luxury watch movements:
mechanical vs quartz
While there are many variations, styles and types of luxury watches, the movement inside every watch is responsible for driving all timekeeping functions. A watch wouldn't be able to carry out its core function of keeping accurate time day-in, day-out without a working movement.
Different movements have been used for as long as watches have existed. And whether a manufacturer sources movements from other watch companies, or develops its own exclusively in-house, as the engine that powers the watch, the movement is often considered to be the heart and soul of the piece.
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As watch movements have evolved and developed, the processes and practises involved have changed too. From the mechanical manual wind watch movements found in many vintage luxury watches, to automatic movements in highly sought after models, and modern-day quartz watch movements, knowing the distinction between each can help you source the right luxury watch for you.
Let’s take a look at the three main types of watch movement in more detail.
Manual
Watch Movements
When you think of old-fashioned watches and even pocket watches, you're likely thinking of a watch that has a mechanical or manual movement. Dating all the way back to the 1700s, mechanical movement may seem like something from the distant past.
Still, luxury watchmakers continue to make timepieces with traditional, manual wind mechanical movements to this day. Omega and Patek Philippe are both examples of classic watchmakers that continue to see the beauty and old-school charm of manual watch movements. Omega continues to offer a beautiful manual chronograph movement in its Speedmaster Professional, for example, while Patek uses an expertly engineered and exquisitely finished manual movement in its Calatrava range, among others.
The reason that this type of movement is known as a 'manual' is down to the extra work you'll need to put in to keep the watch wound. This functionality means you'll be winding your luxury watch via the crown, usually each day, to store enough kinetic energy within the mainspring to keep everything ticking over.
Winding a manual watch is something that many collectors enjoy; it provides a way to connect with the piece through a regular morning or evening ritual, and is a reminder that the watch is a completely mechanical device. A lot of manual watches also feature exhibition casebacks, allowing you to observe the miniature masterpiece that is the movement within.
Manual movements are often also able to be made thinner than other types, such as automatic movements, which makes them a great choice for slim and elegant pieces.
If you're interested in collecting watches on the vintage end of the scale, you'll undoubtedly come across plenty of mechanical options that require a little extra upkeep for functionality, but that are packed with real charm and personality.
Automatic Watch Movements
Automatic watch movements are in essence very similar to manual movements. They are another type of mechanical movement, with the main difference being that they are able to be wound automatically as they are worn, rather than needing to be wound using the crown (although most can be wound using the crown as well).
Automatic movements include an internal rotor that rotates each time the wearer moves their wrist during the day. These small movements in turn wind the mainspring of the watch, which is the part of the mechanism that provides the energy for the watch to work.
Also known as a self-winding movement, this provides a greater degree of flexibility and means that daily manual winding of the watch, to wind the mainspring, is not required. Brands including Rolex, Zenith and Tag Heuer have a long history of watches designed with automatic watch movement in mind, delivering excellent accuracy without the hassle of continual winding.
Fully wound automatic watches usually have a power reserve of around one to two days. If the watch is worn every day and taken off while its owner sleeps, the watch will have enough stored energy to keep moving and maintain accurate time until it is put back on again the next day.
For collectors who may regularly rotate through a number of watches, it’s likely that an automatic watch would have run out of stored energy, and need to be reset and wound if it is not worn at least each or every other day. However, with advancements in movement technologies, power reserves have been gradually increasing over the years. The latest Rolex Submariner, for example, has a power reserve of 70 hours when fully wound. There are models available from the likes of IWC, Panerai and Hublot with significantly longer power reserve times, meaning they’ll continue to work even if left unworn for a week or more.
Practically speaking, there's a very minimal difference between manual and automatic movement for modern collectors with multiple luxury watches to choose from. If you prefer to switch up your watches daily, you'll likely still need to spend time winding them before wear. However if you plan to wear the same watch on a regular basis, an automatic adds a little extra convenience when compared to a manual watch.
Quartz
Watch Movements
Quartz movement watches first grew in popularity in the 1960s and continue to be used for watches of all types to this day. The first quartz movements were developed by Seiko of Japan, and were initially very expensive.
As demand grew and production costs fell, watches with quartz movements were able to be produced much more cheaply. The availability of relatively cheap, reliable and accurate movements during the 1970s led to the so-called ‘quartz crisis’, a period in which traditional Swiss manufacturers of mechanical watches saw their sales significantly eroded due to the preference for quartz movements amongst the watch buying public.
If you've ever owned a watch that has a battery inside, then you have already seen quartz movement in action. Thanks to the addition of battery power, there's no need for your watch to be on your wrist to maintain movement, leading to excellent accuracy.
Quartz movements utilise battery power transferred to a quartz crystal within the circuit, causing a vibration that keeps movement stable for days, months, and years.
While the majority of manual and automatic watches feature a second hand that sweeps around the dial, most quartz watches feature a second hand that moves once each second. An easy way to spot a quartz watch therefore is to look for a second hand that ticks rather than sweeps.
The flexibility and functionality of the quartz movement make it ideal for watch collectors who want to pick up and put down watches as and when. No winding is required. With minimal upkeep, the most you'll need to do is change out your battery every few years to ensure everything continues to work.
As of 2015, around 97% of new watches produced use quartz movement. While certain collectors prefer to focus on completely mechanical watches, because of the greater time and effort required to produce these movements, many of the world's biggest luxury watchmakers from Patek Philippe and Audemars Piguet to Omega and Breitling utilise high-end Swiss quartz movements in some of their pieces.
Quartz offers a pick-up-and-use functionality that perfectly suits watch collectors that enjoy switching up their pieces day to day, and is well suited to those who want a convenient, low maintenance and highly accurate piece.
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