What Exactly Is A Quartz Watch?

What Exactly Is A Quartz Watch?

If you're shopping for a watch, you'll hear time and time again to get a watch with a quartz movement as they are very accurate. In fact over 90% of the watches produced today have quartz movements.

The humble quartz, has the same crystals you'll see tied on strings around new-agers necks; it is actually a very good conductor of electricity. Nearly all the quartz used in watches of today is man-made, but it is the same silicon dioxide compound. The only difference is that man-made quartz had completely predictable results when used in watch manufacturing, as opposed to quartz mined out of the ground as all quartz does not transmit electricity equally.

If you're wondering how it works, a quartz watch has a thin piece of quartz that vibrates when it comes in contact with an electric charge. The electric charge usually is supplied by your watch battery. The vibrations make the watch hands move and keep the gears running and as long as there is an electric source for the quartz, your watch will keep perfect time.

Quartz watches have either an analog dial, with rotating hands, or a digital display, which shows the time with numbers. Most analog watches have quartz movements. All digital ones do.

The only exception to this quartz movement, are the Seiko kinetic watches which have a tiny electrical generator within the watch that responds to the wearer's movement and electricity is created. As long as you move your arm, your watch will keep accurate time.

Now you know a little more about quartz movements and this will help you make an even smarter choice when you're buying a watch!
 posted by Watches Giant