Why do most watches use quartz oscillators?

Anecdotally, I've grown up learning that quartz was just a crystal that was easily accessible, and had a very accurate oscillation period useful for keeping time. read more

A quartz clock is a clock that uses an electronic oscillator that is regulated by a quartz crystal to keep time. This crystal oscillator creates a signal with very precise frequency, so that quartz clocks are at least an order of magnitude more accurate than good mechanical clocks. read more

Quartz watches are far more accurate than mechanical watches (+/- 15 seconds per month vs. +/- 15 seconds per day.) Most collectors find quartz watches rather soulless, however using a quartz atomic watch is a great way to accurately set your mechanical watches. read more