FreeArticlesArchive

Time has always been a mystery to man. Every human being has only 24 hours each day, regardless of what one does. It is, perhaps, because time cannot be controlled, time is precious. Thus, telling time became an important activity for many of us.

There are many ways to tell time - ubiquitously, through the hands of the wristwatch. Wristwatches can generally be categorized into quartz and mechanical. Quartz watches are battery-operated and hence, more accurate. Quartz watches are made to operate from an Integrated Circuit (IC or known as chip), which makes the quartz crystal oscillate and divides the frequency into one pulse per second. This electronic way of reading time did not appear until 1970s.

Quartz watches are machined-produced, hence, reducing manpower and the overall cost of each quartz watch. Some of the most famous quartz watchmaker factory is Citizen and Seiko. The advantages of quartz watches include higher accuracy, greater affordability and less maintenance required.

With all the advantages in quartz, one may wonder why mechanical watches are still surviving in today's world. Mechanical watches, unlike quartz, are handcrafted and are not battery-operated.

A mechanical watch is powered by the stored potential energy of the wounded mainspring that is encased in a barrel inside the watch. Before the watch can run, the mainspring must be fully wound either manually or automatically. In a manual wristwatch, the crown is wound manually until tightness, and the unwinding of the mainspring will release the energy that runs the watch. When fully wound, most wristwatches can run non-stop for 40 hours.

On the other hand, for automatic watches, the mainsprings are automatically wound from the rotor inside. The rotor is an oscillating weight that is pivoted at the centre of the watch. When the automatic watch is worn, the movement of the owner's wrists will cause the rotor (usually a golden wedge-shaped metal as observed from the see-through case back) to spin, which in turn, winds the mainspring. Mechanical watches are less accurate than quartz watches. (Quartz electronic movement is about 60 times more accurate than mechanical ones).

Despite this inaccuracy, it is the imperfections that drive Man's desires to perfect and decorate a mechanical watch. Thus, added features or complications are often accompanied in mechanical watches. Some of the complications include moon phase, tourbillion, retrograde, perpetual calendar, guilloche, power reserve, day/night indicator.

In addition, a true watchmaker takes heart to improve the accuracy of movements while maintaining the design of the watch. It is precisely through this sheer determination and exquisite craftsmanship through the hands of Man that attracts more collectors year after year.

A mechanical watch is an emotional timepiece that lasts forever. It is about having an art on your wrist. Quartz versus Mechanical - it is all a matter of preference.

- By Huang Yuyan, Watch Enthusiasts and Owner of www.impress-watches.com, the exclusive gallery of fine watches. Contact at enquiry@impress-watches.com