Every watch is powered by a mechanism called a movement. There are many types of movements, one of which is quite common: quartz. So, what is quartz movement? 

To better understand this type of movement, let’s take a look at a detailed explanation in this article.

What is a Quartz Movement?

Quartz movement is a technology in watches that uses a quartz crystal to maintain accurate time. This crystal vibrates steadily when powered by electricity from a battery, generating electrical pulses that drive a motor to move the watch hands.

Compared to mechanical movements, quartz movements are considered more practical and affordable. Its main characteristic is the second hand, which jumps every second, unlike the smooth motion seen in mechanical watches.

Moreover, quartz watches use a battery as a power source, which usually means there is a back cover that makes battery replacement easier.

Read more: Understanding the Differences Between Luxury Watch Movements

Advantages of a Quartz Movement 

Watches that use quartz movement have a number of distinct advantages. Here are some of these benefits:

1. High accuracy

One of the main advantages of quartz watches is their very high accuracy in keeping time. This is due to the quartz crystal that vibrates at a stable frequency when powered by electricity from the battery.

This vibration occurs 32,768 times per second, producing a highly consistent and precise electrical pulse. This pulse then regulates the motor’s movement within the watch, ensuring that the hands move with accurate rhythm.

This shows that quartz movement is different from mechanical watches, which can be affected by factors like gravity, wear on components, or the position of the watch.

2. More affordable

One of the advantages that makes quartz watches so popular is their lower price compared to mechanical watches. This is because quartz technology is simpler and more efficient to mass-produce.

A quartz movement doesn’t require complicated mechanical components like gears, escapements, or mainsprings, which lowers production costs.

However, even though they are more affordable, the quality of quartz watches is still excellent, and they are widely used by renowned watch brands.

3. More durable

Quartz technology uses simple but highly efficient electronic components, with fewer moving parts compared to mechanical watches. This reduces the risk of damage from mechanical wear.

As a result, watches with quartz movements tend to be more durable. Additionally, because quartz watches do not require lubrication like mechanical watches, their maintenance is much easier.

Read more: Keep Your Watch Shining: Important Polishing Tips

4. Low maintenance

One of the main advantages of quartz watches is their ease of maintenance, as they do not require routine servicing like mechanical watches.

A quartz movement works with the help of a battery and quartz crystal, making it structurally simpler compared to mechanical movements, which have many moving parts.

Since there are no gears that need to be lubricated or adjusted, users only need to replace the battery every few years to ensure the watch continues functioning well.

Types of Quartz Movements

Quartz watch movements come in several types. What are some examples of quartz movement types? Here’s a list:

1. Conventional

This is the most common and simplest type of quartz movement. It uses a quartz crystal powered by energy from the battery.

The vibrations of the quartz crystal generate electrical pulses that move the motor to rotate the watch hands. This type is very accurate, easy to maintain, and requires battery replacement every 1-3 years, depending on usage.

2. Solar

Solar quartz watches use light energy as a power source. A small solar panel on the dial captures both natural and artificial light, converting it into electrical energy, which is then stored in a rechargeable battery.

This technology is environmentally friendly because it reduces the need for frequent battery replacements.

Additionally, these watches can continue running without direct exposure to light for several months, depending on the battery capacity. Examples include Citizen Eco-Drive and Seiko Solar.

3. Kinetic

This type is a combination of mechanical and quartz technology. A kinetic watch uses the movement of the wrist to drive a rotor inside, which generates electricity to charge a rechargeable battery that powers the quartz movement.

The advantage is that there is no need for battery replacements, and as long as the watch is worn, its power will continue to recharge. This is a unique technology found in several Seiko models.

4. Atomic and satellite

Both atomic and satellite quartz movements use advanced technology to ensure nearly perfect time accuracy, though they approach it slightly differently.

Watches with atomic quartz synchronize themselves with time signals from radio transmitters that send standard time information, such as from atomic clocks in Germany or the USA.

This allows the watch to automatically update the time and maintain extremely high accuracy, with almost no error.

Meanwhile, satellite quartz movements use GPS signals from satellites to adjust time, providing high accuracy wherever the user is in the world.

These watches can automatically adjust to the correct time zone based on the user’s location, without relying on radio signals or terrestrial power sources.

From the explanation of what quartz movement is and its advantages, it can be concluded that quartz watches have their own unique appeal.

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