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@njion@bark.lgbt
2026-04-15 11:46 UTC
If you simply want a watch that will keep going for as long as possible without any need for interference with its insides, there are certain types of quartz watches that fulfill that purpose much better than automatic mechanical watches.
Solar quartz watches use sunlight to power the watch and charge a battery that acts as a power reserve for when it's dark. The solar cells and batteries on these watches can last over a decade without any need for maintenance. Some of them even come with extra features that make them even more "set and forget", made possible thanks to the extra power from the solar cells.
Many Casio watches can automatically sync with an atomic clock via radio or Bluetooth. Seiko has a line of watches that accomplish the same thing using GPS practically anywhere in the world. Citizen has solar watches with ultra high frequency crystals that keep nearly perfect time for years without a need to sync to anything. These technologies are not exclusive to the respective brands mentioned above, they just set the gold standard.
Casio also has a line of digital watches with regular batteries guaranteed to last over 10 years. Some of them even come with the aforementioned radio syncing capabilities. Digital watches in general can run without a battery change for many many years because they use so little power.
In conclusion, if you want longevity first and foremost solar watches are the best solution on the market at the moment. They require maintenance less often than mechanical watches, they're more resilient to shocks, magnetic fields etc. and they're far more accurate, especially the models that sync to atomic clocks.
That said, all watches require maintenance eventually. Solar cells die, gaskets fail, high capacity batteries eventually run out. Around 10-15 years of servicing-free operation is about as good as you're gonna get.
Replies (1)
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Please remember! When your watch needs to be serviced, whether it be mechanical, quartz, solar or any of the other funky secret types, take it to an AUTHORIZED service shop and not some random mall kiosk that copies keys and changes watch batteries!
Watches are delicate and often require specialized, even proprietary tools to safely open and repair. Third party batteries can be sub-par and solar watches absolutely require first party solar cells and accumulators.
Finally, and most importantly, whenever a watch is opened at all the gaskets need to be replaced to ensure water resistance. Many kiosks that offer watch battery changes don't replace the gaskets or use lower quality third party ones. As a result you have no guarantee that your watch retains its water resistance and every time it gets wet you're taking a gamble. Water getting into a watch movement has the potential to ruin it very quickly if it's not immediately dealt with.
If you care about your watch and want to keep it in good condition for many years, please don't cheap out on servicing. Go to an authorized service. Also, when getting a new watch it might genuinely be worth it to get the extended warranty, depending on the store of course. Where I work, the extended warranty gets you 6 years worth of movement repairs and battery changes for a smaller fee than a single battery change. An analogue quartz watch would require about 3 battery changes in that span of time.
(None of you will buy an extended warranty from me so I have no financial incentive to be lying about this. These warranties can genuinely be pro-consumer because watches require regular servicing and you usually keep them for many years.)
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