Quartz Watches That Are Actually Cool.

Beyond just a popular brand or watch type, some quartz watches stand out as different and special, and truly rival mechanical counterparts.

By Erik Slaven

In the world of watch collecting, like it or not, mechanical pieces dominate. The movement itself is literally the heart of the watch and often the driving factor for a purchase. Advanced complications like perpetual calendars, tourbillons and minute repeaters are almost living entities and works of mechanical art, and that “romance” is lost with technology and batteries. In-house calibers, elaborate hand finishing and performance certifications don’t come easy (or cheap), and it’s an overall package that enthusiasts covet. Quartz watches, on the other hand, are generally seen as utilitarian, inexpensive and lifeless, but that’s not always the case as these electric timekeepers can really shine in the right hands. Let’s take a look at five cool quartz watches that step well above the department store norm and just might have that “mechanical soul” enthusiasts demand. And there’s even a sixth bonus watch at the end.

A quick disclaimer - this is certainly not an exhaustive list and I could easily give you 50 amazing quartz watches, but these represent a cool factor and innovative spirit that’s often lacking in the space. Also, this only covers full or at least partial analog dials, so digital legends like the Casio F91W or G-SHOCK won’t be mentioned (although how about a round of applause for those two). With that out of the way, let’s get started.

Swatch Clearly Gent 34mm

Let’s start with a brand that’s credited with saving the Swiss watch industry during the quartz crisis of the 1970s and 1980s. With inexpensive, reliable and incredibly accurate Japanese quartz watches eating the pricier Swiss mechanical market for lunch, Swatch swooped in and offered cool and colorful plastic quartz watches with accessories like “rubber band” crystal guards that became a fashion phenomenon in 1983. Innovative automation also brought production costs down and allowed the future Swatch Group conglomerate to acquire brands like Omega, Tissot, Breguet, Hamilton, Blancpain and many more - 16 individual Swiss watch brands in total, not to mention its ownership of ETA, the largest and most dominant Swiss movement manufacturer. 

The Swatch brand itself remains intact and still produces classic plastic quartz pieces that have been a favorite for decades (along with mechanical counterparts - Sistem51 - that are produced via total automated assembly, as in no human hands are involved). With so many quartz Swatch models available today, I’m going with the Clearly Gent 34mm (ref. SO28K100-S06) as the most interesting and emblematic. Unlike most counterparts that hide the quartz movement, this one is all about transparency - the entire case and even the strap are transparent, revealing every aspect of the quartz movement like the gears, crown stem, plates, quartz coil, crystal and even the battery. Complementing this are a red hour hand, blue minute hand and yellow seconds hand for a dose of color and contrast. It celebrates the “boring” quartz movement in the best possible way, showing that it’s still an interesting piece of kit that can dress up for a party.

Getting this level of transparency with a mechanical watch often requires an all-sapphire case and thousands of dollars, but the Clearly Gent 34mm can be had for only $80. A real bargain for such a unique piece that literally puts the quartz movement on your sleeve (so to speak). This is also available in a larger 41mm case (Clearly New Gent) and giant 47mm case (Clearly Bold), but I personally prefer the 34mm variant as the majority of the quartz movement fills the case for a nice balance and it’s in the classic (vintage) Swatch size. Swatch even had a nigh identical model way back in the mid-1980s called the Jelly Fish GK100. Of course, there are other quartz watches that showcase the movement, but Clearly Gent 34mm arguably does it best with no visual barriers.

Citizen Eco-Drive 0100

Citizen and cheap Japanese quartz watches are synonymous to many and the brand is certainly a department store darling, but it’s also among the most innovative of watchmakers and in the top three for global annual volume. Its light-powering Eco-Drive technology debuted in 1995 and is among the most efficient in the world, allowing specialized solar cells to remain concealed behind the dial for infinite styling choices and no battery anxiety. In total darkness, the power reserve is six months at a minimum. Eco-Drive was combined with Citizen’s new and most accurate movement in the world, caliber 0100, in 2019 to celebrate the brand’s 100^th anniversary (ref. AQ6021-51E). With an accuracy rating of +/-1 second PER YEAR, caliber 0100 (also the name of the watch) is an astonishing achievement for an autonomous caliber (with no radio connection, etc.). For context, Rolex’s most accurate mechanical movement is +/-2 seconds per day. The case back has an exhibition sapphire window that puts the movement on full display, and although not as “interesting” as an elaborate mechanical counterpart, it’s still very cool to see such a one-of-a-kind machine behind glass.

This kind of accuracy was achieved by changing the shape of the crystal oscillator from a traditional tuning fork to an AT-cut design, which vibrates at an insane 8,388,608Hz compared to 32,768Hz of regular quartz oscillators (256 times faster). And yes, faster is better and can drastically improve accuracy, whether quartz or mechanical. The AT-cut design is also more stable and resistant to temperature changes and gravitational forces. Additional anti-magnetic protection and shock resistance are also in place, and the movement monitors and adjusts for frequency and temperature fluctuations every minute. There’s probably a bit of sorcery also at play, but the result is truly groundbreaking and demonstrates how innovative and virtually flawless a quartz movement can be.

