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The following two questions came up in one of the vetti male-bonding sessions with couple of my buddies from undergrad college: (a) Why would I want a mechanical/automatic watch when quartz watches are more accurate? (b) What is the real reason(s) why mechanical versions — even of the same watch — are more expensive?

Playing the role of self-appointed guardian of automatic/mechanical watches within my tribe, I found myself unable to come up with convincing answers.  So I took it as an action item to find out what the expert opinion(s) is on this matter.  Below is what I found that was satisfying enough for me.  This Q&A is from the site Chronocentric.com and I quote it below as-is:

Why would I want a mechanical/automatic watch when quartz watches are more accurate?

Source: http://chronocentric.com/watches/buyersguide.shtml#whymechanical

“Simple. Quartz is clearly better on accuracy. But there are many other advantages and pleasures from wristwatch ownership beyond just measures of precision levels that are beyond the notice of many people.

Frankly, quartz watches and many other technologies don’t really do anything significant to better people’s lives. People with quartz watches are no more reliably on time than people with mechanical ones. People driving cars with manual or automatic transmissions still get where they are going equally well. People still enjoy music about as much as they used to, even though CDs play it more clearly that tape or LPs did. You are not likely to have any smarter thoughts simply because you wrote them down with a computer than with an ink pen. You can easily spend as much time playing golf or football on an accurate computer simulation game as on a real playing field, but the experience is not any more fulfilling at the end of the day. And you can certainly do a lap around the lake faster in a speedboat than in a rowboat, but what have you really accomplished?

The newer technologies often gain a level of efficiency that makes them… uninteresting. In many cases, the older ways and technologies were more than sufficient, and it is their minor failings that give variety and character to doing things that way. With the older ways, you usually have to be more aware of details, understand more of what you are doing, and take more time being involved in the process. That greater interaction makes the process more personal and enjoyable for some people.

With the newer ways, you can be pretty assured your quartz watch is on the right time, your car’s automatic transmission won’t miss downshift on the way home, your CD will play exactly the same as it did yesterday, your computer will catch and correct your typos and misspellings, your video game won’t stop in the middle because of rain or a player injured in a tackle, and you certainly won’t be bothered seeing much of the detail and wildlife on the lake at high speed from your motorboat. How boring.

Mechanical watch enthusiasts often compare the movements, the finishing, the level of adjustment, types of certifications, performance under different circumstances and other esoteric measures of mechanical timepieces.

Quartz watch enthusiasts compare… mostly accuracy measures.

So if efficiency is your main desire, then quartz is for you. If you are tired of efficiency and want something interesting instead, try a mechanical watch.”

For more information on accuracy, see http://chronocentric.com/watches/accuracy.shtml

In adding my own 2c to the above, a benefit that is not mentioned in the Chronocentric answer is the freedom from battery cells. Seen more from an End-Of-Life (EOL) perspective than a Total-Cost-of-Ownership (TCO) one. It is very likely that you may not find battery of a certain type for a quartz watch purchased in the early 80′s (or 90′s) assuming you remembered to remove its (dead) cell on time and that it has not leaked inside (all contrary claims by battery manufacturers aside, I still encounter cases of cell leakage inside the watch when battery not removed on time). Chances of a Quartz watch becoming obsolete within our own life time are an order of magnitude higher than that of a mechanical watch.

If you are a sentimental fool like me, you might still be able to restore and enjoy a mechanical watch from the 60′s, as I did an old Seiko 5 Automatic that was in the family. It has been running GREAT the last 5 years now. So I would go as far as saying if you are looking for a “real and lasting relationship” with your wrist watch or an heirloom (in working condition) to be passed on to the next generation then go for a mechanical timepiece! Doesn’t need to be a Patek Philippe, even Seikos will go the distance as I can attest.

What is the real reason(s) why mechanical versions — even of the same watch — are more expensive?

Source: http://chronocentric.com/watches/buyersguide.shtml#qtzvmech

“You will often find mechanical and automatic watches at a significantly higher price than a comparable quartz model. In some cases, a manufacturer will even offer the identical watch with your choice of a mechanical or quartz movement. The mechanical watch will be more expensive. Some people will tell you it is because the mechanical movements are highly refined, others that mechanical movements are very expensive and quartz very inexpensive. Most of that is baloney or exaggerations. Here are the real reasons why.

1. Cost to Manufacture: The high quality quartz movements used in better luxury watches are slightly cheaper to make than their mechanical counterparts, though the difference is not that great. Keep in mind that cost of the movement in most luxury watches accounts for only a small portion of the final retail price — less than 5%.
2. Warranty Service: Since there is almost nothing to go wrong with a quartz movement, warranty claims for quartz watches are very small. Mechanical movements are more likely to incur an in-warranty service, so that cost is factored into the price.
3. Distribution: Mechanical movement watches are sold in much smaller quantities, so have less economies of scale in the distribution system. While collectors and enthusiasts often prefer mechanical watches, the general public still predominantly buys quartz. So mechanical watches do not turn over in inventory as fast as quartz, causing the manufacturer and dealers to have a somewhat slower return on their investment in stocking them.
4. Exclusivity: As with virtually all jewelry — and don’t kid yourself, any wristwatch over US $200 is mainly jewelry — there are premiums you pay for certain above average features. Precious metals, synthetic sapphire crystals, mechanical movements, advanced timekeeping modes (complications) and precious stones all are at significant premiums over their mere cost.”

Here’s another perspective on the Mechanical/Automatic vs. Quartz debate: http://www.timecafe.com/Mechanical_Quartz.htm

Image: IWC Portuguese ChronoAutomatic Steel Blue Mens Watch IW371417 on Amazon.com

Tags: Automatic Watches, Chronocentric, Mechanical Watches, Quartz Watches, Watches

This entry was posted on Sunday, September 27th, 2009 at 7:02 pm and is filed under Vetti Peichu. You can follow any comments to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a comment, or trackback from your own site.