CW stopping quartz watch development

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johncolescarr
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CW stopping quartz watch development

Post by johncolescarr »

Just read up on the new LEs and have heard the news that CW are no longer doing quartz!

I’ve been off the forum for a bit but is anyone else feeling a little sad about it?

I guess that means that my trident quartz is going to become rare!

I guess that the drive to mechanical only is one to go upmarket and increase the perceived value, but a decent quartz makes a sound cornerstone in my personal collection, and it’s sad that in the future this will not be a CW as their quartz have always been utterly fantastic value for the quality.

Sorry if this is already talked to death but I took me totally by surprise.
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Re: CW stopping quartz watch development

Post by DEV.Woulf »

I have a few quartz CWs and I agree they are nice but the autos feel more special to me. The last quartz I bought was the C3 FLE and I knew that would be it for me. I can't complain about going full automatic since that's all I'm buying from now on.
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Re: CW stopping quartz watch development

Post by Bahnstormer_vRS »

Its no surprise.

Mike France clearly mentioned in the Q&A at the CW Event / GTG in London, August 2019 that CW were progressing towards being Mechanical only, and I'm sure its been mentioned on other occasions since and probably before.

I can understand the concept that Mechanical only is perhaps more prestigious / up market / luxurious, but that said it doesn't seem to hurt the likes of TAG Heuer, Omega or Breitling (to name three) all of whom have quartz powered models in their range.

As to being sad or disappointed? No. Its Brand evolution and I'll simply get my quartz watches elsewhere.

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Re: CW stopping quartz watch development

Post by johncolescarr »

Thanks for sharing your honest opinions.

Well I guess the answer is right here, even in the forum there’s no love for quartz!

I agree that my mechanicals are my favourite and feature mostly both in my (modest) collection and in my watch collecting plans but quartz is a funny one.

I personally love a bit of quartz action and think it’s a vital part of the horological story, from nearly killing off the Swiss watch Industry to putting a watch on pretty much any arm in terms of affordability to the perfection of a GS 9F (probably my only quartz watch goal). And even if me, who loves quartz, isn’t planning to buy anymore then I guess quartz is dead.

I totally understand the decision to kill off quartz; I think breitling and omega use quartz to be able to sell at a lower price and capture more sales, but CW offer an auto for similar or lower price as low end big name quartz.

Since owning a watch is pure nostalgia nowadays for the vast majority, it makes sense that the future is mechanical.
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Re: CW stopping quartz watch development

Post by Amor Vincit Omnia »

johncolescarr wrote: Fri Mar 05, 2021 8:46 am Well I guess the answer is right here, even in the forum there’s no love for quartz!
.........
Since owning a watch is pure nostalgia nowadays for the vast majority, it makes sense that the future is mechanical.
The lack of love for quartz may well be a feature of watch forum life. Most of my friends wear a watch, and I'd say the vast majority were quartz or smart. And let's face it, most of them wear the same watch every day. Most people who buy a watch probably don't even consider movement options.
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Re: CW stopping quartz watch development

Post by Caller »

Bahnstormer_vRS wrote: Thu Mar 04, 2021 9:50 pm I can understand the concept that Mechanical only is perhaps more prestigious / up market / luxurious, but that said it doesn't seem to hurt the likes of TAG Heuer, Omega or Breitling (to name three) all of whom have quartz powered models in their range.
It really is a case of what goes around, comes around. Once upon a time there was only mechanical watches and Quartz was the new luxury, with a price to match. But it soon became the cheap as chips convenient alternative to the mechanical watch as a daily wear and even taking China out of the equation, I am assuming that quartz watches are still the biggest seller?

It's an interesting business decision by CW, it makes no odds to me whether they sell quartz or not, as I long ago gave up the dreaded battery, although I can imagine it might miff some.
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Re: CW stopping quartz watch development

Post by Amor Vincit Omnia »

I'm sure they are still the biggest seller, Phil.

And yes, I remember when I couldn't wait to get that first quartz on my wrist back in the '70s. I went through a LOT of them over 30 years before "rediscovering" the joys of mechanical.
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Re: CW stopping quartz watch development

Post by Richard D »

Bahnstormer_vRS wrote: Thu Mar 04, 2021 9:50 pm Its no surprise.

