The Best Quartz Watches Under $100 | Gear Patrol (2024)

FAQs

Which is the most accurate quartz watch? ›

The Citizen CTQ57-0953 Chronomaster is revered for its exceptional accuracy, showcasing Citizen's mastery of quartz watch technology. Its precision is achieved through a high-frequency quartz oscillator, oscillating at an astonishing rate of 8,388,608 Hz.

A quartz watch will keep time consistently and reliably for many years, requiring only an occasional battery replacement. While less accurate than a quartz watch, an automatic watch will tend to be most accurate when it is new or freshly tuned, and all the moving parts are lubricated with a fine watchmaking oil.

Yes, quartz watches are worth collecting. They can be quite valuable, and there's a large and enthusiastic community of collectors out there. There are a few things to look for when buying quartz watches as collectibles: age, rarity, brand, and condition.

Longevity: A quartz watch can last the user for 20 – 30 years, as the electronic components of the watch will eventually wear out. A well-maintained mechanical watch will outlive the original purchaser. High-end mechanical watches can be heirloom pieces, passed down from generation to generation.

To say how accurate the quartz technology is, a standard modern quartz movement has an accuracy of plus or minus 10 seconds per month, which means about 0.3 seconds per day. A COSC-certified mechanical chronometer has a maximum permissible deviation of -4/+6 seconds per day - 30 times less precise, on the average.

The brand TAG Heuer itself has been known for making the most accurate watches. They have made exceptionally accurate timepieces, such as the Mikrogirder, Mikrotimer, and the impressive Caliber 360, which is accurate to 100th of a second.

A well-crafted quartz timepiece, supported by regular maintenance and attentive care, can confidently last for decades, often spanning 20 to 30 years or even longer in some cases. While the average lifespan of a quartz watch is impressive, it's essential to emphasize the pivotal role of proper care and maintenance.

When Seiko first introduced a quartz-powered watch in 1969, the Japanese brand packaged it as a luxury product. Indeed, the technology promised far greater precision than any other mechanical watch could deliver.

Over the course of a year, the very best quartz watches may gain or lose between five and ten seconds. Compare this to mechanical watches where even the most accurate chronometers—eg, every current Rolex watch—show deviations of plus six seconds or minus four seconds each day.

The grade is determined by the quality of quartz used, the complexity of the color and pattern, and the overall finish. High-end quartz often features intricate patterns and a more polished finish, contributing to a higher price. Size and Design: The size of your countertop will directly impact the cost.

Why are quartz watches so cheap? ›

Cheap quartz watches tend to use low-quality materials and have poor craftsmanship. This results in a watch that is not very accurate, does not keep time well, and breaks easily. More expensive watches use high-quality materials and are crafted with great care, resulting in a more durable and accurate timepiece.

The appeal, especially to a newcomer to watch collecting bringing a limited budget to the table, is in many respects obvious: a quartz watch is cheaper, more accurate, more durable, and able to incorporate more complications than a mechanical watch without a correspondingly eye-popping markup.

It's likely that you're not keeping it properly wound, and thus, not maintaining an adequate power reserve. This happens most frequently when people don't wear a watch often or only save it for special occasions, and thus, don't wind it very often.

90% of the time, when a quartz watch stops working, it's generally down to the timepiece requiring a simple watch battery replacement. Some of the other more common reasons why a quartz watch will stop working include the following: Dirt has become embedded within the movement.

What Is High-Accuracy Quartz? Most watches rocking a quartz movement are guaranteed accurate to around 15 seconds a month or so. This is still much better than even the best mechanical watches, but there's a breed of quartz watches out there that can do even better: the High Accuracy Quartz (HAQ).

Key elements to obtain the high claimed accuracy are applying an unusually shaped (for a watch) (AT-cut) quartz crystal operated at 2²³ or 8388608 Hz frequency, thermal compensation and hand selecting pre-aged crystals.

Over the course of a year, the very best quartz watches may gain or lose between five and ten seconds. Compare this to mechanical watches where even the most accurate chronometers—eg, every current Rolex watch—show deviations of plus six seconds or minus four seconds each day.

This gives the movement almost perfect precision (only a few seconds per month variation). Quartz watch dials can display hands (analogue), numbers (digital), or both. Certain TAG Heuer quartz watches have the added security of an end of life battery indicator (EOL).