It's About Time

It’s probably safe to say that four out of five wristwatch owners are missing out on the joys of owing a watch. Here, I would like to share some insights into the simple pleasures of owning a watch (or watches). It doesn’t matter if you own a RM15 Mickey Mouse watch that you bought from a kiosk at the local shopping mall or a RM150K two tone vintage gold Rolex that you inherited from a rich uncle. At some level, the pleasure (believe it or not) is going to be just about the same.

In this post, I’ll start with something horologists call movement (also known as calibre). To most of us, this what we would normally call the engine of the watch – the mechanism that makes it tick. I’ll be discussing the main types of movements and what they have to offer. Hopefully, this will help you appreciate your watch a bit better and enjoy the watch even more. Who knows? This might even help you make a more informed decision for when you buy your next watch. At the very least, with this information you might just be able to surprise your watch aficionado friends the next time the subject of watches crops up.

Quartz Watches

I’ll start with the more popular (as in ubiquitous) movement. Known as quartz movements, these probably accounts for over 90% of watches out there. In quartz watches, a battery of some sort is always involved. The battery powers the watch and helps the quartz regulate the accuracy of movement.

It all began when Seiko began making the first commercially viable quartz watches back in the early 70s. The Quartz Revolution (as it is called), took the world by storm and almost killed off the mechanical watch industry. Quartz movements are popular because they are cheap, accurate, and reliable. For example, a bog standard quartz watch might gain or lose maybe 20 seconds in an entire month. A reasonably good mechanical movement, on the other hand, might gain or lose that same amount of time in a single day. On top of that, a quartz watch will most likely cost only a fraction of the price of a mechanical watch.

Switzerland, Japan and China are the biggest makers of quartz movements. They produce these by the millions and supply them to watch companies the world over. As you might expect, watches powered by a Swiss movement will usually cost more than one powered by a Japanese quartz movement. Notable quartz movements are Ronda, ESA (both Swiss) and Miyota (Japan). The RM15 Mickey Mouse watch is probably going to be powered by a no-name Chinese movement. However, China-made quartz movements are currently making tremendous inroads into the entry-level and lower mid-tier quartz watch categories.

Mechanical Watches

Next, we’ll talk about mechanical movements. This is the historical and traditional way of making watches. A mechanical movement relies on energy supplied by winding a spring to power the watch. No batteries are involved. If you lay down all the parts of a mechanical movement on a table, they do absolutely nothing on their own. However, when assembled by a skilled craftsman, these parts magically come to life and move the hands of a watch with the precision the required in time-keeping. Mechanical movements will always involve the skill and experience of a craftsman. It is a science as well as an art. It always has been, it always will be. This is why watch collectors, enthusiasts and obsessives will almost always prefer a mechanical watch.

When discussing mechanical movements, there are two types we need to be to be aware of: the automatic and hand-winding. The automatic is one that harnesses the movement of your arm to power the watch. As long as the watch is in a state of motion, you are in effect, ‘charging’ the watch. This is why some call this a perpetual movement. However, leave it motionless on your desk for a few days and the watch will stop ticking. To start it again, just give the watch a few gentle shakes and it will come back to life.

By far, the most popular maker of automatic movements is ETA (owned by the Swatch group). ETA movements and modified ETA movements can be found in almost all Swiss brands. The Seiko-Epson group also produces movements that it supplies to other watch companies (for example to Tag Heuer). While still a relatively unknown, China-made mechanical movements (e.g. Tianjin Seagull) are also finding their way into some watch brands.

The thing about mechanical watches is that not all watch companies (and this is where it gets interesting) use movements mass produced by the likes of ETA or Seiko-Epson to power their watches. Some companies produce their own movements in-house. Frederique Constant and Orient are examples of watch-makers that offer in-house movements.

The hand-winding movement, on the other hand, requires energy supplied by hand-winding the crown to power the watch. Forget to wind-up the watch and you might find that it will stop ticking in the middle of your business day. Chances are these were the kind of watches our grandfathers had. I still have fond memories of my grandfather hand-winding his Rolex every morning. Today, the hand-winding movement (for some reason) is found only in higher-end modern mechanical watches. Of course, you will also find hand-winding movement in vintage (pre-1971) watches, but let’s not go there for now.

So What?

Knowing the various movements available allows us to appreciate our watches more. It also gives us an opportunity to make better informed choices in the future: making choices that go beyond the mere aesthetic appeal of a watch.

Do you prefer the clinical accuracy of a quartz watch? Yes, they are cheaper and more robust. But after 15 years or so, it’s likely you’re going to have to junk it: repairing it will cost more than buying a new one.

Or do you prefer the artistry, craftsmanship and romance behind a mechanical watch? Yes, they require a bit more maintenance and cost a bit more. But they also tend to last forever (when maintained well) and can be heirloom pieces to be enjoyed through generations.

In the end, the decision will largely depend on the kind of person you are and what you want in life. Quartz or mechanical? It doesn’t really matter. What does matter is that your choice in something as personal as a wristwatch ought to be as close an approximation as possible to who you are as a person.

This matters because the watch does not make the person; the person makes the watch.