Just found out today that Omega made some quartz models. I had no idea! For those that own a quartz model, what was your reasoning behind buying one?

 

I have two mid-sized quartz webmasters in addition to mechanical ones.
I bought them for convenience. Just grab and go whenever you chose.
But there definitely something about a mechanical watch that I find seductive. Such a mechanical Tour de Force

 

I'm an Omega fanboy but can't bring myself to wearing anything expensive while I work since I work with my hands. Best reasons for me....

Cheaper price tag

It's nice to throw on a watch and not have to wind or set the time

I work on the RR so time accuracy is a must

 

What's the price difference usually between a quartz and mechanical movement?

Is there an easy way to tell between a quartz and mechanical movement?

 

Price difference is a tough question without narrowing down models to compare. If you see my pic above, on chrono24 right now that sells for average $1700 where as he same exact watch with an automatic movement is selling for $2500. These are used and those prices are just approximate guesses. (I hunted this one down for $1150 and it came with receipt of having the $450 quartz service done only 2 months prior)

Is it easy to tell the difference..... again that's a vague question. In the case of this model the automatic says chronometer on the dial where as this quartz says nothing. My second hand "ticks" instead of an automatics "sweep"..... I'm sure there's other ways to tell but again, need to know the model to determine any differences from quartz to automatic.

 

Price difference? The only way to compare prices would be to compare two identical models, one quartz, and one mechanical (as in automatic wind). How to tell the difference? I am not certain that this would be 100% reliable, but a quartz watch will have the dial marked quartz. Automatics are usually marked automatic. A $100 quartz watch will usually keep better time than a mechanical watch of 10 x the price. A quartz watch is actually a miniature computer, with a few wheels, and hands to tell the time. Made by robots. Half the time, they are not repaired. Just replace the guts. Not a lot of interest among collectors in quartz watches. Out of my 100 + plus collection, I have three quartz ones. Never wear them.

 

I have a combination of mechanical and quartz watches. I appreciate them both and have uses for both. This old boy has been around for 20+ years of summers and travel. It is a very accurate grab and go watch that I can depend on no matter what I am doing. It also has a jumping hour hand so I can change the hour and date without stopping the watch. Great for going through different time zones. I love my autos, but when I am on vacation the last thing I want to do is worry about winding or resetting.

 

I have had several automatic watches, I admire the “magic” of a micromachine powered by my own movement. However, after few years I switched to quartz for my daily watch. I still keep a super accurate Seiko auto, in case of an EMP . Below are my reasons:

- Got a little tired of resetting the time after not using them for a couple of days. I also like simplicity, so no winders for me.
- I bought mostly used and had to service a few of them, servicing autos is pricey $400-700/each. A quartz requires minimal maintenance and can last 30+ years or more, repairs are cheap if you use an independent watchmaker.
- I am pretty OCD about accuracy. A good Quartz beats autos.
- Magnetizing was an issue sometimes, quartz are essentially impervious to magnetism.
- Quartz is an amazing technology (read Archer’s post about it), automatic movements have remained essentially the same for centuries.

 

And let’s not forget that Omega have outstanding pedigree in the development of quartz watches.

 

Good for you! Respectfully, it is interesting that you see the need to explain yourself, but I totally get it given some of the comments I have read on forums here and there. I have never understood the anti-quartz, or for that matter anti-smart watch snobbery. These are all part of the horological universe, and they are very useful in their own way. Perhaps more than mechanical watches. Owning one of these doesn't mean that you admire mechanical watches any less. It certainly doesn't represent that for me. Extremism in any area is perplexing, but prejudice against a thing is plain silly. To quote Ferris Bueller, "...Ism's in my opinion are not good..."

 

Are quartz watches looked down upon because the movement is much simpler?

 

I'm not really certain about the reason. You would have to ask those that dislike them to state their reasons.I have read things like a quartz watch is a robot that cannot offer you a bond, and a mechanical timepiece is a work of art that has a soul. I don't disagree with the latter part (except for the soul thing, no object has a soul), but I can't wrap my head around hating an object. There are many other reasons why people dislike quartz watches. The levels of dislike seem to vary between not for me, and hate with the intensity of a thousand white hot suns. Go figure. I find them quite useful for many reasons, as I find mechanical watches admirable for many more.

 

I find beauty in both/they each have their own uses. I kind of equate quartz watches to Japanese cars and mechanical watches to German watches. I believe the first quartz watch was released by Seiko and it was fascinating piece of technology that had less moving parts but much more accurate. I think of a Toyota as the same way where it is reliable and will continue to run no matter if it is dropped or banged against. A German car like a BMW or Mercedes is still reliable but takes much more to maintain due to the number of parts. The watch is more fragile in that if it is banged or dropped it may become less accurate.

 

just answering the question of the OP "what was your reasoning behind buying one?"

 

So, you've been working on the RR? All the live long day?

 

Oh, and a thread that people who don't hate quartz may find interesting, and maybe even for some that do...

https://omegaforums.net/threads/quartz-watches-some-information-some-may-find-interesting.5475/

 

"That John Denver is full of sh!t man" ~Lloyd Christmas~

 

Reasoning? I don't do no stinkin reasoning!

Shopping in the Boston jewellery quarter for something for a GF I saw it, liked the look and walked out of the shop with it. Also, quartz was still pretty new in 1982 and expensive of course -- not considered a cheap option. I do not remember whether the GF actually received anything, I rather suspect not, the relationship didn't last much longer

 

My first two SM were both quartz. I prefer mechanical because quartz or other electronic devices against my skin give me the heebie-jeebies. That said, I much prefer the accuracy of quartz.

 

Fear of electronic devices against the skin huh? You really tee’d that one up! I looked up the heebie-jeebies on web md and not much there. Is it a psychological disorder?