One of the questions we receive most often at Ante from customers considering a vintage Cartier is:
“Which should I choose: quartz or manual winding?”
To answer directly, neither is inherently better than the other.
The most important thing is to choose a watch that suits your lifestyle.
Because vintage Cartier quartz models are battery-powered, they do not need to be wound every day.
They also keep accurate time with minimal deviation and can be put on right away, even on busy mornings. For this reason, they are popular with customers purchasing their first vintage Cartier and with women who lead busy lives with work, childcare, and other commitments.
Many models also have relatively thin, lightweight cases, making them easy to incorporate naturally into your everyday style.
Manual-winding models, on the other hand, offer the pleasure of winding the mainspring yourself and enjoying the very act of setting the watch in motion.
Rather than simply wearing a watch, you can appreciate the beauty of its mechanism—unique to vintage watches—and the pleasure of watching time pass.
In other words:
Quartz is ideal for those who want to enjoy their watch casually every day.
Manual winding is ideal for those who also want to enjoy the time spent engaging with their watch.
Neither is the “right” choice; they simply offer different ways to enjoy a watch.
At Ante, we do not recommend a watch simply because it is quartz or because it is manually wound.
We ask about your work, how you spend your days off, how often you plan to wear the watch, and more, then recommend a vintage Cartier that suits your lifestyle.
Both types have their own appeal, as well as points worth knowing to ensure you can enjoy your watch for many years.
Next time, we will introduce important points to keep in mind so that you can enjoy vintage Cartier quartz and manual-winding models with confidence.
“Which one is right for me?”
If you find yourself wondering this, please feel free to contact Ante.
Drawing on more than 20 years of experience inspecting vintage watches, we will recommend a watch that fits your lifestyle.
