Articles' list >>> Collectable Watches: Quartz or Mechanical?
Any wristwatch collector is aware of the fact that wristwatches available nowadays are set going either by a mechanical movement or a battery. Mechanical watches possess an automatic or manual winding mechanism and those with batteries are simply known as quartz watches. There also exist watches put in action by "kinetic energy."
The introduction of the Quartz
Mechanical wristwatches were created in the late 1700s. Queen Elizabeth was wearing one embellished with precious jewels. By 1928 mechanical wristwatches had overcome pocket watches in the number of pieces being sold.
All early wristwatches were powered by a mechanical movement until 1957 when the Hamilton watch manufacturer changed the mainspring of the watch for a battery that worked well for over a year. In 1960, the Bulova Company developed its Accutron model that featured an exceptional tuning fork system powered by a battery. The first quartz watch called the Astron 35SQ was created by the Seiko Company. It became the most precise watch in the world. English Timex also introduced their quartz model, the Electric. These were the most prominent examples of the early development of quartz watch technologies.
The quartz era began in the 1980s saw when the Japanese non-expensive quartz watches spread all over the world. The development of wristwatches has become much easier with using quartz technology as it provided mass production on assembly lines. Many new companies that often lacked both scrupulosity and experience in the field of watchmaking grabbed the opportunity of easy and profitable business.
The Swiss traditional watchmaking companies wanted to remain faithful to their old time-proved technologies and could not get used to the concept of a quartz watch that was based upon a mere electrical circuit and a case assembled on impersonal production lines.
The Swatch was the savior of the Swiss watchmaking industry that turned the market all around. Many famous Swiss watchmaking companies, such as Rolex and Patek Philippe also introduced a line of quartz watches, but a few Swiss watchmakers still remained scornful about quartz. The famous house of Blancpain came up with the following advertisement: “Since 1735 there has never been developed a quartz Blancpain watch. And there never will be.”
However, the advantages of cheap production methods could not have been ignored for a long time, so 87.8 per cent of watches exported from Switzerland in 1992 were quartz. It should be acknowledged that quartz technology gave watchmakers the chance to produce cheap quartz watches.
The Choice of Collectors
Many watch collectors do not prefer battery operated watches unless they feature great variety like those made by Swatch. Collectors intending to buy an expensive watch often choose a mechanical watch that comprises traditional mechanical parts assembled by experienced craftsmen rather than a quartz watch that consists of a circuit board, step motor, resonator and a battery of unknown origin fixed together by robots.
Watch lovers are aware of the fact that the movements and designs of a mechanical watch are time tested, they usually do not know much about the quartz movement. When you buy a high-priced quartz wristwatch, it is difficult to define whether it has an expensive quartz movement or a cheap one. You will be informed that the movement is "very advanced and accurate" but will not be given any technical details or circuit plans.
Those who prefer quartz watches believe that constant research and development have significantly improved the quartz movement and batteries are now fail safe and supposed to work for about 10 years. Cartier is an upmarket watchmaking company that supports quartz technologies and its quartz called 202P, represents an improved version of its initially developed quartz movements. It was used in the latest editions of such famous models as the Cartier Pasha, Santos, Panthere and Diabolo.
Rolex has developed a quartz watch, the gold Oysterquartz Day-Date Chronometer with bezel, dial and bracelet embellished with diamonds. Patek Philippe's Nautilus powered by quartz movements is also very upmarket and pricey watches. The Audemars Piquet Royal Oak Championship is a watch line limited just to 500 pieces that is available only in quartz.
However, some watch collectors are still puzzled by the question whether a quartz watch may last as long as a mechanical one.
It is obvious that quartz technology has a long way to go and the search for the perfect battery still continues. The mechanical watches will always be appreciated by watch collectors. True collectors love items for their beauty, function and history. The creating of a mechanical watch is an art form, from the development of the various mechanical parts to its assembly by gifted and experienced craftsmen. Many mechanical wristwatches reflect the reliability despite having been used for decades.
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