Affordable Quartz Movements Buying Guide

Most people think “quartz” means one thing: a seconds hand that snaps forward once per second. That’s the classic stepper-motor look, and it’s still the default because it’s efficient, simple, and incredibly consistent. For daily wear, that behaviour is the whole point: you grab the watch, it’s basically on time, and it stays that way with almost zero attention from you.

But quartz isn’t one uniform category anymore. There’s also what enthusiasts call “sweeping seconds quartz” (or “smooth quartz”), where the seconds hand moves multiple times per second. It’s still quartz-regulated, still battery-powered, still extremely practical — it just looks and feels more mechanical on the wrist. The Seiko VH31 is the poster child here. It’s commonly found in budget field watches and everyday pieces where you want the convenience of quartz but don’t love the one-tick-per-second aesthetic. The trade-off is usually complication: VH31 is typically used as a simple three-hander, often no-date, because the point is a clean, tool-ish dial and a slimmer, uncomplicated movement package.

If you’re building a daily-wear rotation — especially a budget rotation — quartz becomes the “quiet advantage” you stop thinking about. It’s also the movement type that tolerates neglect best: you can leave it in a drawer, travel with it, knock it around, and it doesn’t punish you for living your life. If you are intent on getting to know the affordable automatic movements as well, I’ve prepared The Affordable Automatic Movements Buying Guide you may want to explore.

Quartz workhorse-movements worth knowing

When I say “quartz is reliable,” I don’t mean magic. I mean: there are a few movement families that show up everywhere because they’re stable, easy to case, and predictable in ownership.

Standard “one tick per second” quartz (everyday baseline)

These are the movements behind a lot of affordable everyday watches — three-handers and three-hand-date pieces.

Miyota 2035 (3-hand)

One of the most common basic quartz engines on the planet. Typical accuracy is in the seconds-per-month range, with multi-year battery life. It’s the kind of movement you don’t notice — which is exactly why it’s everywhere.

Miyota 2115 (3-hand + date)

Similar story, but with date. Again: stable accuracy, multi-year battery life, and a very “set it and forget it” ownership profile.

Seiko/Hattori PC21 family (very budget quartz)

This is the cheap-and-cheerful quartz you’ll see in ultra-affordable watches. It does the job. It’s not glamorous. It’s built to be inexpensive and easily replaced.

“Sweep” quartz (mechanical look, quartz brain)

Seiko VH31 (“sweep seconds” quartz)

This is the one enthusiasts actually talk about because it closes the visual gap. You still get quartz behaviour (strong accuracy, low maintenance), but the seconds hand steps multiple times per second, so it reads smoother on the wrist. Often used in no-date field watches and simple everyday pieces where dial cleanliness matters.

Swiss quartz that shows up in “proper” watches

Ronda 515 (3-hand + date)

Classic affordable Swiss quartz. It’s common for a reason: straightforward, service-friendly, and predictable. It’s also one of the movements that reminds you quartz can still feel “proper” in a traditional watch, not disposable.

ETA 955.112 (Swiss quartz workhorse)

This is the kind of movement you’ll see in more premium quartz watches — engineered to run a long time, often with features like end-of-life indication (a low-battery warning behaviour) depending on implementation. It’s not exciting, but it’s extremely competent.

Why this matters in daily wear

Quartz is not just “more accurate.” It’s lower cognitive load. If you rotate watches, travel, or just don’t want to baby something, quartz becomes the easy choice — and these workhorse families are why.

I try to objectively compare quartz vs automatic watches in my article about What Actually Matters in Daily Wear.