The few 37mm 0100 models produced have understated designs, albeit with options for a white gold case (ref. AQ6010-06A) and mother-of-pearl dial (ref. AQ6020-53X), but all remain accuracy marvels that no other brand can touch (although some are getting close). These certainly aren’t cheap as the cutting-edge technology pushes the starting price to just over $7,000, but keep in mind that average quartz accuracy is around 15 seconds per month. Production was limited and they’re a bit hard to find today (particularly in the US), but certainly worth it for the right collectors and demanding connoisseurs that only want the best.

The Electricianz Steel Z

Founded in 2017, Swiss brand Electricianz is quite young for a watchmaker, but also truly unique as it really exploits the cool factor of quartz technology with designs that often have a steampunk vibe. The Blue Z series has a muted, monochromatic blue theme throughout the dial, case and straps, and an in-house patented module combined with a Japanese Miyota quartz movement (Miyota is a movement subsidiary of Citizen). This module houses five LED lights that give the already Sci-Fi aesthetic a real futuristic look by lighting up the time sub-dial. Celebrating electricity is what this brand is all about and other Electricianz models even have exposed wires “haphazardly” weaving around the dial to hammer that home.

The Steel Z model is more restrained with color-matching wires neatly leading from the visible battery terminal at left to the time dial at right, which itself displays the quartz coil on its left side. The design emphasizes the intricate nature of a quartz movement and presents it as a machine, not simply a component to be hidden within the case. You could even say it’s similar to how high-end sports cars display the engine under glass. With blue LED lights again illuminating the time sub-dial, this would be right at home in a Tron movie. You’d think all of this would come at a high(ish) price, but it starts at only $395 on a rubber or leather strap (a bit more for a metal bracelet), which is quite a bargain for the cool factor alone. It’s not a small watch with a diameter of 45mm, but it uses that expansive canvas to the fullest. 

Breitling Professional Aerospace Evo

Founded in 1884, Breitling is a high-end Swiss brand known today for aviation, titanium cases and chronographs, and the watches have a prestige factor comparable to Omega or Tag Heuer. One classic and rather unique style is the combination of an analog dial with digital displays and the Professional Aerospace Evo (ref. E79363101B1E1) is a great example of this in a clean, no-nonsense titanium package. Breitling uses the SuperQuartz caliber 79 that combines analog hour and minute hands with twin LCD digital displays with backlighting. Functions include a 1/100^th of a second digital chronograph, countdown timer, day/date calendar, second time zone, minute repeater functionality and, of course, an alarm. The quartz movement isn’t a total in-house creation as it builds on an ETA base (Swatch Group subsidiary), but it’s been significantly modified and upgraded to Breitling’s SuperQuartz spec with an accuracy rating of +/-10 seconds per year. It has thermocompensation (similar to the Citizen 0100) that adapts to temperature fluctuations to maintain the oscillation rate of the quartz crystal for such exacting accuracy.

Although a bit large at 43mm in diameter, the titanium construction keeps it lightweight and easy to wear. The unidirectional rotating bezel has 60-minute markings for timing events via the analog hands or light diving (it comes with a 100-meter water resistance rating). This is on top of the digital chronograph capabilities and all digital functions are controlled with the crown in lieu of separate pushers, simplifying usage and keeping the exterior case clean. It’s a very cool, stylish and sporty luxury watch that’s elevated by its quartz movement by combining a classic dial with a smorgasbord of discreet digital complications, not to mention the incredible accuracy of +/-10 seconds per year that’s pushing into Citizen 0100 territory. It’s certainly not cheap at $4,900, but also not too bad given the brand, style, materials and incredible accuracy.  

Accutron Spaceview 2020

In 1960, American brand Bulova (founded in 1875 in New York City) introduced the world’s first fully electric wristwatch, the Accutron. Don’t confuse this with the Astron, which was the first true quartz watch from Seiko, introduced almost a decade later in 1969. Also, Hamilton had an electric powered watch a few years prior to this in 1957, the Ventura with caliber 500. Although battery powered, caliber 500 wasn’t a fully electronic movement as it still had mechanical parts like a balance wheel, while the Accutron replaced the balance wheel with a tuning fork that was powered by a transistor oscillator (which hummed instead of ticked). Hamilton’s caliber 500 just replaced the windable mainspring with an electronic equivalent that powered the mechanical regulating parts that were still in place. Accutron’s accuracy was rated at +/-2 seconds per day, which was unheard of at the time and right there with the most accurate mechanical watches today. The name, Accutron, stood for ACCuracy Through ElecTRONic, and it even became a favorite of astronauts in the 1960s. The arrival of inexpensive and reliable quartz movements ultimately retired all other electronic watches, and the Accutron models soon shifted to quartz technology.

