Quartz Watches Even A Watch Snob Could Love

Six battery-powered watches that don't sacrifice craftsmanship.͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌   [STORIES]( [SHOP]( [SELL OR TRADE]( [LIMITED EDITIONS]( [Pre-Owned Picks]( [Pre-Owned Picks: Quartz Watches Even A Watch Snob Could Love]( [Quartz watch movements are cheaper to produce and are more accurate than their purely mechanical counterparts. So, why do we prefer to spend more on a less accurate technology that should have seen the same fate as the rotary phone? Because of an appreciation for the craftsmanship that goes into mechanical watchmaking, and all the springs and gears that magically divide the time of day into fractions of a second, and power a sweeping motion of a slim piece of metal that floats over the dial.]( [The love of craftsmanship should go deeper than the movement, though. A quartz watch can have as much attention to detail when it comes to the dial, case, and bracelet as even the highest horology watch. A quartz watch does have its place among us luddites. They don't need winding, so they're ready to go on a moment's notice. No need to fuss around trying to set the watch to the correct time, and you already know that the date wheel on the mechanical watch will never be accurate, unlike that trusty quartz.]( [BY MARK HACKMAN]( [READ THE SHOP JOURNAL]( FEATURED ON THIS WEEK'S PRE-OWNED PICKS [Image of Cartier Santos Dumont Large]( [Cartier Santos Dumont Large]( In-house mechanical movements are a recent development for Cartier, with the 1904 MC being released in 2010. In-house quartz movements on the other hand have been around since the early 1970s at Cartier. The Caliber 157 inside this Santos Dumont is designed and manufactured by Cartier. Though the movement is never meant to be seen by anyone other than a watchmaker, its finishing, which includes Geneva stripes, would put some basic mechanical movements to shame. [Cartier Tank Francaise Midsize]( Similar to the movement inside the Santos Dumont, the Caliber 175N is a Cartier quartz that gets the Geneva stripes treatment along with some basic finishing. It will never be mistaken for something worthy of a Geneva Seal, but considering the finishing is only for a watchmaker's appreciation, some respect should be given to Cartier for not cutting corners here. In fact, some producers of mechanical movements should take note of what Cartier does to its battery-powered calibers that no one will see, and do better for the mechanical movements featured via exhibition casebacks. [Image of Cartier Tank Francaise Midsize]( [Image of Breitling Chronospace Military]( [Breitling Chronospace Military]( Watches like this Chronospace Military, overbuilt to handle everything from jumping out of a plane to diving into a foxhole. The analog display gives you the time, while the digital side works as a perpetual calendar, 1/100 second chronograph, alarm, and second time zone. Most importantly, inside is a Breitling SuperQuartz 78, a thermo-compensated, COSC-certified movement that will be accurate to within 15 seconds a year. This means that if you are going to the desert or the arctic, the quartz inside will continue to be precise. [Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso Classique Quartz]( Two hands, two sides of the watch, solid gold, and $6,000 – what else do you need to know? JLC isn't one to let anyone else make its movements, and this goes for quartz too. The Caliber 657 is built for the Reverso line and its rectangle cases. Like the Cartiers on this list, the movement is not meant to be shown to the world, but is still given some basic finishing and nice stripes along the bridges. Some may feel snobbish about putting a quartz movement in such a classically designed watch, but they need to get over it. [Image of Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso Classique Quartz]( [Image of Grand Seiko Sport Quartz 9F Tough]( [Grand Seiko Sport Quartz 9F Tough]( No one does quartz like Grand Seiko. The brand was born from Seiko, which has always been at the forefront of quartz technology, even growing its own crystals to use inside its movements. Grand Seiko makes its own movement out of that crystal, and then finishes it like it would any of its mechanical movements. The battery is then placed in its own compartment away from the rest of the movement so that when the battery is changed no dust or debris will fall onto the gears. This is a quartz movement that is meant to be serviceable and last beyond the lifetime of the original owner. [Grand Seiko Heritage Quartz 44GS 55th Anniversary Limited Edition]( What can be better than a 9F quartz from Grand Seiko? A limited edition 9F quartz. These limited editions are marked by a five-pointed star near the bottom of the dial that represent the within-five-seconds-a-year accuracy that comes with these limited editions. The movement is also shown off through the exhibition caseback, a very rare thing for any watchmaker to do with a quartz watch. The dial itself, like all Grand Seikos, is no slouch. The mirror finish on the dial and hands reflects the baby-blue dial that is meant to invoke a cloudy sky. This watch is proof that quartz can be every bit about craftsmanship as a mechanical watch. [Image of Grand Seiko Heritage Quartz 44GS 55th Anniversary Limited Edition]( SAVE ON YOUR NEXT PRE-OWNED WATCH [Shop The President's Day Sale](   [Hodinkee](   [Discover incredible content, shop for your favorite watches, and join the community.](   [DOWNLOAD THE APP]( [Download On The App Store]( [Download on Google Play]( [Instagram]( [Facebook]( [Twitter]( [YouTube]( [Email](mailto:shopnews@hodinkee.com) Disclaimer: All items are subject to availability. Prices subject to change without notification. Applicable sales tax and shipping costs not included. Products and offers may be withdrawn at any time. 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