# quartz or electric watches in cold weather.



## vinn (Jun 14, 2015)

:angry: anyone else noticed quartz watch running slow in freezing weather?


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## JimboJames1972 (Jun 3, 2016)

I regularly go to North Lapland/Finland in February. We travel to areas where air temperature rarely gets above -25'C, and we have experienced temperatures down to -45'C in recent years.

I have used my trusty old analogue Pulsar kinetic for these trips several times. My choice is mainly because it is comfortable, slim and therefore slips under jacket cuffs and glove cuffs easily. It is therefore relatively well insulated against the extreme cold, but at the same time I have never really noticed it keeping less than perfect time on these trips.

My thinking for quartz watches running slowly might have something to do with either a drop in battery voltage, or an increase in resistance/friction in the movement? Battery voltage is generated by a chemical reaction, and all reactions happen less slowly at lower temperatures. Therefore batteries will produce lower voltages in the cold and this might slow your watch.

As for friction, all moving parts within our watches are lubricated (or at least they should be if they are serviced regularly!) and any oil-based lubrication will get thicker, more sticky and offer greater resistance if it gets cold enough. Diesel car fuel will, for example, turn gloopy and waxy if exposed to temperatures below -20'C. Synthetic oils might offer better temperature resistance, but the same general principal applies. Also, a big temperature change will make parts change size due to thermal shrinkage and that will probably only compound the issue.

One final point might be condensation buildup inside the watch case. Any air inside the case will hold some water vapour and, assuming that your case is sealed to some degree, this vapour condenses and will turn into liquid if it gets cold enough. Who knows what effect this will have on the movement and timekeeping? The good news is that the liquid will evaporate back into vapour if you get the watch warmed up enough but, of course, it will not reverse any corrosion-type damage it might have already experienced.

On the other hand, I can definitely say that LCD digital displays do NOT like the extreme cold; I have killed a couple off in the past by getting them too cold. The screens fail first (bars flick over more sluggishly, get dimmer and then fail completely).

J


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## Rotundus (May 7, 2012)

vinn said:


> :angry: anyone else noticed quartz watch running slow in freezing weather?


 why would they ? assuming you are wearing them then they will remain near enough to body temp ... should your body temp drop significantly then you have bigger problems


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