Quartz vs automatic: which watch movement should you buy?

Every watch is powered one of three ways, and the choice shapes the price, the accuracy and what it costs to own.

Quartz

A battery drives a quartz crystal that oscillates at a fixed frequency; a circuit counts the oscillations and moves the hands. Accurate to a few seconds a month. Battery every two to five years, £5 to £15 to replace. Cheap to make, which is why most watches under £300 are quartz. Nothing to service.

Solar quartz

The same, but a cell under the dial charges a capacitor from light. No battery to change, ever. Citizen's Eco-Drive and Seiko's Solar lines. The best choice for a watch you want to wear and forget.

Automatic (mechanical)

A mainspring, wound by a rotor that swings as your wrist moves, drives a train of gears regulated by a balance wheel. No battery. Accurate to somewhere between a few seconds and half a minute a day depending on the movement and its adjustment. Needs a service every five to seven years at £100 to £300. Stops if you don't wear it for a couple of days.

Why anyone buys automatic

Because it's a machine, and machines are interesting. The sweep of the second hand, the visible movement through a display back, the fact that it runs on nothing but motion. It's the reason mechanical watches survived the quartz crisis. It isn't practical, and it doesn't claim to be.

Which to buy

Daily wear, accuracy, no maintenance: solar quartz. Want a mechanical watch without a mechanical price: Seiko 5 or Orient, both under £200 with proper in-house movements. Want a Swiss automatic: Tissot and Hamilton start around £500 and rarely discount, so buy when you need it.