Making a Case for Collecting Quartz - Part 2
In Part I of “Making a Case for Collecting Quartz” (February 2023 WatchTime), we focused on how this then innovative technology came to life and the pioneers that contributed to this. These were exciting and challenging times that would mean significant changes in the watch industry as a whole and those in Switzerland especially. The unique thing about this situation is that the superior new technology didn’t take over the entire market. Eventually, it seemed to go that way, but in an exciting plot twist, the quartz technology also brought renewed appreciation for mechanical movements.
After the dust settled from the ‘Quartz Crisis,’ this resulted in, for many brands, a new status quo. They continued to make mechanical watches but also offered models with quartz movements. For consumers, this was great news, as they could pick whatever suited their needs best. Quartz movements offered reliability and precision appropriate to that of a high-end brand, without having to deal with the challenges that mechanical watches have. Old-school aficionados could, at their turn, still opt for a mechanical timepiece that needed more care and attention to keep running, all with a charm of its own.
When is Quartz Collectible?
While it is obvious that some of the pioneers are collectible watches, the water gets a bit muddy in the decades after. First, it is essential to point out that collectability has little to do with value, if anything at all. Quartz watches are not at the top of the highest earners at auction houses, but if we compare this to cars, neither are the VW Beetle or Citroën 2CV. Collectability is more about offering something special and appealing, with a story worth telling.
This is also where things start to differentiate when it comes to quartz watches and their various degrees of collectability. It is not a right or wrong question, as it is still the collector who decides what to collect, but some brands and/or models are simply positioned in such a way that they are worth mentioning here.
F.P. Journe and the Unexpected Gem
It was quite astonishing to see François-Paul Journe launch a quartz watch. As a master watchmaker, he played an essential role in the renaissance of mechanical timepieces, often pushing the boundaries of what was technically possible further away. His approach to quartz came in a similar mindset, as both from an aesthetical and technical point of view the Elégante, as he called this model, is exceptional.
He opted for a tortue-shaped case, reminiscent of the tortoiseshell, hence the name. This was already an interesting choice, as previously, F.P. Journe used similarly shaped cases for its Vagabondage collection, which came with unusual mechanical movements and time displays. For the Elégante the look is slightly more traditional, featuring a regular-style dial with Arabic numerals and a subdial at 6 o'clock for the seconds. Right next to it is a little cut-out where you can see something that looks like a small oscillating weight. It is, in fact, a motion detector. Once it detects no motion for 35 minutes, it freezes the hands while the microprocessor continues to keep the correct time. Once motion is detected again, the watch sets itself, and off you go. When worn daily, the Elégante has a battery life of about eight years but can extend this in power-saving mode to 18.
Another progressive feature you wouldn’t expect from an F.P. Journe is that the dial is actually made of Super-LumiNova, giving quite a spectacular effect in low-light conditions. For the rest, the Elégante is finished in the same way as its mechanical counterparts. F.P. Journe even fitted the quartz movement with pink-gold bridges, a signature feature of the brand. The Elégante is available in 40 mm and 48 mm, both featuring a case made of titanium and fitted with rubber straps. This extends the wearing comfort and gives an additional sportive touch to this quartz watch. The Elégante, first and foremost, shows that not all quartz watches are created equal, and that even this technology has a place in haute horlogerie when approached in a similar fashion as its mechanical siblings.
Grand Seiko’s Quest for Understated Excellence
One of the first and most commonly made assumptions about quartz movements is that they are all created equal. As with mechanical calibers, this is not the case. A great example of this are the Grand Seikos fitted with Caliber 9F Quartz. They form the brand’s entry level and offer a refined sense of understatement. They are part of Grand Seiko’s Heritage collection, which is for a good reason, as they represent the brand’s focus on excellence in quartz movements.
First and foremost is that Caliber 9F is created to be a serviceable movement. This sounds like a given, but many quartz movements are still made in such a way that when anything is wrong, a new movement must be put inside the watch. With Caliber 9F, the entire movement can come apart and be serviced, also allowing individual parts to be replaced. Like its mechanical siblings, Grand Seiko’s quartz calibers are assembled entirely by hand. However, the brand goes even further than that.
Grand Seiko grows its own quartz crystals and ages them. When the crystals are cut and finished, they test their performance. Only the best are up to being used in a Caliber 9F.
Even there, engineers pair the crystal specifically with an integrated circuit to ensure the best result. Combined with the thermo-compensation system, which measures the ambient temperature and adjusts any deviation in the oscillation frequency caused by changes in this, the accuracy of a Caliber 9F is +/- 10 seconds a year. This is substantially better than the average quartz movement.
Grand Seiko’s great care in crafting Caliber 9F also becomes evident when you see the finishing of the movement. Its clever construction is designed in such a way that during regular battery changes, dust can’t enter the module, once again underscoring the tremendous effort Grand Seiko put into it to guarantee the utmost performance. So, the only way in which the models fitted with Caliber 9F may form the entry level of Grand Seiko is financially, as they are otherwise among the most refined and well-engineered quartz movements in the world.
