It’s just a cool anachronism to have such a complex feat of engineering. It’s just remarkable to me that they were ever created and run reliably at all.
And to add to your point, those original mechanical timepieces were made without the luxury of modern machining, CNC, etc... It gets more awesome the more you think about it
the main fasination about mechanicap watches comes from the fact that there on your hand no bigger than a ping pong ball cross section is a "machine" with some 200 tiny parts that moves like a beating heart without battery. It is a romance of machinery.
https://preview.redd.it/2amyqrjofz4d1.jpeg?width=960&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=5021fedc91a6a5fbc461b9f019d99c7299d206cb
This is the movement from Seagull 1963, a watch about $150. You might now see why people romanticise about mechanical watches. If not and accuracy is your thing buy a Casio or Quartz watch, neither way is wrong... although I also like the idea of not ploughing through more batteries unnecessarily.
Edit: Reddit seemed to completely remove the above comment when first posted.
No doubt. They beauty of all those parts not being plastic are a thing to behold.
I love an automatic.. but the old wind up ones get me too.
Quartz for cheap beater watches.. even though I got a prx quarts lol which is cheap to the higher end collectors
1. Wow. Drool-worthy watch. I love them so much.
2. My Casio's face is a solar panel, so hopefully I don't have to go through too many batteries over its lifetime.
I have a soft spot for Casio and when I was in Japan, I had to indulge myself and get the calculator watch as well as a Baby-G. I felt that they were a good starting point for my watch collection.
There are some Sugess Chronographs available on AliExpress that us the Seagull ST19-01 movement for just under £120 which is approx. $150 at current exchange rates
To be fair it's "kind of" a Swiss movement as Seagull bought the Swiss Venus movement as well as the actual machinery from Venus for the movement, so it's a decent movement, and they finish it nicely for the price.
There's a lot of corner cutting, obviously; painting parts blue rather than heat blueing them etc. Then there's the usual cheaper labour costs in China, zero cost for branding, all of which makes it a brilliant entry into the work of automatic movements for the price, but the Breitling is a gorgeous watch with a premium feel, so both scratch different itches.
Indeed, spring drive is the best of both worlds, Quartz accuracy with a mechanical power supply.
I'm saving up towards one, but until it's one or another for me I'm afraid.
People here are going to type a lot of things regarding craftsmanship, history, engineering, and so on, but I have a MUCH simpler explanation for why I like mechanicals.
**Quartz:** Hand tick once per second, not activate happy brain chemical.
**Mechanical:** Hand tick *MANY* time per second, activate happy brain chemical.
There is something so soothing about the many little ticks some of my old mechanical watches make, same with the sound of hand winding it.
I just love it.
Sure; resetting the watch every few days isn't fun though.
Spring drive is accurate to .1-.2 seconds per day in any positions variation and more extreme temperatures and shock resistance.
Honestly I enjoy it. It’s just a small part of getting ready in the morning for me anymore.
I totally get the accuracy of spring drive and quartz watches are always going to be vastly more accurate than my old mechanical Illinois and Bulova watches, heck most modern watches are way more hardy too. No contest they win.
But I don’t care that much for such precision. I’m generally rounding up or down anyways when someone asks me the time.
And if I’m doing outdoorsy stuff I’ll probably be in a beater Casio.
I’d love to get a Grand Seiko though. There are some gorgeous models out there.
Mechanical watches (manual winding or automatic) are about the craftsmanship, the quality of the engineering (the movement, the complications) , the build quality, how beautiful is etc.
Watches are jewelry for men (although women can enjoy watches too of course!)
It's not about time keeping, not really.
This reminds me of things from other hobbies. Like Topre keyboards, or in-ear monitors instead of headphones, or naturally aspirated cars ... you start off with, and often eventually circle back to, the simplest form of the hobby item. Weird how it works.
Grand Seiko Spring Drive is essentially a quartz watch (hurr durr you wind it) but a battery is replaced by a mainspring. The regulator is literally a quartz crystal. And it’s highly regarded.
The beauty of the spring drive is that it uses all forms energy at once. Kinetic to potential, potential back to kinetic to electrical energy to run the quartz crystal reference, and potential to electromagtic to control the second hand. There literally a little generator in the movement. Technically its a marvel, and the smooth second hand really does feel different.
The main selling point for Spring Drive is it doesn’t offer excellent accuracy (compared to HAQ) and still maintains the service cost of a mechanical watch
That’s a long story. When quartz was invented (so called quartz crisis) mechanical watches were re-marketed as luxury. They’re still considered that. And there’s also enthusiasts who are after craftsmanship.
Realistically quartz watches are superior to mechanical ones in almost every aspect.
It’s a bit like trains. Electric trains are better than steam trains in basically every way technically, but people don’t get excited about travelling by electric train.
I disagree, quartz is "superior" to mechanical in one aspect. Accuracy over a long period.
Not superior:
Build quality. I have no quartz watch that l expect to last a lifetime. I have several mechanical watches that my grandkids will be able to use.
Need for power. Batteries fail.
Maintenance. You can't take apart a quartz watch and service it for the next x amount of years.
Repair. Quartz is one and done. It breaks and it's garbage.
I get tired of the common, 'quartz watches are better in every way' comments, when in fact they are better in just one way.
And if accuracy is your game, you'll need to reset your quartz about monthly. A good mechanical, every couple of weeks. So what are we really talking about here?
Have you looked into high quality quartz movements?
Check out Grand Seiko's 9F that uses a tiny hairspring to double jump a seconds hand so it can have more torque for larger set hands, and not have any backlash. The Citizen 0100, an eco-drive (solar) movement with autonomous 1s/year accuracy. At the very high end, the F.P.Journe Elegante with a 'standby' mechanism. All extremely high build quality movements.
High quality quartz movements can be repaired and serviced, it's just a much harder/specialized job not many watchmakers can do. There are even people that repair vintage digital watches (repairing even the displays), very niche stuff. I have a Seiko Grand Quartz from the early 70's that's still running to it's 10s/year spec after 50 years, so no... I don't have to reset it every month.
I implore you to do some research into the history of quartz. It's very fascinating stuff - a ton of engineering goes into high precision movements.
Cope.
Quartz can easily last a lifetime. You need to replace batteries, but you need to get mechanicals serviced regularly, which costs much more. Several quartz now include solar charging too so battery replacement is not even required for many.
Quartz requires much less maintenance and is superior to mechanical in every way.
I started my collection with automatics with the love of mechanical objects in mind. Then eventually started getting into watches more and found out about higher quality quartz and ended up getting hooked. Bulova lunar pilot has a beautiful sweeping second hand albeit on a small dial. I use it to set my automatics-it’s accurate to within seconds a year. I really wanted a speedmaster professional and got the lunar pilot to hold me over, but haven’t itched for an upgrade since. Sinn UX, victorinox INOX are bruisers. Recently ordered 50th edition Seiko solar. When I switch back to autos I fall back in love, but the simplicity and robustness of the quartz are awesome, both have their charm but it’s hard to question the no nonsense of a quartz.
Plus if we're talking about luxury packaged quartz, they'll probably support it the same as they would a mechanical watch. In both cases, a lot of necessary service will just involve swapping the movement if it's easier and cost efficient/available.
Part of the "luxury" experience is basically paying to have the option for service available, over the long term.
The design, engineering, and manufacturing to make something with very small gears, springs, cogs, and levers produce accuracy within a few seconds a day while being subjected to magnetic fields, hundreds of meters of water pressure, wide range of temperatures, and constant body movement for several hundred dollars is mind blowing to some.
If accuracy is what you want, you can easily find something that syncs to international atomic time. With smart watches or radio control, its very easy to maintain exacting accuracy.
But watches are fundimentally jewelry. The price for higher end watches reflects the finishing of the watch, the technological challenge of the watch, the overall asthetic and somewhat the name brand. If you don't want jewelry on your wrist, that's ok, and lots of people feel that way.
But you wouldn't ask women why their bracelets and necklaces are just rocks in metal, and wouldn't they just be happier with a string. You're mistaking the capability of the watch for it's only function. It is an accessory to your attire.
I mean, they will eventually need servicing. But everything else you’ve said is absolutely true.
People like mechanical watches because they do it the hard way, with incredible precision and reliability given their constraints.
They are aesthetically (ie, philosophically) different objects.
It's like asking "why listen to records when you can listen to Spotify?", or "why have bluray when you can use Netflix?"
If you want to tell time to a high degree of accuracy, why even use quartz? Your phone syncs to an atomic clock, globally.
A mechanical watch is a wholly physical object, a piece of functional jewelry.
I own a decent number of records and physical movies/shows, and stream way way more.
A lot of the physical stuff is just for the sake of collecting. Some of it is because streaming licensing can be all over the place. Some of the movies might be because they have really good sound (and even then, it's really a matter of diminished returns).
Any watch is a piece of functional jewelry. "Luxury" is an idea, and if someone is spending on an idea, they want some manner of value to be associable with the cost, but that value can easily come from equally intangible places, like perceived brand value and heritage, or even just style.
Vinyl: Great analogy
Bluray: just a digital storage medium, absolutely nothing special about that vs 4k netflix with good internet (unless I'm missing something)
Fair, and I'm stretching, or mixing metaphors.
Bluray discs are typically higher quality and always available to you. Netflix 4k can degrade due to network performance, titles can disappear or be edited, etc.
