I have a hobby that sits somewhere between watch research and watch assembly. For the research side, I spend a lot of time reading forum posts and watching videos. On the assembly side, I only build quartz watches. Mechanical movements are expensive, and one clumsy mistake can turn the cost of a movement into a loss, so I leave those alone.
Smart bands and smartwatches are far more common now than quartz or mechanical watches, but if you are thinking about buying a watch, it still helps to know what is inside the case.
A quartz watch movement is not a single commodity. The difference between a one-yuan movement and a Swiss-made one affects how the watch runs, how long it lasts, and, just as importantly, how it is priced.
Chinese quartz movements
Two Chinese manufacturers come up often: Guangzhou Chenlong and Fujian Zhongchen.
Their main advantage is cost. A single movement can retail for about one yuan on Chinese e-commerce platforms.
The drawbacks are hard to ignore:
- Integrated construction. There is no practical repair path; if it fails, it gets replaced.
- Noise. Stepping movements produce a clear tick, especially at night in a quiet room. It is close to the sound of an ordinary quartz wall clock.
- Accuracy. A stepping movement may drift by ±45 to ±60 seconds a month. A sweeping movement can be off by as much as ±3 minutes a month. That is still better than many entry-level mechanical watches, but by quartz standards it is not reliable.
If a domestic brand lists a 'quartz movement' without saying 'imported quartz movement', it is probably using one of these.
Japanese quartz movements
Japan dominates the global quartz movement market. The two big suppliers are Time Module Inc. (TMI), which belongs to Seiko, and MIYOTA, which belongs to Citizen.
PC21 is a common entry-level imported movement. It retails for around three yuan and is widely used by low-price brands, including Foshan Gedi Watch Industry. Its appeal is obvious: it is cheap and good enough for the price.
The MIYOTA 20XX/21XX/23XX family is the star of the domestic market. At least five billion of these movements have been produced. The range covers two-hand, three-hand, single-date, and day-date layouts. When a mainstream Chinese brand advertises an 'imported quartz movement', this family is usually what it means. Many analog Casio watches use it too. Online retail prices are typically 10 to 25 yuan.
The GL series, represented by the GL20, is an ultra-thin movement. It is a favorite of fashion watch brands such as Daniel Wellington and Lola Rose. The movement itself costs about 12 to 20 yuan, but finished watches using it often sell for more than 1,000 yuan. That gap is worth examining later.
The VH and VK series are sweeping and chronograph movements, respectively. These more complex movements show up in domestic independent watch brands such as Mysterious Code and Escapement Time.
Japanese quartz movements have several advantages:
- Good value. They are inexpensive and reliable.
- Accuracy. The theoretical monthly error is within ±20 seconds; in practice it is usually within ±14 seconds. MIYOTA movements often do better, frequently staying within ±5 seconds a month.
- Serviceability. The structure allows repair, but because the movements are so cheap, replacement is the usual route.
- Longevity. Under normal use, without water ingress or battery leakage, the quartz crystal ages very slowly. A movement can last up to 50 years.
There are also the 9F and 9S series, which are ultra-high-end quartz movements used only in Grand Seiko watches. They are outside the scope of this discussion.
Swiss quartz movements
Switzerland has two main players: ETA and RONDA.
ETA movements are used across Swatch Group brands such as Tissot and Longines. Online prices run from about 80 yuan to 1,500 yuan, a very wide range. Judged purely on performance, such as timekeeping accuracy, ETA quartz movements are not a standout value. Their value lies in the 'Swiss Made' halo and the brand premium they support. They give buyers a sense of identification with the brand.
RONDA movements are uncommon in mainstream Chinese brands but appear more often in independent watchmaking.
Why quartz watches cost so different
Mainstream Chinese quartz watches
Brands such as Fiyta, Tianwang, Ebohr, and Rossini are typical here. Materials are reasonable: synthetic sapphire crystals, 304 or 316L stainless steel cases and bracelets. If a product page only says 'stainless steel' or 'fine steel', the metal is usually 304.
Design is another matter. A few models are original, but many lean heavily on international models from Rolex, Omega, Longines, and others. Even with a Japanese movement that may wholesale for less than ten yuan, which is why some of these companies are called case factories, the finished watches can sell from a few hundred yuan to several thousand.
In that price, materials are only a small part. Channel marketing and appeals to patriotic sentiment take a larger share. The overall execution is still far behind Swiss brands, but as a daily tool watch, the reliability and durability are usually sufficient.
Women’s fashion quartz watches
Brands such as Daniel Wellington, Lola Rose, and FILA follow a different pricing logic. They often use low-cost hardware: alloy cases, mineral glass crystals, and a cheap Japanese movement. The total material cost may be under 50 yuan.
The price is not based on hardware. It is based on fashion positioning and heavy marketing. Buyers are paying for an accessory and a sense of identity. Frankly, this is a business model that extracts a lot of margin from female shoppers, though many of them enjoy the purchase anyway.
Domestic independent brands
Domestic independent watch brands serve a smaller, more knowledgeable audience. Original designs are rare; almost everything is a homage to an international model. Homages to Grand Seiko and Portofino sell particularly well.
Without brand premium, their quartz watches are usually priced from 300 to 4,000 yuan, with large gaps between designs. Sales are much lower than mainstream quartz brands, but the margins are healthy.
Swiss quartz watches
The premium on a Swiss quartz watch is a complicated mix of history, craft, culture, and emotion.
The finish is far beyond what mainstream Chinese brands offer. When you pay more for a Swiss quartz watch, you are not just buying an accurate movement. You are buying the standards behind the 'Swiss Made' label, centuries of continuous technical tradition, and hand-finishing skills.
Replicas and fake watches
Prices for replicas and fakes depend on the seller, so I cannot judge them as a category.
They are straightforward infringements of intellectual property. They try to copy the look of a genuine watch at low cost, but the resemblance is only skin-deep. Under the shiny exterior, there are often poor materials, unstable movements, and no meaningful durability guarantee.
My own view is simple: if the goal is to satisfy a short-lived vanity with a false logo, an affordable, reliable watch from an original brand is the better choice.
The seconds hand that never lines up
The smaller the dial, the more likely a quartz watch is to have a seconds hand that misses the markers. It is a common problem. The hands are installed by hand, and even Swiss brands cannot get every watch perfectly aligned. If it bothers you, buy a quartz watch with a sweeping seconds hand.