Quartz vs Mechanical

2012-08-10T05:17:00.001-07:00

The difference between Mechanical Watches and Quartz Watches

There are there are two main categories of watches: Mechanical and Quartz.

Mechanical - This is a more traditional variety and are the preferred movement for most big watch companies. They are driven by a mainspring that turns many gears as it unwinds, these gears transfer force to a balance wheel, causing it to move back and forth, taking the same amount of time for each swing and allows the watch’s gears to advance, giving the watch it’s ticking sound.The rotating hands attached to the gears then display the time on the dial of the watch. The rotor will move when the watch is in motion. Meaning, the watch will run off of the various motions or your wrist, as you go about your day. The easiest way to check for a mechanical movement is again in the second hand, which should move at least a few times a second. "Automatic" is also called "self-winding". Hand-wound watches are rarer but exist too.

Mechanical watches represent one of the oldest technologies created by man. First created in 1524, personal mechanical watches quickly became very popular among nobility and the wealthy throughout Western Europe, and watchmakers competed with one another to improve the accuracy of their timekeeping and their features. A mechanical watch today truly represents wearable art that embodies a refined elegance and sophistication almost tailored to the unique personality of its wearer.

Quartz - Most watches manufactured today are Quartz watches. The use a battery powered by a quartz crystal to create an extremely accurate measurement of time. First created in 1969 by Seiko, Quartz watches soon became the predominate form of watch available, as they are lightweight, cheap to manufacture and accurate.

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Wristwatch Terminology

2012-08-09T03:49:00.001-07:00

First, some basic watch vocabulary:

Band - The part of the watch which wraps around the wrist. Metal bands are called bracelets, leather, rubber or fabric bands are called straps.

Bezel - The band of metal that forms the ring around the dial, outside the crystal. This can either be stationary or rotating.

Case - The body that holds the movement (dial, hands, crystal and bezel).

Chronograph - A stopwatch complication.

Complication - A feature of a watch such as an alarm, date display or stopwatch.

Crown - A twisting mechanism or button usually on the side of the case. It is pulled out to allow the user to set the time/date or other features.

Crystal - The see through protective cover to the dial and hands. Can be Acrylic Glass which is often seen on vintage watches which can be easy to scratch. Sapphire Crystals are a more recent development and scratch-proof to all but diamonds. Mineral crystals are a cheaper compromise between the two.

Dial - The surface under the crystal that can display the hours, minutes and manufacturer. This is often referred to as the face.

Lugs - The parts that connecting from the case to the strap, which holds them in place.