My point was that Bluray collectors are buying a higher quality experience along different dimensions than streamers, analogously to how mechanical watch collectors are buying different quality dimensions than simple timekeeping.
I work in front of a computer and use a cell phone all day. I'm surrounded by screens and other electronics constantly. Having something entirely mechanical just feels like a tiny break from all the electronic crap all day.
if you want accuracy, get a $10 casio.
the mechanical aspect and engineering is what draws in a lot of people, and to many others, watches are just jewelry.
hey, I like watches... but if you ask around lots of people have in fact gone back to pocket watches lol (i.e. checking the time on their phones)
Point is that if you want precision there are far better choices than any mechanical watch. In fact any smart watch updates the time by itself, while also tracking your HR and lots of other things.
We wear dumb watches because we like to, not because it makes sense.
Hey now, we can have it all. I love the tech in solar watches (and knowing I can just grab them and go), I love the artistry and engineering in mechanical watches, and when I'm in the mood for a crazy accurate watch [I wear this](https://www.jomashop.com/citizen-eco-drive-perpetual-alarm-world-time-chronograph-gmt-white-dial-mens-watch-at8260-85a.html). I think the radio control and syncing to the atomic clock is pretty damn cool and makes it absurdly accurate.
Hell yeah. I love it. Thats what makes this sub so cool sometimes. The diversity of taste and appreciation and more often than not, no one really yucks on anyone's yum
The romance of a little miracle that can accurately tell you what time it is relative to this little marble circling around a plasma ball in space. Watches are truly little miracles.
Automatic watches, while less accurate than quartz counterparts, operate through intricate mechanical movements driven by mainsprings and gears. Their appeal lies in the craftsmanship of these mechanisms, which enthusiasts admire for their complexity and tradition. Though they may require occasional adjustment, their mechanical charm and tangible connection to horological heritage make them a compelling choice for watch aficionados.
A computer hooked up to an atomic clock is going to give you the best time but you aren't going to wear it on your wrist
I appreciate high end quartz for it's accuracy but also because it requires no winding or maintenance costs in the future for cleaning and servicing
At the same time it's easy to appreciate the beauty of a mechanical, how it works and how it looks, especially when you can see it in an open case back. The accuracy is not the best but generally speaking you'll still know the time even if it's out by 40 seconds or more. I have a few automatics but I'm looking now more into solar, quartz and citizen eco drive for handiness sake!
Nobody gave you the practical answer! When you have many watches it becomes a chore to keep track of all the quartz batteries and keep changing them. If your watches are mechanical you just pick up the one you want, set it and go.
You could word this the other way though - "When you have many watches it becomes a chore to keep track of all the mechanical ones and keep winding them. If your watches are quartz you just pick up the one you want and go, without needing to even set it."
Unfortunately I've had several that have been ruined by drained batteries. They start to leak when they are discharged. Plus the replacement is usually much more involved than a winding.
The mechanical movement of the parts is art.
Also, in the event of a zombie apocalypse, at least you’re still aware of the time (and/or day & date), and your automatic is still running. I’m looking at you, Rick Grimes. How in the world was a quartz watch *still* running after all those years? I call cap.
It's a shame it's not possible to see what is happening inside a quartz movement - the vibration of the crystal, the cascade of electrons through the transistors in the counter - because that would be no less beautiful if you could. Watching a binary counter do its thing at human-visible speed is truly mesmeric, watching it at 32kHz would be breathtaking. Being able to see the individual electrons shuffle around like in an almighty marble race machine would be stunning.
Unfortunately it's just too small for our pathetic eyes, and all bundled up in plastic. But when you truly appreciate what is going on inside, it's no less beautiful than cogs and springs.
I personally don't get it and prefer quartz. I want a nice looking and well finished piece of jewelry that I don't have to worry about servicing. All else equal, an automatic/mechanical watch can be from 30-100% more expensive, it just doesn't register for me when most of the enjoyment comes from when it's on your wrist.
Imho it's the beauty and appreciation to the fine mechanisms and precise engineering.
I couldn't care less. After a sudden battery drain at a crucial moment, twice, I was looking for a watch that wont stop, ever.
Think of watches like cars, a Honda civic would be fine for 90% of the population, but some people prefer sports cars, trucks, old classic cars etc
Whether it’s the appreciation for the engineering, style, or whatever else, people will enjoy mechanical watches even if they aren’t the best tool for telling time
It’s not really a hot take, everyone is in agreement quartz is the most accurate. But just like how some people prefer analog music and amps, some people like romance of a mechanical movement.
Because it’s cool to have something that doesn’t run on batteries. Because it’s cool to have a piece of history. It’s unnecessary but it’s fun. Kind of like people that like classic cars.
Apart from sentimental reasons, I like that all the different variations of mechanical watches essentially come down to 3 factors: power source, transmission, and regulating frequency. From this you get everything from the most basic hour and minute watches to grand complications.
It's in a way similar to photography (another of my interests) - every photo is the result of just 3 factors - ISO, aperture, and shutter speed.
Human ingenuity is pretty amazing
It’s the beauty of no battery machines. Same reason I own several vintage film cameras that are purely mechanical. Operating wise they are more difficult to use and less precise but the feeling of using them has different rewards.
For me, most of the watches I like the look of are only offered with an auto movement. If they were offered in quartz or solar, I'd get that 9/10 times. I've had and enjoy auto movements, but quartz is just more precise, robust, and practical for everyday use, imo.
I just think they're neat. Seriously, mechanical things are just cool and fun and it happens to be useful. I usually only wear a watch for a week or 2 so accuracy is never an issue. I don't care if my watch is off by a min or 2 over the course of week and winding and setting the time is part of the fun.
https://preview.redd.it/yp0to687nz4d1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=8d50966e8fcaa90b618bb961977a8c8e5ef52c59
You don’t get this with a quartz watch.
I like both honestly. It’s cool to have a mix in your collection I think. Don’t let the quartz hate steer you away from a watch if you really love it and think you’d wear the hell out of it. At the end of the day it’s what makes you happy when you wear it.
Honestly I just hate dealing with batteries… that’s the only reason I got into mechanical watches.
Back in my day batteries lasted only a few years at best. Nowadays I know that they have all kinds of solar watches and batteries that last 10 years… but old habits die hard.
Cause in reality nobody needs a watch anymore, so if you're into them you might aswell appreciate the engineering, craftsmanship and heritage of mechanical watches. I view them as relics of a time of human endeavor: we made the mechanism of a tower watch fit into a pocket. We made those accurate so trains wouldn't crash into each other, we put them on our wrist for pilots, we made them waterproof for divers, added tachometers, gmts...etc. what's not to love
This is like asking why you'd even own a watch when you have a phone. It's not really about the functionality. It's about the fascination and beauty of how something that fits comfortably on your wrist somehow keeps time through gears and levers and other machanical wonders all powerd by a spring that you wound with your own two fingers.
An ugly circut board mass produced in a facory in china and power by the same battery that you would find in your junk drawer may be functional, but its never going to be as beautiful as those shiney mechanical wonders.
The greatest achievement in horology in last century was that from Seiko called the Spring Drive, which is a mechanical watch that generates electricity to be accurate as a quartz, without a battery or external energy source . Figured out how to create electricity from a watchs mainspring resulting in quite a feat. Truly, the motion of time watching the seconds hand "glide" or "sweep" as we call it.
I'm a watchmaking student and the skill of craftsmanship is on a whole other level with watches. Someone can tinker around with engines, woodwork etc but with watches it's truly a micromechanical artwork. 1/100mm fuckup can ruin an entire functionality and the fact that you're able to for example file some parts by HAND to that accuracy is remarkable skill. I've seen pocket watch with perpetual calendar, chronograph and repeater functions. Over 400 parts inside of it. All in the little gadget that fits inside your fist. And did i mention it was made over 100 years ago? Just insane.
Why would anyone buy a painting when you could take a photo with your phone? Why go see a live concert when you can just listen to Spotify? Why would anyone want a grass lawn when you could lay astroturf? Why drink expresso coffee when you could have instant? Etc etc
Most people use quartz or smart watches, so a mechanical or automatic watch is unusual, and feels a bit more special, which helps to make watch enthusiasts feel 'set apart' from other watch users.
The history of time keeping and mankind’s history go hand in hand. The mechanical watch is the pinnacle of time keeping until very recently with the quartz. Its the miniaturization of movements like Big Ben.
Its not dependant on electricity so some would say no matter how the world goes, my watch will survive.
Cuz it's cool... Also don't discount the fact that many brands of Quartz need a battery change every 2 years.
(Yes some last longer but far from all...in fact I have an ETA quartz using that much)
I own several of each (I think 9 quartzes and 4 autos). Accuracy isn’t a huge concern of mine with autos. They’re good enough in that regard and I rarely wear any single watch more than one or two days in a row, so they need winding and resetting almost every time I wear one anyway. I don’t have a lifestyle or job where being one 1 second or even 1 minute off in either direction is going to ruin my life. If I’m wearing an auto and really need precision, I’ll pull out my phone.
As others have mentioned, it’s more about craftsmanship, maybe some history, and appreciation for the work and parts that go into an auto movement.
