Will Quartz ever make a big comeback in the industry?

I’m actually waiting for atomic timekeeping within a wristwatch. Accuracy within a nanosecond a year sounds pretty cool 😁😉

It would like to eventually see GS Spring Drive "like" movements with super smooth sweeping seconds simplified, made more available and for lower costs. I think we will get there eventually.

I think only watch enthusiasts care about a smooth-sweep seconds hand. The rest of the world couldn't care less. So, companies will keep producing cheap yet reliable quartz movements. Hands down, it still beats 99% of mechanical movements worldwide in terms of accuracy. This is undisputed.

Nowadays though, I've noticed a growing trend where the cheap clocks being sold use quartz movements with smooth-sweep seconds hand. It's cool. But still, regular consumers won't even notice it, or won't mind whether it ticks once or sweeps. So long as the clock works (which they know it will since it's quartz), is generally cheap, and the batteries last long, they are satisfied.

So, quartz never needs a comeback. It never left and never will.

Quartz isn't struggling in the industry. It is the vast majority of watches sold. Even in our weird little group of enthusiasts, most of us have at least one quartz watch. G-shocks, calculator watches, swatches. I personally have two high end luxury quartz and would gladly buy more.

This is from Hodinkee

I'm really not fussed about the smooth sweep folks seem to get excited about. Honestly, GS do absolutely nothing for me.

I'm a fan of both technologies, see them as different ways of doing the same job, like a petrol powered bike and electric bike ( ok, bad analogy as everyone hates electric motorcycles, but you get the idea)

Prefer automatic, but my collection is 50/50 & I love the convenience, toughness and accuracy of quartz.

Im not really a fan of a quartz pretending to be a mechanical, but to each their own 😉👍🏻

Yes if the movements are decorated and serviceable.

I love my GS quartz watch, and am already thinking getting a second (the baby snowflake).

I recently purchased a quartz Seiko clock and the second hand sweeps beautifully. I wish they’d make it standard in all their watches 🤔

Yep Still dont care, matter if a fact why even need the seconds hand, only tells me how off the damn automatic is in relation to the quartz

I think Quartz has its place, first responders, military, etc where a mechanical watch might fail and will be too expensive to replace. The other market for Quartz is kids, sports, etc but that market is kinda dominated atm by Apple, Garmin. I don't get why brands like PP still make quartz watches, it has no place in the luxury market. FPJourne makes a quartz called Elegante and that at least has a novelty that watch goes to sleep and wakes up with the correct time.

I have a number of quartz movement watches: a Swatch, at least 4 Seiko Solar models, 2 G Shocks, a GS 9F and a Bulova 262Khz.

I am of the opinion that when Citizen finally marry eco-drive with the 262khz smooth sweep movement, they will have a real industry-killer on their hands.

Quartz watches account for over 70% of the market share.

I think the better question is, "will mechanical watches ever make a big comeback?"

Most watches sold are quartz, because quartz is better for most people.

Luxury brands would be a bit daft to ignore the wants of most buyers.

Agreed, quartz movements are the bread and butter of offerings targeted at the average consumers. There are of course freaks like watch collectors who keep an anachronism alive.

To echo other opinions:

Comeback??

I wish CITIZEN would revive cosmotron line up but with eco drive power.

gotcha. and people should enjoy watches and all the watches . for whatever reason it speaks to you . a smooth sweep would definitly improve the odds with most hobbyist to peak their interest . I have a couple of very nice quartz watches ( Frédérique constant , Beaume Mercier for example to name a couple ) and I absolutely love them . So i’m not trying to look down at the quartz fan . all emotions aside, a quartz watch comes down to liking esthetics( high end ) and MAYBE it’s complications ( entry price ) . It really has nothing to do with the watch in its “ essence “ or in the sense we , as hobbyist , usually mean it to describe mechanical ones . And that’s perfectly fine and not say it’s any less legitimate . My point is people vibe on watches for different reasons , and the more people get into watches , the less it can be only about esthetics . The depth or passion ( i think ) comes from the mechanical side. Watch fans who get interested by the esthetics of watches purely will always benefit from quartz watches as there is no reason for them to spend more money for an aspect they don’t care about and i think that’s great because it allows people to enjoy the hobby and not pay “ a mechanical tax “ . That said I still think most people get into watches primarily for the engine or the heart behind the esthetics . The exterior is just a nice way to dress it up ;). happy to hear others opinion , maybe i’m out of it . very possible aamof

we’re staying the same thing about the 9F . though not a critic it just is what it is , it’s high end . And I have seen the VH31 now and then mentionned but I doubt it actually delivers on the Sweep aspect . That said may be a very good movement i have no idea

also , and that’s a personal pet peeve , I can’t be bothered to even look at bulova ( few vintage exceptions excluded obviously ) until they are either revamped or sold . Though I hear the new direction is taKing them the right way , I find that brand as irrelevant today as Casio copies 😅 that was my rant as were on the topic

need the 30K$ client as well as the 50k$ ones …. simple ;)

Hahaha thats alright! As a previous poster mentioned, Bulova can be very polarizing. I love their reissues tbh but I hate how the brand gets mostly lumped up with its mall watch category. Lately ive been looking at vintage claravelle(Bulova subsidiary) sea hunter devil divers. Great looking skin divers!

I wish Bulova did a skindiver reissue aside from the devil diver ones.

Check them out. It looks like a good compromise for now aside from the bulova smooth sweep quartz. Yeah the 9F is what it is, homemade quartz and all 😁.

just to be clear I do appreciate some quartz , (see my most recent post on my wrist and a few past ones as well ) My Mecaquartz still ranks very respectably and proudly on my love list among arguably much heavier hittters …

Well said mate. You’re right about paying the mechanical tax especially. I actually am part of that aesthetic appeal crowd tbh. In a movement I value longevity, reliability, and ease of service over complications. I guess it comes from my own experience with the camping and 4wd scene where simpler is better 😅. I’m relatively new to the watch scene so maybe it’ll change the longer and deeper down this hobby I go.

there’s so many out there you should have unlimited choice for a lifetime of cool designs ! :) while most quartz will have longetivity and ease of care they will rarely get serviced as they are usually worth just replacing.( except high end ones i.e 9f ) For that reason , if I can make a unsolicited suggestion , i would buy seiko’s , citizens and the likes , likely to offer widely available parts . And avoid micro brands quartz offering You ll avoid paying to service a cheap movement for redonkulous money 10 years from now . On the flip side , micro brands usually offer affordable and built-to-last workhorses (i.e Seiko NH35 or ETA ) at a very affordable price .Last forever and easily serviceable . So it’s a good way to rip your toe without too much risk . But the ones offering quartz maybe expensive to service down the road or even replace should the need arise , Relatively speaking . Quartz for Big Brands and Mechanical workhorses in Micros. Maybe some will disagree

This is a bit like asking: will cd's ever make a comeback over vinyl?

A come back ? They are already there, I dont see why they would dissapear. Yes, "we" watch nerds prefer mecanical over quartz, but we enjoy both.

Still enormous though

I don't know that I would call 42 "enormous". The Accutron II moonviews are super comfortable to wear and are pretty thin as well.

Quartz is doing just fine. There is nowhere it needs to come back from.

"As a rule, I tend to prefer mechanics to to quartz for all the wrong romantic logic." -Erik Gustafson