This guy gets paid to write this poorly written and unedited drivel, again I ask what the literal fuck. If digital is going to replace analog there will need to be the position of digital editor. Not just to correct grammar and spelling and shit (microsoft word can do that for you) but, for instance, tell you knock it off when it sounds like a teenager trying to make his/her essay sound like he/she read the fucking book.
From Your Digest
When buying a watch, is it better to buy Quartz or Mechanical?
Franz Rivoira
Franz Rivoira, Watch journalist at The Watchonomicon (FB – IG)
Answered Jan 30, 2018

This is a very good question.

And the answer lies in the reason why you want to buy a watch.

As others have stated, the quartz technology has deeply shaken the horology field, because quartzes are way cheaper, more resistant, and more rugged than mechanical watches.

But before immersing ourselves in that realm, let’s take a step back, and understand what the quartz technology truly means, from a historical point of view.

The quartzes debuted in 1969, when Seiko unveiled the Astron – the first commercial quartz watch in the world. The first Swiss quartz watch was the the Ebauches SA Beta 21, introduced in 1970. One of the first digital quartz watches was the Hamilton Pulsar, also in 1970.

The Pulsar, here, had the honor of being a James Bond watch (Live and let die).

From that moment, the momentum of the industry shifted towards the quartz watches, which were mostly used by Japanese and American companies. This was known as the “quartz crisis”, which had deep effects on the Swiss watchmaking industries. Out of 1.600 Swiss watch manufacturers in 1970, only 600 survived in 1983, when the Swatch – the revolutionary counterstrike of the traditional Swiss industry, an analogic quartz watch – was launched on the market with a resounding success.

Why did quartz watches get this enormous success? For a few different factors.

They are cheap to manufacture. Not in the beginning, of course, but later on, the difference was noticeable. Quartzes are cheap and easy to make, requiring few parts which are mostly industrially-assembled, and so they cost very little. The typical quartz movement that you find in a common fashion watch (say, a Fossil), costs around 10 USD to the public (on Ebay). The watch companies, which buy hundreds of thousands, can pay them as little as 1 USD o less.
They are extremely precise. And this means much more than an officially certified mechanical chronometer. The specs of a COSC-certified chronometer (COSC is Contrôle Officiel Suisse des Chronomètres, the Official Swiss Chronometer Testing Institute, which is the institute responsible for certifying the accuracy and precision of wristwatches in Switzerland) are that it has at least an accuracy of +6/-4 seconds per day. A very normal quartz watch can easily achieve an accuracy of around +6/-4 seconds per month.
They work endlessly with no maintenance and winding. Just plug in the battery and go. When the battery finishes, plug in another battery. No need to wind them or wear them,they are almost eternal. While mechanical watches need constant winding and a proper service (cleaning and oiling) every couple years or so, to work flawlessly.
They are extremely rugged. A quartz watch can withstand damages that a traditional mechanic watch cannot. So, they work in the hardest conditions and for the longest time possible. The Casio G-Shock series of watches are basically indestructible.
So, looking at all this, why would anyone buy and wear a traditional mechanical watch?

For one main reason.

Quartz watches have no soul, so they really cannot “connect” with you. When you wear a quartz watch, if you are a watch connoisseur, you do not really “feel” anything. But when you wear a traditional watch, you feel the weight of history.

What you see on top is a vintage watch – a Juvenia 15 jewel movement, a then quite famous luxury watch company. The watch, from the shape of its movement and the dial, probably dates from the 20s/30s. I have bought it used and non-working (very cheaply), then gave it to my master watchmaker – and he has resurrected it (as you can see here).

When you wear something like this on your wrist, you feel its 100 years of history. You imagine how many persons have worn that watch, in which situations, and how it came down finally in your possession.

I do not find the same fascinating sensation when wearing a quartz watch (and just to let you know, I have some). My Juvenia watch loses a few seconds per day? Not a big deal – I am not defusing a bomb, so no worries.

But for example, if you have to defuse a ticking bomb, then wearing a quartz watch would be definitely better.

So it is a question of charm or function. If you need more function, then a quartz watch would be better. If you want charm, then being a little late or early won’t be your first concern.

PS: I have talked just now with my master watchmaker about the Juvenia (he still has it in his lab). Actually, he told me that he has made some measurements, and the watch is a little bit late: about 30 seconds. Per month. 😉 )

As a note to my readers, apart from watches, I write mostly about furniture and design: so if you are interested in those fields, be sure to check my other answers and follow me. And a nice upvote is always welcome!