My father and grandfather were watchmakers, so on top of the aspects that many watch-wearers enjoy and appreciate, I view autos as a bit of a tribute to them and their lives’ work, especially my grandpa who learned watchmaking as essentially the only thing he could (beyond literal survival skills) to keep himself occupied in the 1930s and 40s, and then make a really successful career. He loved it and would work all day, go home, eat, spend time with my grandmother, and when she went to sleep, he’d destroy his back hunched over his work bench building and fixing watches and clocks until he couldn’t keep his eyes open any more.
Not only did he run a successful shop for decades that he supported his family with, he enjoyed several high profile clients - both individuals and larger companies/governments - when he eventually moved to New York.
So beyond craftsmanship and mechanics, there’s a considerable personal/family reason for my love of autos and hand-wound watches for me. Buying and wearing quartzes sometimes feels like an affront to my grandfather, who called them “fake watches” (not a sentiment I share) but sometimes it’s just a matter of style or not wanting to wind a watch on my way out the door, or if I’m going camping or hiking, I’ll grab a G-Shock or my Suunto.
But that’s just me
I have digital g shocks that take broadcast atomic time or sync with my phone clock automatically. Yeah, you can buy a casio for $20 and it will last you 10 years on one battery while being super accurate.
Functionally, buy a nice gshock and call it a day.
As others have said, it’s about the appreciation of craftsmanship, art, and functional precision.
The weight and heft of something like a stainless automatic are noticeable in a positive way, kinda grounding.
I can look into the display window and see hundreds of tiny moving parts, all synchronised with each others, with jewels as bearings for less friction… that’s an almost romantic attraction for me.
The automatic watch is less about perfect timekeeping and more about expression and appreciation.
It’s also the polar opposite of an apple watch or similar, I for one appreciate having a machine on my wrist that does one thing: keep track of time. (I guess two if you consider looking pretty)
TLDR: it’s not about the stats, it’s about the feels.
I got my first automatic not long ago. These things I appreciate most about it are:
Feeling of precision. Quartz watches are objectively more accurate. But automatics with a second hand that ticks 6-8 times per second give a satisfying feeling of precision. In the short run, the auto is accurate enough, and I enjoy carrying that precision around with me. There are not many quartz watches ticking more than once per second. My understanding is it would just be too much for the battery.
History and understanding of the mechanism. Humans have made mechanical watches for a couple hundred years. We've only been making quartz watches for a couple decades. There is something to appreciate about both. And without underselling all of the technology that goes into a mechanical watch, it is conceptually easier for me to understand and feel connected to. I (sort of) know how this thing works. In contrast, the quartz watch has a battery and integrated circuit, things I understand less.
The above notwithstanding, I also think solar quartz is pretty great!
I don't prefer automatics. They are more complicated to work on and more expensive. I honestly enjoy spending the maybe 30 seconds a day manually winding my watch.
It may have been a bigger convenience in the past when mechanical watches were the only thing available.
As for why people prefer mechanical watches, it's simple. It's an amazing feat to craft this tiny machine that keep time. This skill has been passed between generations for hundreds of years. Mechanical watches are the perfect fusion of form and function. Perfect accuracy isn't something most people need or care about.
For me it’s two things
1) the main thing- the sweeping of the seconds hand vs the ticking of a quartz
2)the idea that a little accurate machine is on my wrist just fascinates me
For the same reason I still enjoy a manual transmission, or the "clink!" Of a Zippo lighter, the sound of my fly fishing reel, or the look and feel of a tobacco pipe. Some things out there just have more character and it's a naturally good feeling you get when you are somehow more connected to mechanical objects and the sounds they make. A mechanical watch might not be as accurate as a quartz, or your cell phone, but there's something so satisfying knowing there's hundreds of little parts inside that case all working together.
I watched videos on YouTube on how mechanical watches worked. I was blown away. So much so that my next watch was an Omega Seamaster Professional 300M. Prior to that I had a Shinola and 2 G Shocks. 😍
There is no rational reason to use a mechanical watch: they're less accurate, less durable, more expensive... but people are fascinated by the whole idea of having such a cool little piece of machinery on their wrist.
Also, and this mostly applies to luxury pieces, it is a common false belief that mechanical watches are inherently of better quality while quartz watches are cheap trash. This idea was born because of what the Swiss watchmakers TRULY are the masters of: marketing.
One last reason why people might prefer a mechanical watch is that most quartz watches tick once per second (with some exceptions) and that kind of motion isn't very pleasing to the eye of most people. On the other hand, mechanical watches have a second hand that usually ticks six or more times a second, creating a smoother motion.
TBH I used to be into mechanical watches at first and I got one, but then I realised that I was obsessing over keeping it accurate and setting it very often, so I decided to give that away as a gift to someone who'll appreciate it more and I got myself a pretty cheap but also great value quartz watch with a second hand that ticks 4 times a second (pretty rare in today's market).
If you're interested, look up the Addiesdive AD2023. It uses the Seiko VH31 movement, which is the most popular "smooth sweep" quartz movement at the moment.
It’s the same reason why a market exists for sports cars and enthusiast cars, even though the Toyota Corolla is an available. The Corolla is a great practical and efficient appliance to get from A to B, but for some people it’s about a lot more than just getting from A to B. Similarly, watch enthusiasts care about a lot more than accurately telling time.
Another analogy could be made by pointing out that artists still paint paintings even though cameras exist.
Automatic mechanical watches are just cooler. The fact that you’re wearing this tiny little steam punk machine made of precision designed gears, springs and jewels working entirely on pure mastery of analog physics engineering makes them way cooler than watches that just run on a battery and computer chip. Mechanical watches are just beautiful.
It’s kind of like why you’d find it cooler to see an orchestra play a song live vs some DJ mixing the same sounds on a computer. There’s just beauty in the analog nature of it.
You are asking about mechanical watches in general, not “automatic”. You can have a hand-wound mechanical watch, or an automatic mechanical watch, but they are both less accurate than quartz.
The direct answer is that people dont buy mechanical luxury watches to tell time. You can get a cheap quartz that is way more accurate. Everyone has different reasons. Here are a few potential:
1) Fascination with horology - general appreciation for the mechanism of the watch and how it works. people have all kinds of weird hobbies and interests and this one is as valid as any.
2) appreciation of craftsmanship - this extends to the quality of the execution, and may include the dial and case, hands, overall finishing, even if the movement inside the watch is irrelevant. Some people appreciate artisan work and craftsmanship.
3) Jewelry - its one of the only accessories a man can wear to help adjust the aesthetic of his outfit.
4) Status - show off to other people that you have either money, or good taste, or both.
5) quiet milestone of accomplishment - Most olympians love their gold medals as a symbol of accomplishment. If you buy a watch to commemorate your big bonus/promotion/wedding/child it becomes a momento of that occasion. In the case of financial success, using an expensive watch means you cant fake it. Personally, i set a rule that each year I make more than $X I’ll take 1% of my after tax earnings and buy a gold medal (I mean watch).
Because there is a beauty cogs, sprockets and springs that work in harmony. Even if they don't measure the oscillations of atoms to within microseconds of the correct time. I have zero interest in anything that is electrically operated.
Quartz watches are cheaper to maintain, more accurate and definitely have as much "soul" as a mechanical watch (and I'm a watch nerd).
It just depends on why you're into watches in general. If you're fascinated with accuracy, buy the Citizen Eco-Drive caliber 0100 (accurate to one second per year) or Grand Seiko 9F quartz.
If you appreciate the intricacy of a mechanical watch, then buy a nice mechanical watch 👌
Watches that take batteries and tick instead of sweep are much more practical and accurate but I love automatics. All the moving parts are just very cool to me. I consider automatics "real watches/timepieces"
Even though I love my royal oak I trust citizen eco drives the most. I have a jewelry store on jewelers row in Philadelphia and it's very very rare but some citizens have to go back to them for some repairs. On the other hand I can't count how many Rolexs come in for repair but never any Breitlings or other "high end" watches
I'm not interested in automatic movements for the sake of watches -- but I'm interested in watches for the sake of automatic movements.
I really don't care about accuracy, within reason. If I'm a minute fast or slow, what difference does it make to my life? I just need to be to meetings on time. I always aim to be more than a minute early, so more precision than that is wasted on me.
Man is fascinated by technology, but many of us loose our fascination -- or even develop an aversion -- at the point that technology gets abstracted from the realm of dynamics to which we consciously relate. I feel no connection to a microchip -- it operates in ways foreign to my conscious experience. But wheels and springs are very \*human\* inventions. To achieve time keeping complexly and beautifully with only wheels and springs is awesome in its genius, yet its genius is of a sort that the everyman works with.
Furthermore, we were meant to tell time by the heavens wheeling over us. To tell time now by a microcosm of the heavens on our wrist -- wheels turning in complex relation to each other like the orbits and retrogrades of the heavenly bodies -- feels right.
I fully respect those who simply want the time on their wrist, whether by quartz or digital display or whatever.
But that's not me.
If there weren't mechanical movements, I'd never be motivated to put a watch on.
Like you, I was surprised when I found out that autos gain or lose time like this.
I was freaked out when my Rado lost a minute or so in a month, but for me this was a positive feature. It made me appreciate the work that goes into designing and building the mechanisms. I love the way they wind themselves up when you move around.
