If you've shopped for a watch, you've run into the two words that define how it keeps time: quartz and automatic. They're the two main types of movement (the engine inside a watch), and the difference shapes how accurate your watch is, how much upkeep it needs, and how it feels to own. Neither is "better" in every way — they're built for different priorities. Here's a clear, honest comparison to help you choose, and an explanation of why Clicöt builds with quartz.
The simple difference
- Quartz runs on a battery and a tiny vibrating quartz crystal that regulates time electronically. Think of it like a precise digital metronome. It's the technology in most watches sold today.
- Automatic is mechanical. A mainspring stores energy, and a rotor winds that spring automatically from the motion of your wrist. No battery — just gears, springs, and craftsmanship. Think of it like a tiny engine.
That core difference — electronic vs mechanical — drives everything below.
Accuracy
This one isn't close. A quartz watch is accurate to within about 15 seconds per month. A typical automatic runs +/- 5 to 15 seconds per day. Even the finest, most expensive automatics can't match the timekeeping of an inexpensive quartz. If you want to glance at your wrist and trust the time without thinking, quartz wins decisively.
Maintenance
Quartz is famously low-maintenance: no winding, and a battery change every one to two years is essentially all it needs. Leave it in a drawer for a month and it'll still be running and on time when you pick it up.
Automatic asks more of you. Worn daily, it stays wound; left unworn for a day or two, it stops and needs resetting (or a watch winder to keep it going). Mechanical movements also benefit from professional servicing every three to five years, which isn't cheap.
Cost
For the same build quality, quartz costs less — both up front and over its lifetime. Automatic movements involve far more parts and hand-assembly, which is reflected in the price and in servicing costs down the road.
Durability
With far fewer moving parts, quartz is generally more shock-resistant and less bothered by everyday knocks and magnetic fields. Automatics are more delicate by nature — beautiful, but more sensitive.
Craftsmanship and feel
This is where automatic earns its devotion. There's romance in a mechanism powered by your own motion, an heirloom you can pass down, a sweeping second hand and an exhibition caseback. Enthusiasts love automatics precisely because they're alive in a way quartz isn't. If a watch is a hobby and an object of fascination for you, that appeal is real.
At a glance
| Quartz | Automatic | |
|---|---|---|
| Accuracy | ~15 sec/month | ~5–15 sec/day |
| Power | Battery | Wrist motion |
| Maintenance | Battery every 1–2 yrs | Service every 3–5 yrs |
| Winding | Never | Daily wear or winder |
| Durability | Higher (fewer parts) | More delicate |
| Cost | Lower | Higher |
| Best for | Everyday accuracy & ease | Craftsmanship & collecting |
Which should you choose?
Ask what you want from the watch:
- You want something accurate, reliable, and ready whenever you are — that never needs winding and just works. → Quartz.
- You're a hobbyist drawn to mechanical craftsmanship and don't mind the upkeep or cost. → Automatic.
For most people who want a great watch for daily life rather than a collection to tinker with, quartz is the practical, sensible choice.
Why Clicöt chooses quartz
We build every Clicöt watch with a quality quartz movement — Japanese movements like Miyota and the Seiko/TMI family — and that's a deliberate decision, not a cost-cut.
Our watches are designed for the moments that change us: the milestones, the comebacks, the ordinary days that matter more than they seem. A watch built for life should be accurate, dependable, and ready exactly when you reach for it — not stopped because it sat in a drawer, not drifting minutes off, not waiting on a service appointment. Quartz lets a Clicöt do its real job: telling your story reliably, every single day, without asking anything of you in return.
It's the same philosophy behind everything we make. Precision you can trust. Meaning you can keep. And the freedom to simply put it on and go.
Ready to find yours? Browse the men's collection, the women's collection, or read more about the belief behind every piece.
Designed for everyday life, built to last. Explore all Clicöt watches →