Automatic vs. Quartz: The Difference That Actually Matters

It's one of the first questions anyone approaching a mechanical watch asks: automatic or quartz? The short answer is that neither is "better" in absolute terms, they're two different philosophies about what makes a good watch. Quartz wins decisively on accuracy and low maintenance. Automatic wins on character, longevity, and the story behind the movement. Below we explain how each works, where the real differences lie, and why, at Premiott, we chose to work exclusively with automatic movements.

How a quartz watch works

A quartz watch runs on a battery and a quartz crystal. The battery sends an electric current through the crystal, which vibrates at an extremely stable frequency, typically 32,768 vibrations per second. An electronic circuit counts these vibrations and converts the result into the movement of the second hand, once per second. It's an elegant solution precisely because of its simplicity: few parts, mature technology, low production cost.

The practical result: an ordinary quartz watch stays accurate to within a few seconds a month, needs no adjusting, winding, or daily wear to keep good time, and the only real maintenance is a battery change every few years.

How an automatic watch works

An automatic watch (also called "self-winding") has no battery. Inside, a metal rotor swings freely every time your wrist moves, and through this motion winds a mainspring. The spring releases its energy gradually, through a gear train and an escapement mechanism that "slices" time into regular impulses, hence the specific, slightly trembling motion of the second hand, quite different from the sharp "tick" of a quartz watch.

The energy stored in the spring is called the power reserve how long the watch keeps running after being taken off the wrist. In the Seiko NH35 movement, used on all Premiott models, the power reserve is roughly 41 hours. In practice, if you take it off Friday evening, it'll still be running on Saturday at noon.

The NH35 also has two useful features for setting the time: hacking (the second hand stops when you pull out the crown, so you can set the exact time) and hand-winding (you can turn the crown manually to wind the spring, useful if the watch has sat unworn for several days, instead of waiting for it to wind itself through motion).

Accuracy: where quartz clearly wins

No point dressing this up: quartz is objectively more accurate. An ordinary quartz watch drifts by a few seconds a month. A good mechanical automatic watch, like those fitted with the NH35, drifts by a few seconds a day, somewhere between -20 and +40 seconds, depending on position, temperature, and how consistently it's worn. That's roughly a 100:1 difference in quartz's favor.

For someone who wants the time to always be exactly right, without ever thinking about it, quartz remains the rational choice. We tell our customers the same thing, you don't buy an automatic watch for chronometer-level accuracy, but for something else.

Maintenance: different routines, not an absolute "better"

A quartz watch asks for almost nothing: change the battery every few years and that's it. An automatic asks for a bit more attention, but nothing complicated:

• Regular wear if you wear it daily, the rotor winds it on its own and you don't need to think about anything.
• Occasional setting if it sits unworn for a few days, it stops and needs to be restarted and set to the correct time.
• Periodic servicing a mechanical movement benefits, every few years, from an inspection and possibly a lubrication, like any part with moving components.

The advantage of a well-known, widely used movement like the NH35 is that it can be repaired and inspected by almost any watchmaker anywhere in the world, you're not dependent on a single workshop or hard-to-find parts. That's exactly why we offer a 24-month warranty on every watch assembled in our workshop in Cluj-Napoca.

Mechanical charm: why we choose automatic anyway

If accuracy and convenience were the only criteria, the discussion would end in quartz's favor. But an automatic watch offers something no chip can replicate: it's a miniature mechanical machine, running exclusively on the energy of your own motion. It has no battery to replace, doesn't depend on electronics, and through a sapphire caseback, like on all our models, you can watch the rotor swing every time you glance at your wrist.

It's a difference in experience, not pure utility: an automatic "lives" for as long as you wear it, has a direct physical link to you, and its small timing imperfections are part of the charm, not a flaw to hide.

Price: where each one lands

At mass-production scale, a quartz movement is generally cheaper to make than an automatic one, which is why most very affordable watches on the market run on quartz. An automatic movement like the NH35 has more components, requires manual assembly and regulation, and that's reflected in the price. The difference doesn't mean "better quality" in an absolute sense, it means a different category of product, with a different technical story behind it.

Who each one suits

A quartz watch makes sense if you want the time to always be exact, minimal maintenance, and you're not interested in the movement behind the dial, a reliable instrument, with no technical story attached.

An automatic watch makes sense if you like the idea of a mechanical machine worn daily, you accept a tolerance of a few seconds a day in exchange for a richer experience, and you want an object that can be repaired and worn for years, even decades, instead of replaced.

Why Premiott works exclusively with the Seiko NH35

We chose the Seiko NH35 for all our models, The Mariner The Just Date The Heritage and The LadyJust for a simple reason: it's a robust movement, easy to maintain, and repairable practically anywhere, not the most "accurate" on the market. We don't claim otherwise. Every watch has sapphire crystal on the dial and caseback, is assembled and regulated by hand in our workshop in Cluj-Napoca, and leaves us with a 24-month warranty. You can read more about the philosophy behind the workshop on the Cluj-Napoca workshop page, or about the scene of watches assembled in Romania in the Romanian watches guide.

If you want an extra layer of personalization, every model can receive a personalized engraving on the caseback, a message of up to 10 characters, with diacritics supported.

Frequently asked questions about automatic vs. quartz

Does an automatic watch "lose time" if I don't wear it for a few days?

Not exactly, if the power reserve runs out, the watch simply stops. It doesn't lose time, it just stands still, exactly where it ran out of energy. With the NH35, you have roughly 41 hours after you last wore it. When you pick it back up, you restart it and set it to the correct time in a few seconds, using the hacking function.

Is an automatic watch worth it if I'm not into watches?

It's worth it if you like the idea of a mechanical object worn daily, not just an instrument that tells the time. You don't need to be a collector to appreciate the difference, many of our customers get or choose their first automatic precisely as an everyday watch, not a display piece.

Can a Seiko NH35 be repaired anywhere?

Largely, yes. It's one of the most widely used automatic movements in the world, used by dozens of independent brands, so parts and expertise for it are easy to find at any serious watchmaker, not just the workshop that originally assembled it.

Conclusion

There's no single universally correct answer, only what matters more to you. If you want precision without compromise and zero worry, quartz clearly wins. If you want a watch with mechanical soul, one you wear, care for, and eventually pass on, an automatic like those with the NH35 is worth the difference. You can compare the available models and configurations directly in the configurator and choose the silhouette that suits you.