I have concluded that quartz watches aren't for me.
But that wasn't always the case.
My first watch, bought for me by my father was hand wound, as were all watches at that time. It would have been at the end of my school years that the quartz thing kicked in and everyone was wearing those little watches with brightly lit digits. Probably casio. Feeling left out I bought one, wore it a few times, really didn't like it and went back to my first watch. I never really thought about watches at the time, but I recall when starting work I bought myself a blue dialled hand winding Cronel. One of those Swiss brands that didn't survive the quartz revolution. At some stage I also acquired a blue dialled ????? (cant think of the brand off the top of my head), which was also hand wound and I wore those two watches watches for a long time. They both became battered and bruised. Then I had problems with both and whilst I was considering buying another, Christmas came around and my mother bought me a Pulsar quartz. And I loved it and it lasted me for years. Somewhere, I still have it.
At some stage, I found myself becoming more and more interested in watches but price was a factor and what I really wanted, I couldn't afford. But when I sold my flat I decided to treat myself to a new watch, I bought the Swiss Army Delta from Mappin & Webb, which back in about 1997, cost over £300. It was quartz and I loved it. Then I started looking at Tag and Omega, but both were out of my price range, so I considered a quartz Tag F1. It would have been the most I had ever spent on a watch, but then on a flight from Japan to Australia in 2005, guess what was a duty free special offer? The Tag F1 with a massive discount on the UK price, so I bought it. And those two watches were worn over many years for both work and leisure until I retired.
My retirement present to myself was the orange bezel PO, a watch I had been drooling over for some time - still do - and it was my first automatic and that was that, I got into the whole watch thing and a few more watches came and went, all autos or hand wound until I bought the CW Bluebird. A quartz. In hindsight, I blame this purchase on a visit to the CW showroom. I went there to specifically view the then new Trident and walked out with the Bluebird. Go figure? I loved it, or so I thought, raved about it on here as well. But it soon became an ignored watch and the reason is twofold. I hated the tick-tick-tick and I think I had, still am probably, so lets say I have become a quartz snob / hater - there you go, I admit it. I sold the watch via this forum.
Since then I have bought 3-more quartz watches.
But I dont like them, really, I think? The first was the Victorinox inox which I would truly love if it was automatic. The next was a Seiko chrono for gym use and walking, but I mainly swim now. The 3rd was a bright yellow dialled, resin cased, tritium lumed watch from a Thai brand called Wise.
I don't wear them. Although as I damaged my Armida that I use to swim in, I have been using the inox as a replacement until I finally get the Armida repaired.
So that's my watch journey - mechanical - digital quartz (and I still really dislike digital watches) - mechanical - quartz (for many years) - mechanical / autos.
I have found my watch nirvana. I appreciate quartz watches and they were very useful to me for many years and it's great that other people love them. But not me. And when I hear of them being described as grab and go beaters, I shudder. How hard is it to grab and go with an auto? My heart just isn't into quartz watches anymore. They're the watch version of a robot while an auto has the beating heart of a human and I will never buy another. I Promise.