If you’re browsing luxury watches and have a fine eye for detail, you may have noticed that some watches have second hands that tick at each second marker while other watches have second hands that glide smoothly along.
Some people may believe that only luxury watches sweep while non-luxury timepieces tick, but this isn’t necessarily the case. It actually depends on the movement. Take a luxury watchmaker like Cartier, for instance. Do their watches tick or sweep? The answer is, it depends on what Cartier watch you’re looking at. In this blog, we’ll explain how it works.
So, when we say a watch ticks or sweeps or glides, what do we mean? When we talk about these motions in relation to watches, we’re talking about the second-hand. The only hand on the watch that is constantly moving in a visible way. Typically, we describe a watch as ‘ticking’ if it hits each second marker individually, stopping at each one briefly. When we say a watch ‘glides’ or ‘sweeps’ it appears to be smoothly moving past the second markers without stopping.
But other than the visible motion, why do we perceive gliding and ticking watches differently? In truth, all watches are ticking in some manner. To understand why, let’s take a look at the inside of your typical watch. Each watch needs a power source to run. Whether this is a mechanical or electric source depends on the watch. A mechanical watch is powered by a mainspring around a post that tries to uncoil around a toothed barrel. An electric-powered watch is powered by a battery.
In order to keep a watch powered without putting too much demand on the power source, each watch is regulated by the ticking movement of the watch. By having the hands take smaller steps, the power source isn’t instantly drained and the watch can last longer. The components that are between the power source and the components that regulate the release of power are collectively known as the escapement. The way the power is converted depends on the watch’s movement. Let’s talk about this next.
Quartz watches typically release their power with one tick per second. One impulse is directed from the power source to the second hand per second, causing a ‘ticking’ movement. If the quartz watch is a high-frequency quartz watch, the watch may tick more than once per second, but this is rarer and causes the battery to drain faster.
Mechanical or automatic watches tend to have the ‘sweeping’ movement that many people associate with luxury. These watches tick several times per second, anywhere from 4-10 times, which is faster than our eyes can visibly perceive. This gives the second hand a smooth motion that appears to sweep or glide along the dial rather than chug along.
There are some automatic watches that tick if they have certain complications and there are some quartz watches that sweep. There are also some watches that tick on the watch face and sweep on the chronograph. In short, there are a lot of options out there.
For simplicity’s sake, you can usually assume that a watch that ticks has a quartz movement and one that sweeps has an automatic movement. This is usually the rule, but there are exceptions.
Many of Cartier’s modern watches are available with automatic movements. This includes some of their most iconic collections, such as:
Santos de Cartier
Ballon Bleu de Cartier
Pasha de Cartier
Tank Americaine
Tank Must
You can find many Cartier collections that include watches with quartz movements. Many models that include quartz versions will offer automatic movements as well.
Tank
Panthere
Pasha
Santos-Dumont
Ronde
Ballon Bleu
Generally speaking, automatic watches are usually preferred by watch enthusiasts. Quartz watches tend to be less expensive, though usually they require less maintenance. Automatic watches represent high-end pieces with refined mechanical operation that can easily last a lifetime.
As for which second hand motion is better – ticking or sweeping – the only difference between the two is frequency. To make a general statement, you might consider sweeping to be the “better” motion because automatic watches tend to be more expensive and more intricately crafted. However, this can also be a personal preference. The truth is both quartz and automatic Cartier watches are going to be well-made, beautiful timepieces. All you have to do is pick one that fits your style and budget.
BQ Watches is the right choice when you’re looking for a pre-owned Cartier timepiece. Our inventory includes both quartz and automatic options for you to add to your collection. If you have something specific in mind, we also offer sourcing services to find the perfect watch for you.
Simply fill out the contact form below and let us know how we can help. A member of our team will be in touch shortly.