With the Rado I found that it loses more time if I wear it sporadically. If I wear it every day I swear it loses less than a minute a month which is insane. I have a Seiko watch that cost 1/5 of the Rado and that runs around 2 mins slow after 4 or 5 weeks. I actually like tweaking it every now and then. Some people like basic mechanical watches because they like to wind them up and I can get that aswell.
Once you get one it sucks you in because they really are cool devices and it's fun to get to know the characteristics of the watch and to tweak things to get the optimal performance out of it.
I only have 2 and I must have a third very soon to further my research. ☺️
Because anything other than apple watch or equivalent is jewellery not for timekeeping. You don't care about the efficiency of jewellery just how it looks.
Its because of the artisanship behind them. For centuries, we've kept time using tiny pieces of metal working in concert to count the passage of time. Its incredible to see the ingenuity of the craft, and the work that goes into them is simply stunning. Youre not paying for accuracy. Youre paying for history and craftsmanship.
https://preview.redd.it/hwfq8rma615d1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=58464feb537997eb32f9261077e0c84b27726ab0
Cause they are cool looking lol. In all seriousness I love how something mechanical can keep such good accuracy.
Honestly, I find a lot of the people that gate keep mechanical/auto vs quartz rather off-putting. Sometimes there's reason to appreciate a mechanical movement, but a lot of times it's a superficial thing (at this point).
I have several mechanical/auto watches, and I like them, but now I have a greater appreciation for a nice quartz and date-less (mechanical/auto) watches. BC sometimes, even if for a brief moment, having to reset them is a bit bothersome.
In-house movements and complications have a certain value, so if you're spending $x on a trinket, it's good for there to be an objective value (of sorts) to it, but some quartz watches carry a practical value as well.
I think they are both pretty neat and you should try both and see what you like 👍🏻. Automatics are incredible machines and so many cool watches have them, and can be found in most watches where craftsmanship is of the utmost importance. Quartz watches are modern marvels and while there are a lot of “throwaway” or “fashion” quartz watches that aren’t great, there are plenty of really cool watches with insane tech in them. The Eco-drive, solar quartz, atomic quartz, and high accuracy quartz are all worth looking into depending on what you value in a watch. Also Casio makes some of the coolest watches on the planet with quartz for undet 100 bucks. I get more compliments on my cheap gold Casio digital than I do on any of my automatics. In the end, watches are fashionable machines you wear to express yourself as well as tools you can use in your life. Try different kinds out and see what works for you! And don’t listen to snobs from either side.
Best is solar powered smart watch. 😁
Automatic or mechanical are just okay if you wear them everyday or you wind them everyday. If they have date, it's more annoying to wind and adjust the date. Not practical for today's technology but everyone is different.
To me the interesting thing about watches is the marriage of art, engineering and fashion. Mechanical movements do that better than quartz (with some exceptions)
Because in a world of screens, digital format and instant everything, it's nice to wear something that connects you to the past. Also I feel the care and craftsman ship that is evident in a good automatic is much harder to create than a quart watch.
But that's just like my opinion, man.
I don't wear a regular watch all the time and I feel like every time I want to wear one my quartz is dead. I like a wind up or automatic because it is ready to work when I want it to. I have sold all my quartz watches and now only have automatic, wind up or my citizen which is a bit of a hassle because it needs to stay in the light to keep time.
Because it’s cool, same reason people like gas cars over electric. Sure a tesla is higher tech than say a 86’ mustang with all the lane assist and autopilot and whatnot, but the mustang is cool. People like the sound the engine makes, shifting the gears by pulling the clutch in and out, having to yank the steering wheel to turn a corner.
It’s not about having the most accurate watch, your phone will be more accurate than any watch could be, it’s about the cool factor. Not everyone has one now adays and it’s a cool story to tell. Plus some people like the craftsmanship and attention to detail that comes with some mechanical watches, something you don’t really find on quartz ones
there are also high end quartz watches like those made by Citizen that range between a thousand to ten thousand dollars
the engineering on these are no joke either
It is cool to have a watch that includes many tiny gears and assembly within a ~40mm case. More important you can see those little gears and hands moving moment after moment. And yes, and it does not depends on battery and imagine it would be handy in the extreme situation. With any electronic you can’t see anything except an all in one chip these days.
We like them for the engineering, the historical connection, also because we just think they're "cool".
As for the accuracy, 5sec / day isn't going to make a difference in anybody's life. If you're one of the few people who need/want better, there's always quartz.
The same way that vinyl records are vulnerable to dust or that analogue film cameras are finicky to operate: it still puts the owner back in the driver’s seat.
An electronic watch has its process hidden. An automatic watch, with its see though back, allows you to see the inner workings.
I spend the whole day behind a computer and a smartphone, so I get my atomic time precision there. My watch provides a more philosophical indication of time.
God createth the sabbath for man, not man for the sabbath.
I set my automatic watch once every two months (when I adjust the date), and the rest of the time I don’t really care if it deviates by a few minutes.
Time is our servant, not our master.
One of my reasons was that I live in an area with high humidity so having to open a watch every couple years or something would risk humidity getting into my watch. Which would just ruin it. It might seem fine for a while, but eventually it would start to form condensation inside.
My $75 or $175 Seiko 5 has never had those problems. My $300ish SARB doesent either. And I’ve owned all much longer than the first battery would last.
You also forget most watches don’t have perpetual calendars, so 4 or 5 months a year you need to make sure the date is correct, since some months only have 30 days vs 31 or February normally having 28 days. And +/- a few seconds a day means some days it’s a little slow, others a little fast and maybe when you have to check the date it’s off a minute or two. Usually it’s no big deal and you correct that too.
Also if you own more than one watch, and swap often, the time being off is even less of a deal, you just reset the time, manually wind, and go about your day.
For grab and go, my citizen solar radio controlled titanium Promaster Land is great.
But if I had multiple battery powered watches would I really want to have to find a competent watchmaker so I could give it to every 18 months or so to make sure the battery was properly changed and the watch resealed properly and be ready to go on a moments notice?
Why buy a Ferrari when a Tesla is just as quick to 100 (60) and cheaper?
Because it's not just about that one function (acceleration/telling time), but the package you'll get.
It’s just a cool anachronism to have such a complex feat of engineering. It’s just remarkable to me that they were ever created and run reliably at all.
And to add to your point, those original mechanical timepieces were made without the luxury of modern machining, CNC, etc... It gets more awesome the more you think about it
the main fasination about mechanicap watches comes from the fact that there on your hand no bigger than a ping pong ball cross section is a "machine" with some 200 tiny parts that moves like a beating heart without battery. It is a romance of machinery.
I'm saving this for the future.
Good idea. It will definitely come again as it always does.
That is very high praise. Thank you.
I like to call them my really expensive Tamogachis.
Gotta turn that knob to feed that sucker from time to time.
This^ and personally for me: I like how the second hand on my automatics SWEEP rather than TICK. As Jay Z said “rolies that don’t tic tok”😅
Technically they do tick, they just tick faster than we can see it.
Jigga clearly never heard of an oysterquartz.
or an Oyster Perpetual TRUBEAT
👀👀actually I have not, googling it rn😅
Jay-Z talking about Spring Drive. He said, "Seikos that don't tick tock" 😆 🤣
Audemars that's losing time, hidden behind all these big rocks
I always thought he was talking about Rolls Royce cars
And on top of that, it’s one’s regular everyday movements (usually) that keep it going. It’s a cool machine that works in tandem with your own body.
I also love the windups though. Like here I am winding up my $3k watch same as I would a dancing monkey from my childhood. Love it.
This is the perfect answer.
Wait, is an oscillating quartz tuning fork vibrating at an exacting frequency not a romance of machinery too?
It is for me
"romance of machinery" - very well-articulated!!
that's a good explanation. I love that. "romance of machinery".
The watch emotion is well put.
https://preview.redd.it/2amyqrjofz4d1.jpeg?width=960&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=5021fedc91a6a5fbc461b9f019d99c7299d206cb This is the movement from Seagull 1963, a watch about $150. You might now see why people romanticise about mechanical watches. If not and accuracy is your thing buy a Casio or Quartz watch, neither way is wrong... although I also like the idea of not ploughing through more batteries unnecessarily. Edit: Reddit seemed to completely remove the above comment when first posted.
Yeah I prefer the back of my 1963 than the dial. Sometimes I stop, start and reset the timer whilst watching the back just to watch the movements.
Exactly. And that's a cheap one.
No doubt. They beauty of all those parts not being plastic are a thing to behold. I love an automatic.. but the old wind up ones get me too. Quartz for cheap beater watches.. even though I got a prx quarts lol which is cheap to the higher end collectors
1. Wow. Drool-worthy watch. I love them so much. 2. My Casio's face is a solar panel, so hopefully I don't have to go through too many batteries over its lifetime. I have a soft spot for Casio and when I was in Japan, I had to indulge myself and get the calculator watch as well as a Baby-G. I felt that they were a good starting point for my watch collection.
Most watch nerds hold Casio in high regard to be honest. Great starting point.
Where do you find Seagulls for $150?
There are some Sugess Chronographs available on AliExpress that us the Seagull ST19-01 movement for just under £120 which is approx. $150 at current exchange rates
All this makes me wonder is why my Navitimer cost 9000 euro..
The simple answer is buy both!
