An Apology to Quartz

I was once a snob. I’d scoff at quartz thinking it was an “unworthy” or “lazy” attempt of a watch — yes, this sounds ridiculous to say, but I was young and naive!

It’s true though… I used to believe that only mechanical pieces — whether automatic or manual — were worthy of my time (no pun intended).

Now, don’t get me wrong, you’ll still see me pick a mechanical piece over quartz but this is just a personal preference and that doesn’t mean I don’t enjoy a quartz watch when I see one.

Over time my opinion on quartz has shifted and I now see this movement in a different light. Not as a lesser but as a movement with genuine equity in the world of watches.

I remember laying eyes on my grandparents Citizen Promaster AquaLand (pictured below) which they used to dive wrecks and reefs while living in Papua New Guinea. It was such an interesting piece.

Running my fingers over it’s battle worn case you could tell it’d seen a life far wilder than my imagination could portray. With the stories it held and the character it had developed through years of wear, that’s when I realised that this watch was far more than a cool looking quartz piece — it was a storyteller of the wearer. If you want to hear some of these stories let me know in the comments!

It was here which I decided that beyond movements, watches held stories that are yet to be told and as the old saying goes I learnt to “not judge a book by its cover”.

There’s a newly found respect and fresh realestate in my heart for quartz. Sure it may run on battery but hell, you’re never going to have to worry about a power reserve depleting on you — until it does…

Anyway, I may have once been a bit stuck up about such a topic but no more and for those out there that may dismiss this type of movement, I get it — that was me. But I’m asking for you to considering pulling your punches on our battery operated buddies. There’s more to them than just a movement, consider the stories they hold.

Cheers,

Will