all rock. Stop.
Totally agree 👍 love both aswell. Quartz analog movement's have a lot of mechanical parts. So you are correct. It's just being ignorant on their part
I would add to this nonsense of no quartz soul discussion. What could have MORE soul than a solar watch also in a low tech sense. The sun gives life and growth to us, to plants, to the oceans, to the planet in general and to our watches. Near death experiences and ancient texts commonly talk of heading to the light. I think that right there smashes it to the quartz haters. Also as you say, bottom line, we have watches to FIRSTLY tell the time (accurately ideally) and quartz ultimately does it better, the rest is just decoration, end of.
Quartz is objectively better.
👍👍
everything is mechanical man. for example saying quantum physics or quantum mechanics is the same thing because very small particles such as electrons who make the quartz crystal vibrate are mechanical too lol. its not about science but rather about misleading words used in a specific way to ditch quartz and make dumbly complicated fragile things seem 'class'
A lil late to the party though I rarely comment on YTube horological vids as most of these channels' OP's didn't even own a mechanical watch ten years ago, much less a luxury example, lol. Speaking as a collector of luxury pieces for 43+ years, along with having co-owning a luxury vintage/pre-owned store for 18+ years, the last 9+ as a Swiss Certified Master(CSOMH), I always find it amusing when most speak of quartz watches, of which they know almost as little as they do about mechanical pieces, though the one cliche that seems to have been stamped into every one of the sheeps' 🐑 brains is, "quartz has no soul,"😂😂😂
When I hear this ignorant uneducated cliche out of an individual's mouth, while my demeanor with them will not change, my horological conversation with them will have ended with that statement as their ignorance tells me that they are not worth conversing with regarding horological subjects.
I am very involved in myriad FB horological groups, including Timmy Mosso's, where I find it amazing the number of guys that actually own a substantial luxury collection, yet they are so horologically ignorant, lolz.
It's great to see an accurate educated vid amongst the ocean of bullsh!t💩💩
Continued Success My Friend👊
RP
Quartz watches have no soul fact , simple,end of,, the end,..ohh and it's so hard to wined a watch , though grand Seiko are the bomb........... I'm writing this while watching this video so THERE and quartz aren't More hi tech they just that you have no relationship with a quartz watch as you don't have to play with it and you haven't got the sweep of the second hand to warm you through the Cold Winter nights the ebd😂😂😂
Agreed, Grand Seiko is pretty great!😁
Ah yes the first riled up comment
@@edshamaham5719my comment was joking around knew I'd catch so hate😂😂
😂😂😂😂yeah, because a bunch of mass produced cogs and gears have a "magical soul"
GTFO
@@deanwaller8283 see you got it magical souly.,... I'm using that mate..,....
It's not that really brother but setting the time watching the smooth sweep of the second hand and winding the watch gives you a relationship with said piece where as a battery powered watch isn't the same
Quartz watches are boring and soulless. I would rather just use my phone, to tell time, than wear a soulless quartz watch.
Watches worn by interesting people are interesting. Watches worn by boring people are boring. Too many watch buyers use romanticised ideas of gears of springs to try and plug the gaps in their personality.
nah the soul* is a marketing gimmick.
you buy a shirt because its comfortable and from high quality materials and it looks good. You dont care about the heritage and that the cotton was picked by 14y virgin girls on full moon.
Would you still buy mechanical if they were to offer same exact quartz version for 2x less the price? also zero maintenance costs, like solar battery once in a 20years for like 15bucks.
Amateur statement quartz analog movement's have a lot of mechanical parts
Congrats on parroting the marketing message verbatim out of Switzerland. You’ve been played. Quartz are far more accurate, robust, inexpensive, less servicing costs, etc. there are no souls in any watch. They are inanimate objects.
Mechanical is antique on whole.