Why are brands moving away from automatic-quartz movements and towards solar powered movements?
Solar powered movements share many similarities with automatic-quartz movements but with a significant difference: how the capacitor is charged.
With automatic-quartz a rotor and charging coil is used, though for solar movements there are solar cells beneath the dial.
Solar cells fitted beneath the dial allow the movement to be both lighter and with a thinner profile than automatic-quartz movements and production is shifting in their favour.
There are great solar movements made by Citizen, Seiko and Casio with Citizen leading the “charge”.