Fast forward to 2020 and Accutron splintered off as a separate brand from Bulova, and the Accutron Spaceview 2020 debuted with a new, proprietary electrostatic movement. Although not entirely a traditional quartz movement, the hands are ultimately regulated by a quartz crystal oscillator, so it’s close enough for this list. Simply put, it’s an exotic “auto-quartz” movement that’s charged by movement of the wrist instead of light or replaceable batteries. In 1986, Seiko introduced Auto-Quartz that used a winding rotor similar to an automatic mechanical movement to generate power that charged a battery (in lieu of winding the mainspring). This became known as Seiko Kinetic in 1991. The Accutron Spaceview 2020 also has a rotor, but it spins two turbines at the bottom of the dial from wrist movement. This generates electricity by interacting with two electrodes that then charge a capacitor, aka a battery. It gets even more interesting as one step motor then operates the hour and minute hands (in almost indiscernible steps), while a second, independent electrostatic motor operates the seconds hand with a perfectly smooth sweep. You can see this motor continuously spinning within the largest aperture at 10 o’clock. The seconds are effectively decoupled from the hour and minute hands to become an independent 60-second indicator, which is… unusual. The clean sweep resembles Grand Seiko’s Spring Drive seconds, but that movement is more akin to Hamilton’s old caliber 500, although in reverse. It has a mechanical mainspring instead of Hamilton’s electronic equivalent and a quartz crystal oscillator instead of Hamilton’s mechanical balance.

The Accutron Spaceview 2020 is a rather large watch at 43.5mm in diameter and 15.9mm thick, but there’s no denying its fascinating aesthetic and history, and there’s nothing else like it on the market. It’s accurate to +/-5 seconds per month, which is better than the majority of traditional quartz watches out there, and comes in a handful of colors and materials. There are even two power saving modes - the seconds hand motor will stop after 5 minutes of stillness (and will resume with wrist movement) and everything stops after 10 days of inactivity. This watch simply wants to be worn and you’ll likely want to wear it, and with a starting price of $3,900, it won’t (entirely) break the bank.

Bonus: U-Boat U-65

This is a bit more about the watch itself than the movement, but what a watch it is and the design benefits from having a quartz movement. The case is filled with a special oil that enhances visibility by removing reflections at virtually all angles on the dial side, which also creates an appearance that the crisp dial elements almost float within the crystal like an OLED screen on a smart watch. A small air bubble floats around like a spirit level to compensate for temperature fluctuations. If this sounds familiar, it’s also used by Sinn’s Hydro (and other) models and luxury watchmaker Ressence with their Type 3 and Type 5 models. Sinn’s crystals aren’t significantly domed for a more traditional look, while Ressence uses highly domed crystals and wrap dial elements around the sides, really exploiting the oil’s visual punch. Oil filled cases can also increase water resistance and in Sinn’s case, a standard U50 goes down to 500 meters, while an oil-filled Hydro can go down to 5,000 meters. Sinn also tightly fills their cases with no air bubbles as the case back itself can expand a bit to compensate for temperature.

U-Boat’s U-65 (ref. 3354) takes more of Ressence’s approach with a hyper-domed sapphire crystal that’s 13.2mm high and 3mm thick, which provides a super cool side view of the dial. However, it makes the already large 44mm case unusually thick, but it’s worth it for the unconventional aesthetic (and there are moveable lugs to help the case conform to the wrist). Just don’t wear it to a black tie event. From the front, the visual spectacle includes many components of the Swiss Ronda 756 quartz movement, including gears, plates and the quartz coil. A large U at 12 o’clock and Arabic numerals at 4 and 8 o’clock are filled with white Super-LumiNova, while the hour hand also has a distinctive arrowhead tip with matching white lume. There isn’t a traditional crown to set the time as that’s done from the back via a central time setting button, leaving the bulbous case free of protrusions. A screw-down battery door reminiscent of a classic swatch simplifies battery changes, and this is truly a unique piece who’s design benefits from quartz with cool dial elements and the absence of a protruding crown. And it retails for just $2,100, which is a bargain for such a complex show piece. If there’s one questionable aspect, it’s the 50 meters of water resistance. That’s perfectly adequate as it’s not a diver like the Sinn models, but with a brand called U-Boat and the sizeable oil-filled case, a bit more would’ve been nice.

Concluding Thoughts

As mentioned, quartz movements usually trail behind mechanical counterparts from an enthusiast and collector perspective, but there are definitely exceptions and the above list shows how interesting and downright cool quartz watches can be. There are also the drastically improved accuracy and less fussy nature, including less maintenance. This again isn’t an exhaustive list and models like the Undone Mystique Eclipse, Hamilton Ventura and Omega Speedmaster Skywalker X-33 could’ve easily made the cut. As far as the Omega, I’m just such a fan of the traditional Speedmaster that I’m not fully sold on the Skywalker X-33, which is why it fell behind Breitling’s Professional Aerospace Evo for an analog/digital hybrid.