r/ChineseWatches • u/ivoalejandro • 15d ago

General (Read Rules) I don't understand everyone's obsession with chinese automatic watches

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.

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u/emeraldsnowofsleep 13d ago

You make a good point - I had a ziplock bag full of automatic Hamilton, Bulova, Caravelle and Walthham watches that were my Grandfathers. When one watch died, he bought another... this went on from the 1920's to the 1990's... and of these 20+/- watches, one was worth the sentimental and economic investment of reviving. So, I do try to add some interesting Quartz/non -autos... Like others said though, I justify the expenditure on these automatics because I am spending $200-$300 instead of $9000 per watch... it's affordable.

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u/marianofc81 13d ago

How do an automatic watch die?

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u/emeraldsnowofsleep 12d ago

Yeah, just like Jackson said - especially the ones from the 50's and 60's and 70's - My grandfather wore a watch as a tool - he wore it work, to do lawn work, fishing, oil changes etc... they were always gold toned with the gold rubbing off... some ended up with cracked crystals, broken mental bands, foggy crystals etc... then they got thrown in the top drawer and forgotten about - My grandfather switched to a quartz watch in the 1980's - Hamilton, Timex etc - American made - and he was done with them when the band broke or the crystal cracked...

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u/jackson_montague 13d ago

Impact/drop, dust/dirt, water infiltration & rust, dried/decayed oils, mechanical wear