Breitlings Believe in Quartz
Breitling is one of those brands that has embraced quartz for a substantial part of its collection. With their focus on aviation and the slogan ‘Instruments for professionals,’ this makes all the more sense. Breitling has also always been proud of its achievements in this area, of which a new chapter started in 1999. It was that year when the brand announced that it would COSC certify 100 percent of its production. This means that each and every Breitling produced from then on is chronometer-certified, and that includes the ones with quartz movements.
This is quite exceptional because not many brands go through the effort (and cost) of obtaining this type of certification for a quartz movement. Generally, they are deemed accurate enough, rendering the COSC certification as something stating the obvious. Breitling’s approach is different, as their focus on crafting ‘instruments for professionals’ also means that their performance is verified by an independent authority. COSC is quite rigorous in its approach toward quartz movements, which must be thermo-compensated and fully encapsulated against any form of moisture. Quartz movements that want to earn a chronometer certification are tested for 13 days in one position, during which they are exposed to three different temperatures and four different humidity levels, all combined with stringent tolerances. Breitling met this challenge by introducing the SuperQuartz movements at the beginning of the new millennium. Thanks to the aforementioned thermo-compensation and capsulation against moisture, these movements are about 10 times as accurate as a regular quartz movement.
As quartz is a way of life for Breitling, next to their still numerous offerings with mechanical movements, this has also resulted in quite a few watches that have earned quite the reputation. Many of them combine an analog time display with digital screens. This allows them to offer additional functions such as multiple time zones, alarm and chronograph. The Aerospace is a great example of this, and it is also a watch that Breitling continued to evolve over the decades that it is part of its collection. Another memorable watch is the Emergency, which has a similar look as the Aerospace but combines this with a built-in distress beacon. While these additional functions don’t add, or take away, from the performance of the quartz movement, they do display what more is possible. For Breitling, quartz technology is simply another way to meet the needs of professionals.
Patek Philippe’s Passion for Precision
One comment I often hear is that ladies prefer quartz over mechanical, as you can just grab these watches, put them on, and they are always right on time until you have to change the battery again. Whether this is true or not depends on the lady, and quite frankly, I also know quite a few avid mechanical watch collectors who are male and also prefer to have one or more quartz watches at hand for that exact same reason. The fact of the matter is that quite a few watches for ladies are fitted with quartz movements.
In some cases, the quartz movement is also part of the legacy. At the turn of the millennium, in 1999, Patek Philippe launched the Twenty~4. This rectangular, bracelet-style watch offered a timeless sense of feminine elegance and would become one of the pillars of the Patek Philippe collection. Offered in both stainless steel and precious metal, it had a casual flair that still makes it very contemporary. While Patek Philippe has since added round-shaped mechanical watches to the collection, the rectangular Twenty~4 is still going strong, with a row of diamonds flanking each side of the dial. This is perhaps also a great example of a timepiece where a quartz movement is right at home. While some still might prefer a small manual-wound movement of sorts ticking inside, the quartz caliber is more aligned with the character of the watch, also testified by the success of the Twenty~4.
This is not the only collection in which Patek Philippe offers quartz movements, as the Nautilus and Aquanaut are also available powered by a battery. They are fitted with Caliber E 23-250 S C, and like F.P. Journe, brands like Patek Philippe do not abandon the standards they hold high when making a movement with a battery. This particular caliber consists of 80 parts, with eight of them being synthetic rubies, also known as jewels. While they play an important role in mechanical watches to limit friction in the moving parts, there is much less movement inside a quartz caliber. That brands like Patek Philippe still utilize them is a sign of quality, going that extra mile to make something good even better. We also see this with the bridges on Caliber E 23-250 S C. They are chamfered and decorated with Geneva stripes, obtaining a look and finish similar to that of Patek Philippe’s mechanical movements.
Quartz movements also have a few benefits up their sleeves, and Patek Philippe is also taking advantage of those. In general, a quartz movement can more easily be made slimmer than its mechanical counterpart with the same functions. A slimmer movement means that you can also create a watch whose case is not as thick as it otherwise would have been. This can offer increased elegance and wearing comfort. Patek Philippe also fitted the Aquanaut Luce with Caliber E 23-250 S FUS 24H. This movement is made along the lines of Caliber E 23-250 S C, but showing two time zones simultaneously combined with a day/night indication for the home time through a window at 6 o'clock. This turns the Aquanaut Luce into a convenient and stylish travel watch. Its added complication is an interesting one and shows that quartz movements have proven their added value in the world of haute horlogerie and earned their place.
This article is from the WatchTime Archives and was originally published in the March / April 2023 Issue. To subscribe to WatchTime Magazine, click here.