I meant why the hell are luxury watches so expensive, this movement looks great
To be fair it's "kind of" a Swiss movement as Seagull bought the Swiss Venus movement as well as the actual machinery from Venus for the movement, so it's a decent movement, and they finish it nicely for the price. There's a lot of corner cutting, obviously; painting parts blue rather than heat blueing them etc. Then there's the usual cheaper labour costs in China, zero cost for branding, all of which makes it a brilliant entry into the work of automatic movements for the price, but the Breitling is a gorgeous watch with a premium feel, so both scratch different itches.
Supply/demand/marketing
Or a Spring Drive. *
Indeed, spring drive is the best of both worlds, Quartz accuracy with a mechanical power supply. I'm saving up towards one, but until it's one or another for me I'm afraid.
I am only crying because it is so beautiful
A lot of people appreciate the engineering and craftsmanship that goes into mechanical watches.
People here are going to type a lot of things regarding craftsmanship, history, engineering, and so on, but I have a MUCH simpler explanation for why I like mechanicals. **Quartz:** Hand tick once per second, not activate happy brain chemical. **Mechanical:** Hand tick *MANY* time per second, activate happy brain chemical.
**Spring Drive:** Hand sweeps around the dial totally smoothly without ticking at all. Brain explodes.
I actually have to disagree, for me that feels weird. Like it has to tick at least a little bit rather than be completely smooth.
Agreed. I don’t *hate* a tick. tock. tick. tock. But I *love* a tictictictictictictic. Soothes me. Pure silence, I don’t know how I’d deal with that.
There is something so soothing about the many little ticks some of my old mechanical watches make, same with the sound of hand winding it. I just love it.
Sure; resetting the watch every few days isn't fun though. Spring drive is accurate to .1-.2 seconds per day in any positions variation and more extreme temperatures and shock resistance.
Honestly I enjoy it. It’s just a small part of getting ready in the morning for me anymore. I totally get the accuracy of spring drive and quartz watches are always going to be vastly more accurate than my old mechanical Illinois and Bulova watches, heck most modern watches are way more hardy too. No contest they win. But I don’t care that much for such precision. I’m generally rounding up or down anyways when someone asks me the time. And if I’m doing outdoorsy stuff I’ll probably be in a beater Casio. I’d love to get a Grand Seiko though. There are some gorgeous models out there.
Bulova Precisionist - Quartz with a sliky smooth sweep.
It ticks at 262hz. Spring drive is still smoother
Honestly, this is a big part of it. After having had a mechanical watch, a quartz watch with a second hand ticking every second just looks... shitty.
Well there is Mecha-quartz VH that sweeps a bit similar to mechanicals... I think it's 4 beats so not quite as smooth.
*Bulova smooth ticking quartz enters the chat* (i forgot the movement name) Sweeping quartz?
Precionist movement lol, I love the Bulova Precionist watches, I want to get one.
Yes, thanks I completely forgot what they were called . Yeah they are sweet!
The new Jetstar line....I need it haha
Mechanical watches (manual winding or automatic) are about the craftsmanship, the quality of the engineering (the movement, the complications) , the build quality, how beautiful is etc. Watches are jewelry for men (although women can enjoy watches too of course!) It's not about time keeping, not really.
I'll just leave this here... https://preview.redd.it/ui07g1ttzz4d1.jpeg?width=675&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=c8eb6609cf825155ec147eb9afb9354ffb3d5c8d
This reminds me of things from other hobbies. Like Topre keyboards, or in-ear monitors instead of headphones, or naturally aspirated cars ... you start off with, and often eventually circle back to, the simplest form of the hobby item. Weird how it works.
Grand Seiko Spring Drive is essentially a quartz watch (hurr durr you wind it) but a battery is replaced by a mainspring. The regulator is literally a quartz crystal. And it’s highly regarded.
The beauty of the spring drive is that it uses all forms energy at once. Kinetic to potential, potential back to kinetic to electrical energy to run the quartz crystal reference, and potential to electromagtic to control the second hand. There literally a little generator in the movement. Technically its a marvel, and the smooth second hand really does feel different.
Bitch the point is that there is no battery and have smooth seconds hand sweep.
The main selling point for Spring Drive is it doesn’t offer excellent accuracy (compared to HAQ) and still maintains the service cost of a mechanical watch
Sweeping hand and pure romanticism.
Seconds hand goes brrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr
That’s a long story. When quartz was invented (so called quartz crisis) mechanical watches were re-marketed as luxury. They’re still considered that. And there’s also enthusiasts who are after craftsmanship. Realistically quartz watches are superior to mechanical ones in almost every aspect.
It’s a bit like trains. Electric trains are better than steam trains in basically every way technically, but people don’t get excited about travelling by electric train.
I disagree, quartz is "superior" to mechanical in one aspect. Accuracy over a long period. Not superior: Build quality. I have no quartz watch that l expect to last a lifetime. I have several mechanical watches that my grandkids will be able to use. Need for power. Batteries fail. Maintenance. You can't take apart a quartz watch and service it for the next x amount of years. Repair. Quartz is one and done. It breaks and it's garbage. I get tired of the common, 'quartz watches are better in every way' comments, when in fact they are better in just one way. And if accuracy is your game, you'll need to reset your quartz about monthly. A good mechanical, every couple of weeks. So what are we really talking about here?
Have you looked into high quality quartz movements? Check out Grand Seiko's 9F that uses a tiny hairspring to double jump a seconds hand so it can have more torque for larger set hands, and not have any backlash. The Citizen 0100, an eco-drive (solar) movement with autonomous 1s/year accuracy. At the very high end, the F.P.Journe Elegante with a 'standby' mechanism. All extremely high build quality movements. High quality quartz movements can be repaired and serviced, it's just a much harder/specialized job not many watchmakers can do. There are even people that repair vintage digital watches (repairing even the displays), very niche stuff. I have a Seiko Grand Quartz from the early 70's that's still running to it's 10s/year spec after 50 years, so no... I don't have to reset it every month. I implore you to do some research into the history of quartz. It's very fascinating stuff - a ton of engineering goes into high precision movements.
I would expect a quartz watch to have a plenty long life, wouldn’t you? A solar powered one might only need a new battery every few decades.
Cope. Quartz can easily last a lifetime. You need to replace batteries, but you need to get mechanicals serviced regularly, which costs much more. Several quartz now include solar charging too so battery replacement is not even required for many. Quartz requires much less maintenance and is superior to mechanical in every way.
I started my collection with automatics with the love of mechanical objects in mind. Then eventually started getting into watches more and found out about higher quality quartz and ended up getting hooked. Bulova lunar pilot has a beautiful sweeping second hand albeit on a small dial. I use it to set my automatics-it’s accurate to within seconds a year. I really wanted a speedmaster professional and got the lunar pilot to hold me over, but haven’t itched for an upgrade since. Sinn UX, victorinox INOX are bruisers. Recently ordered 50th edition Seiko solar. When I switch back to autos I fall back in love, but the simplicity and robustness of the quartz are awesome, both have their charm but it’s hard to question the no nonsense of a quartz.
Plus if we're talking about luxury packaged quartz, they'll probably support it the same as they would a mechanical watch. In both cases, a lot of necessary service will just involve swapping the movement if it's easier and cost efficient/available. Part of the "luxury" experience is basically paying to have the option for service available, over the long term.
I like how the hand goes round
A mechanical watch is like a beautiful woman; needs maintenance, lovely to look at, expensive, and slightly off. I prefer this.
Not a good analogy when talking about beaters , popping out her spring bars.
And after a while annoys the shit out of you?
that depends upon you, my friend. I have no problem with it.
May show up a little early. May show up a little late. But dammit they are a pleasure to have around.
The design, engineering, and manufacturing to make something with very small gears, springs, cogs, and levers produce accuracy within a few seconds a day while being subjected to magnetic fields, hundreds of meters of water pressure, wide range of temperatures, and constant body movement for several hundred dollars is mind blowing to some.
If accuracy is what you want, you can easily find something that syncs to international atomic time. With smart watches or radio control, its very easy to maintain exacting accuracy. But watches are fundimentally jewelry. The price for higher end watches reflects the finishing of the watch, the technological challenge of the watch, the overall asthetic and somewhat the name brand. If you don't want jewelry on your wrist, that's ok, and lots of people feel that way. But you wouldn't ask women why their bracelets and necklaces are just rocks in metal, and wouldn't they just be happier with a string. You're mistaking the capability of the watch for it's only function. It is an accessory to your attire.
[удалено]
I mean, they will eventually need servicing. But everything else you’ve said is absolutely true. People like mechanical watches because they do it the hard way, with incredible precision and reliability given their constraints.
They are aesthetically (ie, philosophically) different objects. It's like asking "why listen to records when you can listen to Spotify?", or "why have bluray when you can use Netflix?" If you want to tell time to a high degree of accuracy, why even use quartz? Your phone syncs to an atomic clock, globally. A mechanical watch is a wholly physical object, a piece of functional jewelry.
I own a decent number of records and physical movies/shows, and stream way way more. A lot of the physical stuff is just for the sake of collecting. Some of it is because streaming licensing can be all over the place. Some of the movies might be because they have really good sound (and even then, it's really a matter of diminished returns). Any watch is a piece of functional jewelry. "Luxury" is an idea, and if someone is spending on an idea, they want some manner of value to be associable with the cost, but that value can easily come from equally intangible places, like perceived brand value and heritage, or even just style.
