[Covenant]

The more time I spend in this hobby, the less enchanted I am with purely mechanical watches in general. I think the main sticking point I have is that I, perhaps irrationally, equate accuracy with quality.

The persuit of accuracy is what makes horology interesting to me. Advancements like the tourbillion that attempt to negate positional errors, or constant force escapements that improve isochronism, or inventions like the Daniel's coaxial escapement that reduce friction. I find the "arms race" if autonomous accuracy appealing from an engineering perspective.

So spring drive is inherently seductive for offering quartz timekeeping performance without losing the romance of mechanical. But truth be told, what is "ruining" mechanical watches for me is high accuracy quartz. Once one gets over the subconscious bias against the 1-second tick, the sheer coolness of pushing the envelope of accuracy to the limit sets in. A second hand that meets all the markers dead on without any wobble is as good a look as a sweeping hand, IMO (although not as impressive as SD's glide).

 

[Covenant]

No disagreements, Covenant. Does this mean a Citizen with the 0100 movement is in your future?

Ultimately, yes. 8Mhz AT-cut quartz with thermo-compensation, there's nothing like it in the world, and that's immensely appealing to me. I find the current crop of limited editions using the cal.0100 a bit uninspiring design-wise though. If Citizen releases some production models in a year or two I'll definitely be interested.

Not to derail this thread too much, but my next purchase is likely to be a Chronomaster, either the AQ4020-54Y or the AQ1040-53a.

 

[Covenant]

In a place like Australia with limited and expensive servicing options, the dramas of mechanical watches get very old very quickly. Spring Drive simply removes all that crap, adds somewhat severe accuracy and reliability while maintaining the perfect on-wrist weight and dimensions of a well-designed mechanical.

For the most part I agree with this, however it should be noted that Spring Drive servicing will be even more painful due to the lack of local service centers capable of fixing that movement.

9F quartz, on the other hand... servicing is just a battery change and pressure test.

 

[Covenant]

The 9f also has a gear train much like a typical mechanical watch that does require service as well.

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Sure, once every 50 years. Or so GS claims with their vacuum-sealed compartment, as the movement's "only" 25 years old we can't know this for sure yet. But the point is, it's much less hassle and upkeep than either mechanical or Spring Drive.