Quartz is treated as the compromise choice and it is nothing of the kind. It keeps far better time than any mechanical watch, costs almost nothing to run, and at the same price buys a better crystal and a better bracelet because the movement is cheap.
What it asks in return is a battery every few years. That is the whole trade, and for most people it is a good one.
Why quartz keeps better time
A mechanical watch counts the swings of a metal wheel, which is affected by gravity, temperature, magnetism and how wound it is. A quartz watch counts the vibrations of a crystal cut to oscillate 32,768 times a second.
The crystal is far more stable and far less bothered by the world around it, which is why an inexpensive quartz watch out-keeps almost any mechanical watch at any price.
The same principle, refined enormously, underlies national time standards — the National Physical Laboratory’s work on time describes what precision looks like at the top of that scale.
None of this makes quartz better in every way. It makes the accuracy argument settled, so it can stop being the reason people choose mechanical.
The three kinds of quartz
| Type | Typical accuracy | Upkeep | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard battery | About 15 seconds a month | Battery every 2–5 years | Most people, most of the time |
| Solar | About 15 seconds a month | Cell replaced after a decade or more | Watches worn in daylight |
| Radio-controlled | Effectively never wrong | Needs signal coverage | People who want it exactly right |
| Thermocompensated | About 10 seconds a year | Battery, less often | Anyone who finds a month’s drift annoying |
Solar deserves particular attention for a first watch, because it removes battery changes and therefore case openings — and every case opening is a chance for the water resistance to be quietly lost.
What to look for in a first quartz watch
Since the movement is inexpensive, judge a quartz watch on everything else.
Sapphire crystal should be the expectation rather than the upgrade at any reasonable price, because the movement has not eaten the budget.
A solid bracelet with screwed links, or at least a decent strap, is the second thing to check. The entry-level guide sets out what each price band should be delivering.
And an end-of-life indicator is worth having: the seconds hand jumping in four-second steps tells you the battery is nearly flat before it dies and leaks.
Features that matter in a first quartz watch
Three practical points that only become obvious after ownership.
Ask who changes the battery and whether they replace the gaskets and pressure-test afterwards. A battery change without new seals is the most common reason a watch stops being water-resistant.
Check the seconds hand lands on the markers. It is a small quality signal: a well-assembled quartz watch is aligned, and a badly assembled one visibly is not.
And check the hands are legible, because quartz watches are often thin and the temptation to use very slim hands is strong — the everyday watch guide covers why legibility matters more than it sounds.
A first quartz watch buying guide for beginners
- Decide battery, solar or radio-controlled based on how the watch will live.
- Expect sapphire, and treat mineral as a compromise you are choosing.
- Check the bracelet or strap quality, since the budget went there.
- Check water resistance and crown type.
- Ask about the battery-change procedure before you need one.
That sequence produces a watch that will be right to within a few seconds a month for five years and cost almost nothing in that time.
Mistakes to avoid when buying a first quartz watch
The commonest is apologising for it. Quartz is not a lesser category, and a good quartz watch is a better everyday proposition than a mediocre mechanical one.
The second is leaving a dead battery in the case. A cell left to die can vent and corrode the movement, and on a modest watch that damage is often not worth repairing.
The third is assuming a thin case means low water resistance is acceptable. It usually does mean low water resistance, but that is a reason to check rather than to accept.
And the fourth is buying a fashion quartz watch with a plated case, which will show base metal at the lug edges within a couple of years — the materials guide explains why.
What the archive shows about quartz
This site preserves a complete retail catalogue from 2006 and 2007, and it is a useful corrective to the idea that mechanical is the default.
Quartz dominates it. Solar, atomic timekeeping and ordinary battery movements run right across the affordable end, while automatics cluster in the more expensive listings.
For most of the buying public, for most of the last fifty years, quartz was simply what a watch was. You can see the pattern maker by maker in the brand index, or filter by movement in the watch finder.
It is worth knowing before paying a premium for a mechanical watch on the assumption that it is the more serious choice.
Living with a quartz watch
Almost nothing, which is the point.
Change the battery when the seconds hand starts jumping in fours rather than waiting for it to stop. Have the gaskets replaced at the same time.
Keep it out of hot showers and saunas, where the case and seals expand at different rates — the water resistance guide covers why the rating does not help there.
And if it becomes erratic rather than steadily a little fast, replace the battery first. It is cheap and it eliminates the most likely cause.
Is quartz the right first watch?
For most first-time buyers it is, and the reasons are practical rather than sentimental.
A first watch is usually worn irregularly while its owner works out what they want from it. Quartz tolerates that perfectly: it is correct when you pick it up, whether that was yesterday or in March.
It also frees the budget. With the movement costing very little, the same money buys sapphire, a solid bracelet and a properly sealed case — the parts you touch and look at every day. The buying guides hub covers how that trade-off shifts as budgets rise.
And it removes the two things that most often disappoint a first mechanical owner: a watch found stopped, and a watch that has quietly drifted a minute over a fortnight.
The case against is a fair one. A quartz watch is a sealed component rather than a repairable machine, and in thirty years its movement will be replaced rather than restored.
That is a real difference, and it is the reason people move to mechanical watches later. It is a poor reason to skip quartz at the start, when the question is still what you want a watch for.
Frequently asked questions
Is a quartz watch a good first watch?
Yes, and often the better one. It is far more accurate, costs almost nothing to run, and at the same price buys a better crystal and bracelet because the movement is inexpensive.
How long does a watch battery last?
Two to five years for most movements. Many warn you first by moving the seconds hand in four-second steps, which means change it now rather than waiting for it to stop and risk a leak.
Is solar better than a standard battery?
For long-term water resistance, yes, because the case is opened far less often. The rechargeable cell is still a consumable, but it typically lasts a decade or more rather than a few years.
Why does my quartz watch need new gaskets after a battery change?
Because opening the case disturbs the seal. Gaskets perish with age anyway, and refitting an old one is how a watch that was water-resistant last week is not this week.
Buy quartz without apology, spend the saved money on the crystal and the bracelet, and have the gaskets replaced whenever the case is opened. That is a watch that will simply be right for years.