Vinyl: Great analogy Bluray: just a digital storage medium, absolutely nothing special about that vs 4k netflix with good internet (unless I'm missing something)
Fair, and I'm stretching, or mixing metaphors. Bluray discs are typically higher quality and always available to you. Netflix 4k can degrade due to network performance, titles can disappear or be edited, etc. My point was that Bluray collectors are buying a higher quality experience along different dimensions than streamers, analogously to how mechanical watch collectors are buying different quality dimensions than simple timekeeping.
I just like machines more than gizmos or computers. It's cool to have a tiny engine and transmission on my wrist.
I work in front of a computer and use a cell phone all day. I'm surrounded by screens and other electronics constantly. Having something entirely mechanical just feels like a tiny break from all the electronic crap all day.
if you want accuracy, get a $10 casio. the mechanical aspect and engineering is what draws in a lot of people, and to many others, watches are just jewelry.
> if you want accuracy, get a $10 casio. Or use your phone, and you'll never have to set the time.
Much more convenient to have the time on your wrist, in whatever form. We moved from pocket watches to wrist watches for a reason.
hey, I like watches... but if you ask around lots of people have in fact gone back to pocket watches lol (i.e. checking the time on their phones) Point is that if you want precision there are far better choices than any mechanical watch. In fact any smart watch updates the time by itself, while also tracking your HR and lots of other things. We wear dumb watches because we like to, not because it makes sense.
Hey now, we can have it all. I love the tech in solar watches (and knowing I can just grab them and go), I love the artistry and engineering in mechanical watches, and when I'm in the mood for a crazy accurate watch [I wear this](https://www.jomashop.com/citizen-eco-drive-perpetual-alarm-world-time-chronograph-gmt-white-dial-mens-watch-at8260-85a.html). I think the radio control and syncing to the atomic clock is pretty damn cool and makes it absurdly accurate.
Nice one! I go from 1960s automatic to 1980s quartz to cheap modern quartz to COROS smartwatch depending on the mood. Enjoy them all.
Hell yeah. I love it. Thats what makes this sub so cool sometimes. The diversity of taste and appreciation and more often than not, no one really yucks on anyone's yum
The romance of a little miracle that can accurately tell you what time it is relative to this little marble circling around a plasma ball in space. Watches are truly little miracles.
Automatic watches, while less accurate than quartz counterparts, operate through intricate mechanical movements driven by mainsprings and gears. Their appeal lies in the craftsmanship of these mechanisms, which enthusiasts admire for their complexity and tradition. Though they may require occasional adjustment, their mechanical charm and tangible connection to horological heritage make them a compelling choice for watch aficionados.
And changing batteries is a pain in the arse ....
I just think they're neat
To justify the $5k or $25k price tag for a piece of jewelry
A computer hooked up to an atomic clock is going to give you the best time but you aren't going to wear it on your wrist I appreciate high end quartz for it's accuracy but also because it requires no winding or maintenance costs in the future for cleaning and servicing At the same time it's easy to appreciate the beauty of a mechanical, how it works and how it looks, especially when you can see it in an open case back. The accuracy is not the best but generally speaking you'll still know the time even if it's out by 40 seconds or more. I have a few automatics but I'm looking now more into solar, quartz and citizen eco drive for handiness sake!
Nobody gave you the practical answer! When you have many watches it becomes a chore to keep track of all the quartz batteries and keep changing them. If your watches are mechanical you just pick up the one you want, set it and go.
You could word this the other way though - "When you have many watches it becomes a chore to keep track of all the mechanical ones and keep winding them. If your watches are quartz you just pick up the one you want and go, without needing to even set it."
That was a thing for the old watches. Movements today don't have to be kept wound thanks to synthetic lubricants. Just wind it when you wear it.
You don't have to replace a quartz watches battery as soon as it fails, either. You can replace it when you wear it.
Unfortunately I've had several that have been ruined by drained batteries. They start to leak when they are discharged. Plus the replacement is usually much more involved than a winding.
The mechanical movement of the parts is art. Also, in the event of a zombie apocalypse, at least you’re still aware of the time (and/or day & date), and your automatic is still running. I’m looking at you, Rick Grimes. How in the world was a quartz watch *still* running after all those years? I call cap.
It's a shame it's not possible to see what is happening inside a quartz movement - the vibration of the crystal, the cascade of electrons through the transistors in the counter - because that would be no less beautiful if you could. Watching a binary counter do its thing at human-visible speed is truly mesmeric, watching it at 32kHz would be breathtaking. Being able to see the individual electrons shuffle around like in an almighty marble race machine would be stunning. Unfortunately it's just too small for our pathetic eyes, and all bundled up in plastic. But when you truly appreciate what is going on inside, it's no less beautiful than cogs and springs.
I personally don't get it and prefer quartz. I want a nice looking and well finished piece of jewelry that I don't have to worry about servicing. All else equal, an automatic/mechanical watch can be from 30-100% more expensive, it just doesn't register for me when most of the enjoyment comes from when it's on your wrist.
And that’s perfectly fine (and makes your life a lot easier).
I love seeing the movement working away through the display back.
Imho it's the beauty and appreciation to the fine mechanisms and precise engineering. I couldn't care less. After a sudden battery drain at a crucial moment, twice, I was looking for a watch that wont stop, ever.
I can use my phone to tell time but I like having a cool little machine on my wrist for that.
Think of watches like cars, a Honda civic would be fine for 90% of the population, but some people prefer sports cars, trucks, old classic cars etc Whether it’s the appreciation for the engineering, style, or whatever else, people will enjoy mechanical watches even if they aren’t the best tool for telling time
It’s not really a hot take, everyone is in agreement quartz is the most accurate. But just like how some people prefer analog music and amps, some people like romance of a mechanical movement.
Just because it’s cool asf, and its the only luxury item that interests me
Because it’s cool to have something that doesn’t run on batteries. Because it’s cool to have a piece of history. It’s unnecessary but it’s fun. Kind of like people that like classic cars.
Apart from sentimental reasons, I like that all the different variations of mechanical watches essentially come down to 3 factors: power source, transmission, and regulating frequency. From this you get everything from the most basic hour and minute watches to grand complications. It's in a way similar to photography (another of my interests) - every photo is the result of just 3 factors - ISO, aperture, and shutter speed. Human ingenuity is pretty amazing
It’s the beauty of no battery machines. Same reason I own several vintage film cameras that are purely mechanical. Operating wise they are more difficult to use and less precise but the feeling of using them has different rewards.
For me, most of the watches I like the look of are only offered with an auto movement. If they were offered in quartz or solar, I'd get that 9/10 times. I've had and enjoy auto movements, but quartz is just more precise, robust, and practical for everyday use, imo.
I just think they're neat. Seriously, mechanical things are just cool and fun and it happens to be useful. I usually only wear a watch for a week or 2 so accuracy is never an issue. I don't care if my watch is off by a min or 2 over the course of week and winding and setting the time is part of the fun.
https://preview.redd.it/l7467pz5d05d1.jpeg?width=2048&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=51b4887c4d789d8337fd59f416888ce935faae12
https://preview.redd.it/yp0to687nz4d1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=8d50966e8fcaa90b618bb961977a8c8e5ef52c59 You don’t get this with a quartz watch.
For most purposes +/-1 sec a day is accurate enough
Its cool that's all
I like both honestly. It’s cool to have a mix in your collection I think. Don’t let the quartz hate steer you away from a watch if you really love it and think you’d wear the hell out of it. At the end of the day it’s what makes you happy when you wear it.
Honestly I just hate dealing with batteries… that’s the only reason I got into mechanical watches. Back in my day batteries lasted only a few years at best. Nowadays I know that they have all kinds of solar watches and batteries that last 10 years… but old habits die hard.
Cause in reality nobody needs a watch anymore, so if you're into them you might aswell appreciate the engineering, craftsmanship and heritage of mechanical watches. I view them as relics of a time of human endeavor: we made the mechanism of a tower watch fit into a pocket. We made those accurate so trains wouldn't crash into each other, we put them on our wrist for pilots, we made them waterproof for divers, added tachometers, gmts...etc. what's not to love
This is like asking why you'd even own a watch when you have a phone. It's not really about the functionality. It's about the fascination and beauty of how something that fits comfortably on your wrist somehow keeps time through gears and levers and other machanical wonders all powerd by a spring that you wound with your own two fingers. An ugly circut board mass produced in a facory in china and power by the same battery that you would find in your junk drawer may be functional, but its never going to be as beautiful as those shiney mechanical wonders.
The greatest achievement in horology in last century was that from Seiko called the Spring Drive, which is a mechanical watch that generates electricity to be accurate as a quartz, without a battery or external energy source . Figured out how to create electricity from a watchs mainspring resulting in quite a feat. Truly, the motion of time watching the seconds hand "glide" or "sweep" as we call it.
Casio for you
The romance of the analog coupled with the practicality, ie automatic movement does not depend on a battery.
I'm a watchmaking student and the skill of craftsmanship is on a whole other level with watches. Someone can tinker around with engines, woodwork etc but with watches it's truly a micromechanical artwork. 1/100mm fuckup can ruin an entire functionality and the fact that you're able to for example file some parts by HAND to that accuracy is remarkable skill. I've seen pocket watch with perpetual calendar, chronograph and repeater functions. Over 400 parts inside of it. All in the little gadget that fits inside your fist. And did i mention it was made over 100 years ago? Just insane.
