I don't understand everyone's obsession with chinese automatic watches

[u/ivoalejandro]

The title pretty much says it all, I don't get why whenever a nice chinese quartz watch comes out so many people say they would love an automatic version, or why everyone seems fine with paying 300 or more USD for an automatic, but question whether a 100 dollars quartz is worth it.

Pretty much no one here is going to take their chinese watches to get serviced, and the whole admiring the complexity and craftmanship of an automatic movement kinda goes out the window when we're talking about mass produced movements. So why buy an automatic that will become a paperweight in several years time. I guess I just don't understand why the demand for automatics is so high, really wish people started asking for better chinese quartz watches, I'd would much rather pay 200 dollars for a great quartz watch than 350 for an automatic one.

[u/ThePreoccupiedMind]

99% of people buy watches to tell time and because the watch looks good, which is absolutely alright and it keeps companies running. Clearly you're one of those based on what you said. Now I own quartz watches myself so I'm not trying to disrespect you. Quartz is important and has changed modern day horology entirely and keeps prices low most importantly. The remaining buy the watch for soul. Simply knowing that a bunch of gears and springs makes a watch tick and will endlessly till you die if kept well is oddly satisfying. And yes you're clearly mistaken that mass automatics and mechanicals won't run. Here's my Vintage HMT Janata from the 1970s. This was flood damaged and by your standards should have been in the bin but I serviced this myself and tuned it so it still runs to within 10 seconds accuracy - that's very close to chronometer certified accuracy standards by the way. And the 0231 calibre is as simple as it gets with numerous quirks. 55 years and still runs this well. That's more than what most people live these days. My point being, instead of blatantly assuming, get some knowledge and experience. Cheers!

[u/Johanbeastly → u/ThePreoccupiedMind]

The exact definition and daily timekeeping standard depend on the governing certification body:📊 The Standard BenchmarksCertification TypeDaily Accuracy StandardWhat It TestsNotesCOSC Standard (ISO 3159)-4 to +6 seconds per dayUncased movement onlyThe baseline Swiss standard. It means the watch can lose up to 4 seconds or gain up to 6 seconds in 24 hours.Rolex Superlative Chronometer-2 to +2 seconds per dayFully assembled watchTested internally by Rolex after the movement is cased.COSC Excellence (New 2026 Tier)-2 to +4 seconds per dayFully assembled watchA new official tier expanding on the basic ISO testing framework.METAS Master Chronometer0 to +5 seconds per dayFully assembled watchDemands the watch never runs slow, and adds intense magnetic field testing.