The movement, the heart of the watch, is the essential element in its smooth running! It intrigues and inspires all watchmaking enthusiasts. There are several types: quartz movements, automatic mechanical movements and manual movements.
Today, we'd like to talk to you about the meca-quartz movement! But first, let's review the basics...
Quartz watch and mechanical watch
Mechanical movement with automatic winding
In a quartz watch, the energy source is a miniaturized battery, which lasts for several years. Time is divided by a quartz oscillator vibrating under the effect of the electrical energy supplied by the battery.
For mechanical watches, the source of energy is a spring that is wound either manually, or by the movement of your wrist if it has an automatic winding mechanism. Energy is transmitted by mechanical cogs that are cleverly arranged in relation to each other! By winding your watch using the crown (usually located at 3 o'clock on the side of the case middle), you activate the winding stem, which drives a pinion. In turn, a whole series of tiny components are activated to store energy!
If you don't use your quartz watch for a few days, when you do, you'll always find it perfectly adjusted (except, of course, during the famous "summer time" and "winter time" changes). Mechanical watches, on the other hand, have a power reserve of 40 to 50 hours. If you don't wear your automatic watch for several days, the power reserve is not recharged by your wrist movements, so you'll need to wind your watch manually to recharge its power reserve, then set it again.
The meca-quartz movement
In the 1980s, Seiko created the first analog watch equipped with a chronograph, the 7A28 caliber. New and intriguing for its time, this movement quickly won over the Royal Air Force, which ordered it for its pilots.
So, how does it work? The principle of a meca-quartz movement is to combine the precision of quartz with the beauty of traditional watchmaking, thanks to an automatic movement module. The quartz part tells the time, while the mechanical module ensures that the chronograph runs smoothly. Chronograph start, stop and reset are mechanical. The chrono seconds hand will move almost like an automatic chronograph, to 1/5th of a second.
A watch with a meca-quartz movement will often be slim, reliable and very robust. As well as being aesthetically pleasing and practical, it will also be less expensive to buy and maintain than a conventional mechanical watch.
But be careful not to confuse auto-quartz and meca-quartz movements!
A watch with a self-quartz movement will tension the spring and then, when it relaxes, a mini-generator will transform the mechanical energy into electricity. The energy is then stored in an accumulator. An auto-quartz works like any quartz watch, with an integrated circuit that manages energy distribution, and a quartz oscillator.
A daily watch!
As mentioned above, a mecha-quartz watch is often smaller, sturdier and more reliable, making it ideal for everyday wear: that's exactly what we wanted to offer you with the A-Series Stradale!
Between finesse and lightness, Série-A Stradale is a playful watch that will follow you on every one of your adventures. Powered by a Seiko VK64 engine, it embodies the passion for fine mechanics with elegance and sportiness.
Would you like to find out more about its history and design?