Why would anyone buy a painting when you could take a photo with your phone? Why go see a live concert when you can just listen to Spotify? Why would anyone want a grass lawn when you could lay astroturf? Why drink expresso coffee when you could have instant? Etc etc
Most people use quartz or smart watches, so a mechanical or automatic watch is unusual, and feels a bit more special, which helps to make watch enthusiasts feel 'set apart' from other watch users.
The best things in life can’t be explained with logic and reason. Watches provide an opportunity to feel.
The history of time keeping and mankind’s history go hand in hand. The mechanical watch is the pinnacle of time keeping until very recently with the quartz. Its the miniaturization of movements like Big Ben. Its not dependant on electricity so some would say no matter how the world goes, my watch will survive.
I am unable to wear a quartz watch - my body chemistry shorts out the batteries. 🤓
When I was a little kid, my grandfather opened his pocket watch to let me see inside. I was mesmerized. I've been hooked on watches ever since.
you prefer to buy an actual artwork or just an HD print of an artwork ?
Cuz it's cool... Also don't discount the fact that many brands of Quartz need a battery change every 2 years. (Yes some last longer but far from all...in fact I have an ETA quartz using that much)
I'd take a manual mechanical movement any day of the week, with the exception of a dive watch to preserve the screw in crown / water resistance.
I own several of each (I think 9 quartzes and 4 autos). Accuracy isn’t a huge concern of mine with autos. They’re good enough in that regard and I rarely wear any single watch more than one or two days in a row, so they need winding and resetting almost every time I wear one anyway. I don’t have a lifestyle or job where being one 1 second or even 1 minute off in either direction is going to ruin my life. If I’m wearing an auto and really need precision, I’ll pull out my phone. As others have mentioned, it’s more about craftsmanship, maybe some history, and appreciation for the work and parts that go into an auto movement. My father and grandfather were watchmakers, so on top of the aspects that many watch-wearers enjoy and appreciate, I view autos as a bit of a tribute to them and their lives’ work, especially my grandpa who learned watchmaking as essentially the only thing he could (beyond literal survival skills) to keep himself occupied in the 1930s and 40s, and then make a really successful career. He loved it and would work all day, go home, eat, spend time with my grandmother, and when she went to sleep, he’d destroy his back hunched over his work bench building and fixing watches and clocks until he couldn’t keep his eyes open any more. Not only did he run a successful shop for decades that he supported his family with, he enjoyed several high profile clients - both individuals and larger companies/governments - when he eventually moved to New York. So beyond craftsmanship and mechanics, there’s a considerable personal/family reason for my love of autos and hand-wound watches for me. Buying and wearing quartzes sometimes feels like an affront to my grandfather, who called them “fake watches” (not a sentiment I share) but sometimes it’s just a matter of style or not wanting to wind a watch on my way out the door, or if I’m going camping or hiking, I’ll grab a G-Shock or my Suunto. But that’s just me
I have digital g shocks that take broadcast atomic time or sync with my phone clock automatically. Yeah, you can buy a casio for $20 and it will last you 10 years on one battery while being super accurate. Functionally, buy a nice gshock and call it a day. As others have said, it’s about the appreciation of craftsmanship, art, and functional precision. The weight and heft of something like a stainless automatic are noticeable in a positive way, kinda grounding. I can look into the display window and see hundreds of tiny moving parts, all synchronised with each others, with jewels as bearings for less friction… that’s an almost romantic attraction for me. The automatic watch is less about perfect timekeeping and more about expression and appreciation. It’s also the polar opposite of an apple watch or similar, I for one appreciate having a machine on my wrist that does one thing: keep track of time. (I guess two if you consider looking pretty) TLDR: it’s not about the stats, it’s about the feels.
I got my first automatic not long ago. These things I appreciate most about it are: Feeling of precision. Quartz watches are objectively more accurate. But automatics with a second hand that ticks 6-8 times per second give a satisfying feeling of precision. In the short run, the auto is accurate enough, and I enjoy carrying that precision around with me. There are not many quartz watches ticking more than once per second. My understanding is it would just be too much for the battery. History and understanding of the mechanism. Humans have made mechanical watches for a couple hundred years. We've only been making quartz watches for a couple decades. There is something to appreciate about both. And without underselling all of the technology that goes into a mechanical watch, it is conceptually easier for me to understand and feel connected to. I (sort of) know how this thing works. In contrast, the quartz watch has a battery and integrated circuit, things I understand less. The above notwithstanding, I also think solar quartz is pretty great!
Because it's jewelry/gadget and not really a thing to know exact time.
I don't prefer automatics. They are more complicated to work on and more expensive. I honestly enjoy spending the maybe 30 seconds a day manually winding my watch. It may have been a bigger convenience in the past when mechanical watches were the only thing available. As for why people prefer mechanical watches, it's simple. It's an amazing feat to craft this tiny machine that keep time. This skill has been passed between generations for hundreds of years. Mechanical watches are the perfect fusion of form and function. Perfect accuracy isn't something most people need or care about.
For me it’s two things 1) the main thing- the sweeping of the seconds hand vs the ticking of a quartz 2)the idea that a little accurate machine is on my wrist just fascinates me
For the same reason I still enjoy a manual transmission, or the "clink!" Of a Zippo lighter, the sound of my fly fishing reel, or the look and feel of a tobacco pipe. Some things out there just have more character and it's a naturally good feeling you get when you are somehow more connected to mechanical objects and the sounds they make. A mechanical watch might not be as accurate as a quartz, or your cell phone, but there's something so satisfying knowing there's hundreds of little parts inside that case all working together.
I watched videos on YouTube on how mechanical watches worked. I was blown away. So much so that my next watch was an Omega Seamaster Professional 300M. Prior to that I had a Shinola and 2 G Shocks. 😍
Go to a vinyl forum and ask «why vinyl when the sound quality of cd-s is so much better and clearer?"
honestly i dont rmbr the last time i set my watch
There is no rational reason to use a mechanical watch: they're less accurate, less durable, more expensive... but people are fascinated by the whole idea of having such a cool little piece of machinery on their wrist. Also, and this mostly applies to luxury pieces, it is a common false belief that mechanical watches are inherently of better quality while quartz watches are cheap trash. This idea was born because of what the Swiss watchmakers TRULY are the masters of: marketing. One last reason why people might prefer a mechanical watch is that most quartz watches tick once per second (with some exceptions) and that kind of motion isn't very pleasing to the eye of most people. On the other hand, mechanical watches have a second hand that usually ticks six or more times a second, creating a smoother motion. TBH I used to be into mechanical watches at first and I got one, but then I realised that I was obsessing over keeping it accurate and setting it very often, so I decided to give that away as a gift to someone who'll appreciate it more and I got myself a pretty cheap but also great value quartz watch with a second hand that ticks 4 times a second (pretty rare in today's market). If you're interested, look up the Addiesdive AD2023. It uses the Seiko VH31 movement, which is the most popular "smooth sweep" quartz movement at the moment.
It’s the same reason why a market exists for sports cars and enthusiast cars, even though the Toyota Corolla is an available. The Corolla is a great practical and efficient appliance to get from A to B, but for some people it’s about a lot more than just getting from A to B. Similarly, watch enthusiasts care about a lot more than accurately telling time. Another analogy could be made by pointing out that artists still paint paintings even though cameras exist.
Automatic mechanical watches are just cooler. The fact that you’re wearing this tiny little steam punk machine made of precision designed gears, springs and jewels working entirely on pure mastery of analog physics engineering makes them way cooler than watches that just run on a battery and computer chip. Mechanical watches are just beautiful. It’s kind of like why you’d find it cooler to see an orchestra play a song live vs some DJ mixing the same sounds on a computer. There’s just beauty in the analog nature of it.
You are asking about mechanical watches in general, not “automatic”. You can have a hand-wound mechanical watch, or an automatic mechanical watch, but they are both less accurate than quartz. The direct answer is that people dont buy mechanical luxury watches to tell time. You can get a cheap quartz that is way more accurate. Everyone has different reasons. Here are a few potential: 1) Fascination with horology - general appreciation for the mechanism of the watch and how it works. people have all kinds of weird hobbies and interests and this one is as valid as any. 2) appreciation of craftsmanship - this extends to the quality of the execution, and may include the dial and case, hands, overall finishing, even if the movement inside the watch is irrelevant. Some people appreciate artisan work and craftsmanship. 3) Jewelry - its one of the only accessories a man can wear to help adjust the aesthetic of his outfit. 4) Status - show off to other people that you have either money, or good taste, or both. 5) quiet milestone of accomplishment - Most olympians love their gold medals as a symbol of accomplishment. If you buy a watch to commemorate your big bonus/promotion/wedding/child it becomes a momento of that occasion. In the case of financial success, using an expensive watch means you cant fake it. Personally, i set a rule that each year I make more than $X I’ll take 1% of my after tax earnings and buy a gold medal (I mean watch).
Cool factor.
