you'll only know when you go to the boutique/dealer and try on the same watch in both quartz and mechanical.

It will depend on how much money you're willing to spend and what you actually want in a watch which will only happen when you go to the boutique/dealer and try both watches on.

Omega make quartz and mechanical versions of the Seamaster so that may be the place to start.

Grand Seiko do a similar line of quartz and mechanical versions.

but don't fixate on either/or. Get in the shop and try everything on.

 

IMO, winding and resetting is an insignificant issue to consider when buying a mechanical watch. There’s the initial cost difference and then there are service costs which I think are more important to consider than the need to wind- Again, mechanical watches are not for everyone. My point is that many will enjoy and be happy w/a decent quartz. The statement that mechanical is the right choice for the “educated” or are “superior” than quartz does not apply to every individual/situation.

... “better and desirable” this is relative...

Will I buy another quartz? Probably not, but is the OP aware that mechanical watches require routine service/maintenance at the tune of several hundred $$? Something to consider in a retirement budget.

 

you see? they are just fine...

https://omegaforums.net/threads/wruw-today.567/page-4390#post-888343

 

Are those my only choices?

 

In my opinion if you don't bother to set the correct date, might as well not bother setting the time.

 

It’s certainly not why I buy a watch... but have you ever seen a quartz watch appreciate in value more than the comparable automatic?

Hmmm...

 

Quartz watches as well can require repairs. One major difference between mechanical and quartz is, quartz function perfectly until they don’t function perfectly any more (as in, stop and start, or stop all together). Mechanical ones may show some deterioration in performance after a time, but generally keep on operating. Quartz, BLAH,

 

Grand Seiko is an interesting alternative when you consider their high end quartz watches like the SBGX115 and SBGX117. These apparently have a 50 year service cycle (outside of battery changes).

 

Sez who?

 

They sure do. Let me introduce my 30-year old quartz, battery replaced by Seiko (Coserve) in NJ every 2-3 years, ~$25/service. Let OP decide what’s best for him.

 

Appreciation is not certainly why I buy watches as I dont consider watches an investment - moot point for me.

 

good looking watches....and nothing of inferior about them either..

 

It’s moot point. A mute point would be one no one could hear!

 

Good call out. I read some more on this and it is not an officially released figure by Seiko, rather a "theoretical" number. But, I would still assume these watches would need less frequent service than a mechanical timepiece.

 

That too! I dont hear it either!

 

Yes both work. As you were.

 

Fifty years ago, with the introduction of the earlier quartz watches, part of the hype that came along with them was that they required fewer repairs and simpler servicing than mechanical watches. Along with added shock resistance, and greater accuracy. An attempt by the manufacturers to try to give the “new” quartz watch a leg up in terms of gaining market share. Seems there is still some of this mis-information out there. Quartz watches aren’t better. Only different. Introduction of the quartz watch coincided with the introduction of the throw away watch.

 

I guess it depends on how you define better. Many people, even those who are not fans of quartz watches, would recognize that a watch that keeps time far more accurately and requires far less maintenance is demonstrably "better" at what it was designed to do.

Had a quartz Seamaster in the other week that was 30 years old, worn daily, had nothing but battery changes, and was running just as well as it was the day it was bought. Do the same with a mechanical watch and you know what the movement will look like inside.

Of course there will always be the "Quartz watches have no soul, but mechanical watches do!" people, but personally I don't think anyone or thing has a soul, let alone a watch...

Cheers, Al

 

And who, today, maintains the garden variety quartz watch? Replace (either the movement, or the whole watch) rather than repair if a battery doesn’t make it go. The perfect disposable watch. With the odd exception, of course.

 

I'm not sure what point you are trying to make, but yes the movements are so cheap compared to a mechanical that it's very often more economical to replace the movement than service it. So to recap, quartz watches are:

1 - More accurate
2 - Require less maintenance
3 - Cheaper to buy and to maintain when they do need it

Call me crazy, but to the average person all this adds up to it being "better" for the purpose it was designed for...telling the time.

YMMV

Cheers, Al