Mike France clearly mentioned in the Q&A at the CW Event / GTG in London, August 2019 that CW were progressing towards being Mechanical only, and I'm sure its been mentioned on other occasions since and probably before.

I can understand the concept that Mechanical only is perhaps more prestigious / up market / luxurious, but that said it doesn't seem to hurt the likes of TAG Heuer, Omega or Breitling (to name three) all of whom have quartz powered models in their range.

As to being sad or disappointed? No. Its Brand evolution and I'll simply get my quartz watches elsewhere.

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I too was at that London GTG and remember Mike France saying he was ending quartz watches. My thought was ‘big mistake’ and my view hasn’t changed. The vast majority of people I know wear a quartz watch and in all probability will continue to do so. Why shut yourself off from that market? Makes no sense to me at all.
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Re: CW stopping quartz watch development

Post by StrapMeister »

Richard D wrote: Fri Mar 05, 2021 10:03 am I too was at that London GTG and remember Mike France saying he was ending quartz watches. My thought was ‘big mistake’ and my view hasn’t changed. The vast majority of people I know wear a quartz watch and in all probability will continue to do so. Why shut yourself off from that market? Makes no sense to me at all.
^^^^^^ I'm inclined to agree with you Richard :thumbup:
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Re: CW stopping quartz watch development

Post by Amor Vincit Omnia »

I see all that. My concern, though, a few years ago was that for a small and new-ish company they were trying to be all things to all men and women.

Look back not so many years, we had a ladies' collection with plenty of variety, we had dress watches, divers, chronographs, motorsport, fliegers, we had quartz, hand-wound, auto, JJ specials and then SH21.

Inevitably the focus has been tightening. We lost the ladies' collection, then things narrowed down very much towards the diver/sport collection, with other styles/genres becoming more peripheral.

The last 12 months have supposedly seen a shift in wearing habits away from dressier, less casual types of watch. I heard/read that but can't remember where.

Personally, I felt that the catalogue was a bit overstretched a few years back. A little pruning in the less "popular" (i.e. profitable) areas was probably needed. And if that now includes quartz, so be it.
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Re: CW stopping quartz watch development

Post by strapline »

johncolescarr wrote: Fri Mar 05, 2021 8:46 am Thanks for sharing your honest opinions.

Well I guess the answer is right here, even in the forum there’s no love for quartz!
I think that would probably be the pervasive feeling on any dedicated watch forum. Watch collecting and watch appreciation tends to be about mechanical watches. But, let's be honest, in real terms, only a handful of the world's population wears mechanical watches - it's very much a minority sport. In some ways you could liken it to riding about on a penny farthing, with all the developments that have come to pas in cycle construction. Personally, I'll always have room for a hassle-free quartz in my collection; they are the watches of my youth, they are what I grew up with. Maybe CW feels it has sufficient mechanical market share to not have to worry about quartz, also? I guess from a business model point of view, it there is sufficient demand for them, then why not try and have a piece of that pie.
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Re: CW stopping quartz watch development

Post by Kip »

I am sure that quartz watches still out sell mechanicals worldwide, but the decision by CW to exit quartz comes down to how many they sell and the resources that go into it. I think it is that simple.
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Re: CW stopping quartz watch development

Post by albionphoto »

Kip wrote: Fri Mar 05, 2021 1:01 pm I am sure that quartz watches still out sell mechanicals worldwide, but the decision by CW to exit quartz comes down to how many they sell and the resources that go into it. I think it is that simple.
Well said Kip.
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Re: CW stopping quartz watch development

Post by GreatScott »

If you can get a mechanical for a few hundred bucks, where is the profit in lower priced quartz.

Good move CW.

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Re: CW stopping quartz watch development

Post by Ian Mc »

GreatScott wrote: Fri Mar 05, 2021 2:15 pm If you can get a mechanical for a few hundred bucks, where is the profit in lower priced quartz.

Good move CW.

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There is money to be made in quartz, when a new movement can be bought for less than £10, and mass produced cases come in pretty cheap.
As an example, Victorinox inox quartz movement can be bought for less than £10, and the current retail is £250 and up.
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