In this article, we will be explaining the differences between mecaquartz vs autoquartz watches. Mecaquartz watches and autoquartz watches are two types of hybrid quartz watches that may not be very familiar to most. Even among enthusiasts, these terms may not be very well known or understood. That being said, there are some significant differences between them.
Before we get into the differences between these two watch types, let’s start with the basics of watch movements.
What is a Watch “Movement”
First off, the term “movement” in watches refers to the mechanism that powers and controls the watch’s functions. While different types of watches, such as chronographs, analog, and digital, can also be considered movements, there are primarily two main types of movements in watches that all of the others branch from. These are mechanical and quartz. All other types of movements are derived from or connected to these two base types.
Mechanical
Mechanical movement powers a watch by way of a large spring. The spring must be wound in order for the watch to function. It is the slow and gradual unwinding of this spring that powers the gears within the watch.
Quartz
Quartz movement powers the watch by way of a quartz crystal. Most commonly a battery supplies the energy for a quartz watch. The battery sends energy into a circuit, which then vibrates the quartz crustal within the watch. This is what powers the watch.
So, those are the basic two main movements of watches. With that out of the way, we can start our comparison of mecaquartz vs autoquartz watches. We will begin by looking at the mecaquartz.
Mecaquartz Watches
Mecaquartz watches are a hybrid of mechanical and quartz watches. They use a quartz crystal to keep accurate time, but they also have a mechanical movement that is used to drive the watch’s functions.
Now the first thing that you need to know about the mecaquartz watch, is that it is always going to be a chronograph. This type of watch is designed to track elapsed time. It was at one time popular for horse racing, as well as automobile racing. It’s basically a mechanical stopwatch. These days, however, chronographs are valued more for their aesthetic appeal than function.
Chronographs
Chronographs are characterized by the presence of sub dials. They will usually have two or three sub dials on them in addition to just regular watch hands. These sub dials can track seconds, minutes, and hours even, and are separate from the main watch hour, seconds, and minutes hands. The sub dials are used for the stopwatch functions.
Mecaquartz
Mecaquartz, being a variation of the quartz watch, do run off of a battery. The difference here is that while a standard quartz watch runs all of it functions purely off of a quartz crystal, the mecaquartz only runs some of its functions from a quartz crystal.
In a mecaquartz watch, the time keeping part of the watch is controlled by quartz movement, while the chronograph functions are controlled by a mechanical module. Both of these aspects of the watch are powered by the battery, but they are still 2 different mechanisms within the watch.
One of the main advantages of mecaquartz watches is that they offer the best of both worlds. They have the accuracy of a quartz watch but also have the traditional look and feel of a mechanical watch. This makes them a popular choice for watch enthusiasts who want a watch that is both accurate and has a traditional look.
Autoquartz Watches
An automatic quartz, or “autoquartz” watch combines the features of both an automatic and quartz watch.
An automatic movement is a type of mechanical watch movement. This type of movement like any other mechanical watch, relies on a spring, called the mainspring, to provide power to the watch. Same as with all mechanical watches, to operate it, the mainspring must be wound.
Automatic Watches
What makes a mechanical watch an “automatic” watch, is the way in which this mainspring is wound. Instead of having to manually wind a watch, in an automatic watch, the watch is wound through the natural day to day swinging movements of a person’s arm.
A weighted rotor winds the watch as the person’s arm moves about. Once this spring is wound, that is how the power for the watch is generated. As the spring unwinds, it drives the gears and mechanisms within the watch, allowing it to function.
Autoquartz
Now, an autoquartz watch utilizes these same principles. Like an automatic watch, it uses a weighted rotor that spins with the wearer’s arm movements to power the winding mechanism.
However, instead of winding a spring, the automatic mechanism generates electricity. This generated electricity is then used to vibrate a quartz crystal, powering the watch just like a regular quartz watch. This means that an automatic quartz watch does not require a battery.
Therein lies the advantage of an autoquartz watch. Once again, you would have the accuracy of a quartz watch, however it does not require a battery for power.
Which One is Better?
So, between mecaquartz, and autoquartz watches, which one is the better choice? In this case, the answer is basically neither! these are two very novel watch types. That being said, it really comes down to a person’s personal preference.
A person would need to very specifically be looking for either an autoquartz or a mecaquartz watch, as these are not common movements. They would appeal specifically to enthusiasts or collectors.
Final Conclusion
Overall, both mecaquartz watches and autoquartz watches have their advantages and disadvantages. Mecaquartz watches offer the best of both worlds, with the accuracy of a quartz watch and the traditional look and feel of a mechanical watch. Autoquartz watches, on the other hand, offer this same accuracy without the need for a battery.
Ultimately, the choice between a mecaquartz watch vs an autoquartz watch will depend on the individual’s preferences and needs.
That wraps up this unique look into mecaquartz vs autoquartz movements. Hopefully this article has been helpful and informative in increasing your knowledge about the subject. If you liked this article, then don’t hesitate to check out some of our other info articles, which can be found here
