All true--there is something to be admired in almost everything...but still a surprise. I suppose that once you are in the anti-quartz camp, it is impossible to cross the aisle.

For me it is simply a purist's argument: introducing battery power seems like a deus-ex-machina--something totally contrived that should never have been there in the first place, simply a facilitator. There is nothing elegant about a battery in a watch, nor will there ever be in my (not so important) opinion.

Steroids produced longer and more frequent home runs, but not a whole lot of baseball fans are pining for the return of McGuire and Bonds...