Kes Crockett, from the Watch Department at Fellows, has been giving his views on watch movements. Tell me about... Watch movements Inside every watch is a movement (caliber). This is the mechanism that moves the hands around the dial or operates the digital display showing us what time it is. 99% of the watches in our auctions will be classified as either mechanical or quartz. So what is the difference between the two and which one should you choose? Mechanical watches The first portable watches were made around 500 years ago after the invention of the mainspring. They have evolved over that time but the principles remain the same. These are mechanical watches that require the user to wind them up. There are three main winding methods that we see in our sales: 1) Key wind - Wound using a separate key. Seen in earlier pocket watches up to around the 1850s. 2) Manual wind - Wound by hand, turning a crown between your fingers. Seen in later pocket watches, vintage wrist watches and dress watches of all periods. 3) Automatic - Wound automatically during normal wear by the user. Seen in many wrist watches from the 1930s onwards. Quartz watches In the 1970’s quartz watches hit the market. These hi-tech, high accuracy alternatives threatened the survival of the mechanical watch and had the Swiss watch industry in serious trouble. Quartz watches do not need to be wound. They are powered by a small battery and use a synthetic crystal with clever piezoelectric properties to control the time keeping. The traditional balance assembly found in mechanical watches is nowhere to be seen, a circuit board being the most obvious feature once the case back is removed. So which is better, mechanical or quartz? Either can be an excellent choice with many people able to see the merits of both systems. Broadly speaking; If you appreciate craftsmanship and history, prefer a classic Ferrari to the latest Tesla and are happy to know the time to within a minute or so each week, then a mechanical watch might be right for you. If you care mostly about aesthetics, prefer to keep maintenance and servicing costs to minimum, enjoy technology rather than tradition and prize accuracy as the most important feature, then you might be advised to choose a quartz. Still not sure? There may be another option... If you like to be spied on, told when to eat breakfast, and worry about missing a text from Aunty Pat, you’ll be looking for a Smartwatch! You’re not alone. In fact, Apple now sell more watches than the entire Swiss watch industry. Wait, hang on, what are chronographs and chronometers? These are two terms that can cause confusion so let's try to clear things up. A chronograph is a watch that displays the current time but can also simultaneously track intervals of elapsed time. It is a watch with an additional stopwatch feature. They can often be recognised by additional pushers to the side of the case and the inclusion of the two or three subdials on the watch face. A chronometer is a very accurate watch which has passed strict independent testing in a controlled environment and been certified to say so. Only around 6% of watches exported from Switzerland are certified by COSC. For example, this Rolex. There is a lot of overlap, but in summary; - A chronograph may be mechanical or quartz. - A chronometer may be mechanical or quartz. - A chronograph may sometimes also be a chronometer. Hopefully, by reading this blog you’ve learned a little bit about watch movements. If you found it all a bit confusing then that’s probably my fault, but I do have one piece of advice: Do not google “Jaeger LeCoultre mecha-quartz”!