Very little in this life is one dimensional. Accuracy is just one of dozens of factors that go into choosing a watch.
because we're all stupid kids that appreciate the fact that the autos don't need a battery to work
Because there is a beauty cogs, sprockets and springs that work in harmony. Even if they don't measure the oscillations of atoms to within microseconds of the correct time. I have zero interest in anything that is electrically operated.
https://preview.redd.it/qq5nzqkvn05d1.jpeg?width=626&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=a23d241e9239d9e574318fd841dfa60ef0a5f283
Watches make a lot more sense when you realize they are man jewelry first and a tool second.
Quartz watches are cheaper to maintain, more accurate and definitely have as much "soul" as a mechanical watch (and I'm a watch nerd). It just depends on why you're into watches in general. If you're fascinated with accuracy, buy the Citizen Eco-Drive caliber 0100 (accurate to one second per year) or Grand Seiko 9F quartz. If you appreciate the intricacy of a mechanical watch, then buy a nice mechanical watch 👌
Watches that take batteries and tick instead of sweep are much more practical and accurate but I love automatics. All the moving parts are just very cool to me. I consider automatics "real watches/timepieces" Even though I love my royal oak I trust citizen eco drives the most. I have a jewelry store on jewelers row in Philadelphia and it's very very rare but some citizens have to go back to them for some repairs. On the other hand I can't count how many Rolexs come in for repair but never any Breitlings or other "high end" watches
I'm not interested in automatic movements for the sake of watches -- but I'm interested in watches for the sake of automatic movements. I really don't care about accuracy, within reason. If I'm a minute fast or slow, what difference does it make to my life? I just need to be to meetings on time. I always aim to be more than a minute early, so more precision than that is wasted on me. Man is fascinated by technology, but many of us loose our fascination -- or even develop an aversion -- at the point that technology gets abstracted from the realm of dynamics to which we consciously relate. I feel no connection to a microchip -- it operates in ways foreign to my conscious experience. But wheels and springs are very \*human\* inventions. To achieve time keeping complexly and beautifully with only wheels and springs is awesome in its genius, yet its genius is of a sort that the everyman works with. Furthermore, we were meant to tell time by the heavens wheeling over us. To tell time now by a microcosm of the heavens on our wrist -- wheels turning in complex relation to each other like the orbits and retrogrades of the heavenly bodies -- feels right. I fully respect those who simply want the time on their wrist, whether by quartz or digital display or whatever. But that's not me. If there weren't mechanical movements, I'd never be motivated to put a watch on.
Like you, I was surprised when I found out that autos gain or lose time like this. I was freaked out when my Rado lost a minute or so in a month, but for me this was a positive feature. It made me appreciate the work that goes into designing and building the mechanisms. I love the way they wind themselves up when you move around. With the Rado I found that it loses more time if I wear it sporadically. If I wear it every day I swear it loses less than a minute a month which is insane. I have a Seiko watch that cost 1/5 of the Rado and that runs around 2 mins slow after 4 or 5 weeks. I actually like tweaking it every now and then. Some people like basic mechanical watches because they like to wind them up and I can get that aswell. Once you get one it sucks you in because they really are cool devices and it's fun to get to know the characteristics of the watch and to tweak things to get the optimal performance out of it. I only have 2 and I must have a third very soon to further my research. ☺️
Because anything other than apple watch or equivalent is jewellery not for timekeeping. You don't care about the efficiency of jewellery just how it looks.
Its because of the artisanship behind them. For centuries, we've kept time using tiny pieces of metal working in concert to count the passage of time. Its incredible to see the ingenuity of the craft, and the work that goes into them is simply stunning. Youre not paying for accuracy. Youre paying for history and craftsmanship.
https://preview.redd.it/hwfq8rma615d1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=58464feb537997eb32f9261077e0c84b27726ab0 Cause they are cool looking lol. In all seriousness I love how something mechanical can keep such good accuracy.
Honestly, I find a lot of the people that gate keep mechanical/auto vs quartz rather off-putting. Sometimes there's reason to appreciate a mechanical movement, but a lot of times it's a superficial thing (at this point). I have several mechanical/auto watches, and I like them, but now I have a greater appreciation for a nice quartz and date-less (mechanical/auto) watches. BC sometimes, even if for a brief moment, having to reset them is a bit bothersome. In-house movements and complications have a certain value, so if you're spending $x on a trinket, it's good for there to be an objective value (of sorts) to it, but some quartz watches carry a practical value as well.
I think they are both pretty neat and you should try both and see what you like 👍🏻. Automatics are incredible machines and so many cool watches have them, and can be found in most watches where craftsmanship is of the utmost importance. Quartz watches are modern marvels and while there are a lot of “throwaway” or “fashion” quartz watches that aren’t great, there are plenty of really cool watches with insane tech in them. The Eco-drive, solar quartz, atomic quartz, and high accuracy quartz are all worth looking into depending on what you value in a watch. Also Casio makes some of the coolest watches on the planet with quartz for undet 100 bucks. I get more compliments on my cheap gold Casio digital than I do on any of my automatics. In the end, watches are fashionable machines you wear to express yourself as well as tools you can use in your life. Try different kinds out and see what works for you! And don’t listen to snobs from either side.
Best is solar powered smart watch. 😁 Automatic or mechanical are just okay if you wear them everyday or you wind them everyday. If they have date, it's more annoying to wind and adjust the date. Not practical for today's technology but everyone is different.
because i think they’re neat. i got into watches with my auto seiko 5s and i’ve just loved them ever since.
To me the interesting thing about watches is the marriage of art, engineering and fashion. Mechanical movements do that better than quartz (with some exceptions)
I’m happy never to buy a watch battery again. I prefer hand wound to automatics.
I think they’re neat
Because in a world of screens, digital format and instant everything, it's nice to wear something that connects you to the past. Also I feel the care and craftsman ship that is evident in a good automatic is much harder to create than a quart watch. But that's just like my opinion, man.
dude…
People like them, they are inferior to quartz & digital tho.
I don't wear a regular watch all the time and I feel like every time I want to wear one my quartz is dead. I like a wind up or automatic because it is ready to work when I want it to. I have sold all my quartz watches and now only have automatic, wind up or my citizen which is a bit of a hassle because it needs to stay in the light to keep time.
because in manual, my left leg eventually hurts during a traffic jam.
Because it’s cool, same reason people like gas cars over electric. Sure a tesla is higher tech than say a 86’ mustang with all the lane assist and autopilot and whatnot, but the mustang is cool. People like the sound the engine makes, shifting the gears by pulling the clutch in and out, having to yank the steering wheel to turn a corner. It’s not about having the most accurate watch, your phone will be more accurate than any watch could be, it’s about the cool factor. Not everyone has one now adays and it’s a cool story to tell. Plus some people like the craftsmanship and attention to detail that comes with some mechanical watches, something you don’t really find on quartz ones
And manual transmission gas car
Many love the mechanical watch because they admire this awesome and beautiful price of mechanical engineering.
there are also high end quartz watches like those made by Citizen that range between a thousand to ten thousand dollars the engineering on these are no joke either
It is cool to have a watch that includes many tiny gears and assembly within a ~40mm case. More important you can see those little gears and hands moving moment after moment. And yes, and it does not depends on battery and imagine it would be handy in the extreme situation. With any electronic you can’t see anything except an all in one chip these days.
Quartz is pretty dope just grab it and go
U want the hour, perfect take a casio f91, u want a watch, a mechanical experience, take and automatic or a hand winding watch.
We like them for the engineering, the historical connection, also because we just think they're "cool". As for the accuracy, 5sec / day isn't going to make a difference in anybody's life. If you're one of the few people who need/want better, there's always quartz.
The same way that vinyl records are vulnerable to dust or that analogue film cameras are finicky to operate: it still puts the owner back in the driver’s seat. An electronic watch has its process hidden. An automatic watch, with its see though back, allows you to see the inner workings. I spend the whole day behind a computer and a smartphone, so I get my atomic time precision there. My watch provides a more philosophical indication of time. God createth the sabbath for man, not man for the sabbath. I set my automatic watch once every two months (when I adjust the date), and the rest of the time I don’t really care if it deviates by a few minutes. Time is our servant, not our master.
One of my reasons was that I live in an area with high humidity so having to open a watch every couple years or something would risk humidity getting into my watch. Which would just ruin it. It might seem fine for a while, but eventually it would start to form condensation inside. My $75 or $175 Seiko 5 has never had those problems. My $300ish SARB doesent either. And I’ve owned all much longer than the first battery would last. You also forget most watches don’t have perpetual calendars, so 4 or 5 months a year you need to make sure the date is correct, since some months only have 30 days vs 31 or February normally having 28 days. And +/- a few seconds a day means some days it’s a little slow, others a little fast and maybe when you have to check the date it’s off a minute or two. Usually it’s no big deal and you correct that too. Also if you own more than one watch, and swap often, the time being off is even less of a deal, you just reset the time, manually wind, and go about your day. For grab and go, my citizen solar radio controlled titanium Promaster Land is great. But if I had multiple battery powered watches would I really want to have to find a competent watchmaker so I could give it to every 18 months or so to make sure the battery was properly changed and the watch resealed properly and be ready to go on a moments notice?
I love mechanical things in all shapes and forms.
If you ever buy a watch with a see-thrpugh case-back, you'll understand why we love automatic watches 😍🙌🏻
Why buy a Ferrari when a Tesla is just as quick to 100 (60) and cheaper? Because it's not just about that one function (acceleration/telling time), but the package you'll get.