01335 216 004 Phones Open: 8:30am - 6:00pm
Cart Cart

What is a quartz watch movement?

A quartz watch is a timepiece that utilises a battery as its power source. It works by using an electronic oscillator to transmit an electric current through a piece of crystal quartz. This current vibrates at a high speed of around 3,768 times a second which is then released through a small stepping motor and converted into a single pulse every second. The consistent movement of the watch hands is a result of this pulse.

One of the most tell-tale signs that a watch is powered by a quartz movement is in the way the seconds hand moves. The hand on a quartz watch tends to have a more abrupt ticking motion compared to a mechanical movement which is usually smoother and sweeps across the dial.

Since quartz movement are generally easy to produce and consist of fewer parts, they are much cheaper to buy and easy to maintain. Many fashion and designer watch brands choose to use quartz movements to keep their prices lower.

Quartz movements are also considered to be the most accurate variation of watch movement with the average losing only 1-2 seconds per month.

Since there are so few components used within a quartz watch, they require very little maintenance and will only need the battery replacing every 2-3 years. We recommend having the movement cleaned out for optimal functionality every so often too.

You can explore our entire range of quartz watches here.

WhatsApp