Skip to content

Free max-buy calculator for watch dealers — no signup needed. Open it

Quartz movement

Also called quartz watch

A quartz movement is powered by a battery and regulated by a quartz crystal that vibrates at a steady frequency when electricity passes through it, making it far more accurate than most mechanical movements.

In the luxury pre-owned market, quartz watches generally sell for less than mechanical equivalents, though some quartz models and high-end quartz calibers have their own following.

Check that a quartz watch runs, ask when the battery was last changed, and look for any signs of battery leakage, which can damage the movement.

Related terms

Where this comes up

Pages on this site that use the term.

Learn the trade, not just the word

Plain-English guides to buying, pricing and selling watches as a business. Free, and written to be used at the counter.

Add it if you'd like a call from our team about this or WristBook. We won't text you, and we never share it.

A few emails a month, including a few short follow-ups and WristBook, the dealer software our team makes. Unsubscribe anytime. Privacy