Automatic, Manual or Quartz: Which Vintage Watch Is Right for You?

Every vintage watch is one of three types. Each suits a different kind of owner.

Manual wind

You wind the crown once a day, usually in the morning, until you feel resistance. Manual watches are thin and simple, and many people enjoy the daily routine. Most watches made before the 1960s are manual.

Automatic

A rotor inside winds the watch as your wrist moves. Worn daily, it keeps running on its own. Left in a drawer, it stops after about a day and a half and needs setting again. Automatics are a little thicker than manual watches.

Quartz

A battery and a quartz crystal keep time. Quartz watches are the most accurate and need only a new battery every couple of years. Early quartz models from the 1970s were expensive technology in their day and are now collected in their own right.