It’s one of the first questions that a beginner in luxury watches asks, and it’s often the one that we hesitate to ask for fear of appearing ignorant. Yet the answer is simple, and understanding it radically changes the way we choose our watch. Here’s the clearest explanation possible, without unnecessary jargon.
The quartz watch: precise, simple, underrated
A quartz watch works thanks to a battery that makes a quartz crystal vibrate at a very precise frequency. This vibration regulates the display of the time.
What to remember: a quartz watch is extremely accurate (a few seconds per month deviation), requires almost no maintenance (just change the battery every 2-3 years), and is reliable in the long term.
In the luxury world, quartz has a bad reputation — unjustly. Manufacturers like Rolex (with its old Oysterquartz models) or Omega have produced high-quality quartz watches. But since the 1980s-1990s, quartz has become synonymous with "low-end" in the collective imagination, even though technically there is no valid reason for this reputation.
Easy recognition: the second hand of a quartz watch moves in jumps, one second at a time.
The manual mechanical watch: horology in its purest form
A manual mechanical watch has no battery. It works thanks to a spring — called a "barrel" — that you wind yourself by turning the crown (the small button on the side of the watch), usually every 1 to 3 days.
It is the oldest and most "pure" form of watchmaking. Each rotation of the crown compresses the spring, which gradually relaxes by releasing the energy that moves the hands. All this without any electricity.
The charm of a manual mechanical watch is this daily connection with your watch: the act of winding it, the feeling of participating in its operation. It is an experience that neither quartz nor automatic watches offer.
Disadvantage: if you forget to wind it, it stops. You also have to set it to the correct time each time.
The automatic watch: the best of both worlds
An automatic watch is a mechanical watch equipped with an automatic winding mechanism: a small rotor (a semi-circular piece) turns freely inside the watch thanks to your daily movements, and re-compresses the spring without you needing to do anything.
If you wear your watch regularly, it will never stop. If you do not wear it for several days, it will eventually stop and you will need to wind it manually before setting it to the correct time.
It is the movement used by the vast majority of modern luxury watches: Rolex, Patek Philippe, Audemars Piguet, Omega... All their main references are automatics.
Easy recognition: the second hand of an automatic or mechanical watch glides perfectly smoothly and continuously. There is an exception for watches featuring the "deadbeat second" complication, which resembles the movement of a quartz watch.
Why do mechanical watches cost so much?
A quality mechanical movement can contain between 100 and 400 miniature parts, hand-assembled with minuscule precision tolerances. Each component is manufactured, adjusted, and tested individually before assembly. It is a work of industrial craftsmanship of rare complexity.
By comparison, a basic quartz movement contains a handful of components and can be mass-produced for a few euros. That’s why luxury watches are mechanical or automatic — not because they are more precise (quartz wins hands down on that point), but because they are infinitely more complex, more beautiful to observe, and carry more artisanal value.
In practice: which movement to choose for a first purchase?
For a first luxury watch purchase, the automatic movement is the universal recommendation. Here’s why:
It requires no daily winding constraint if you wear it regularly. It is used by all the major brands on their most iconic references. It offers the pleasure of visible mechanics (some watches have a transparent back that shows the movement) without the burden of manual winding.
The manual mechanical watch is more of a choice for collectors who appreciate the ritual of winding and often have several watches in rotation. For a first purchase intended to be worn every day, the automatic is more practical.
What Répétition can advise you
At Répétition, we take the time to explain these details to our clients, whether they are beginners or seasoned collectors. Our selection of pre-owned luxury watches in Metz and in the Grand Est covers all the major automatic references — Rolex, Patek Philippe, Cartier, Omega.