Automatic, quartz or solar? How to choose a watch movement

Two watches can look almost identical and still work in completely different ways. Before you choose a dial colour or a strap, it's worth deciding which kind of movement suits you. It's the one choice that changes how you live with the watch day to day.

The short answer

• Choose quartz if you want the most accurate, lowest-effort watch for the money.
• Choose solar if you like quartz accuracy but don't want to think about batteries.
• Choose automatic if you value traditional craftsmanship and the sweep of a mechanical seconds hand, and don't mind a little upkeep.

Quartz: accurate and easy

A quartz watch runs on a battery. The battery makes a tiny quartz crystal vibrate at a very precise rate, and the watch counts those vibrations to keep time. That's why even inexpensive quartz watches are typically accurate to within around 15 to 20 seconds a month.

There's very little to look after: the battery usually needs changing every few years, and that's about it. Quartz suits you if you want a watch that's always right when you pick it up.

See quartz watches

Solar: quartz without the battery changes

A solar watch is a quartz watch that charges itself from light. A panel behind the dial (which is often slightly translucent) tops up a rechargeable cell, from daylight or ordinary indoor lighting.

You get quartz accuracy, and once fully charged, many solar watches will keep running for months in the dark, depending on the model. If one does run low, a spell near a window brings it back. It's the most hands-off choice of all. Our guide to the best solar watches picks the best for men and women at every budget.

One example on Sterling Guild is Seiko's Prospex Speedtimer in white, a solar watch with a sapphire crystal and 100 metres of water resistance:

Seiko Prospex Speedtimer SSC961P1 · 39mm · Solar · 100 m water resistant £670Price at Goldsmiths, 28 October 2026 Full specsSee it at Goldsmiths

Discover Seiko 92 watches at Goldsmiths, £260 to £3,550. Discover all 92

Automatic: traditional and mechanical

An automatic watch has no battery at all. It's a mechanical movement of springs and gears, powered by a coiled mainspring. A weighted rotor inside spins as you move your arm, winding that spring as you go.

What you gain is craftsmanship: hundreds of tiny parts working together, often visible through a clear case back, and a seconds hand that sweeps rather than ticks. What you give up is some accuracy and convenience:

• Accuracy is measured in seconds a day, not a month. Affordable automatic movements are typically rated to within about 40 seconds a day: Seiko's 4R36, for example, is rated at between 35 seconds slow and 45 seconds fast. Chronometer-certified movements (tested by COSC, the Swiss testing body) must average between 4 seconds slow and 6 seconds fast a day.
• It stops if you don't wear it. Most automatics keep running for somewhere between about 40 and 80 hours off the wrist (this is called the power reserve). After that, you reset the time and give it a few turns of the crown to get it going.
• It needs servicing. Like any machine, a mechanical movement benefits from cleaning and fresh oil every several years. Each brand recommends its own interval.

See automatic watches, or read our guide to the best automatic watches under £500.

What about manual winding?

A manual-winding (or hand-wound) watch is mechanical like an automatic, but without the rotor: you wind it yourself using the crown, usually every day or two. Some people enjoy the ritual. It also allows a slimmer case, which is why it's popular in dress watches.

Which should you choose?

Ask yourself how you'll wear it:

• Every day, and you want no fuss: quartz or solar.
• One of several watches you rotate between: quartz or solar won't need resetting when you come back to them. An automatic will, unless you keep it on a watch winder.
• For the love of watches: most enthusiasts would say an automatic, for the engineering, the sweeping seconds hand and the sense of owning a small machine.

Whichever you choose, every watch on Sterling Guild lists its movement in the same specification table, so you can compare like with like.

Where to next

Decided? For automatics, see our best automatic watches under £500 and best Tissot watches (the Powermatic 80). For solar, best solar watches. For quartz with real quality, best men's watches under £500.