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5 Watches That Break the Rules (and Don’t Even Tick)
- Walter Ponce
- Aug 7
- 3 min read
Let’s be honest — the watch world is obsessed with mechanical movements. Gears, springs, escapements... we get it, it’s beautiful stuff. But what if we told you some of the most fascinating, innovative watches ever made don’t tick at all?
These five watches skip the balance wheel entirely — and still manage to blow our minds. Some hum. Some run on light. One doesn’t even have a crown. And every single one of them proves that horology isn’t just about tradition — it’s also about taking risks.
Here are 5 of our favorite non-mechanical oddballs from the Brothers in Watches collection:
The watch that hums.
This isn’t your standard Constellation. Powered by a tuning fork movement, it doesn’t tick — it hums. Licensed from Bulova’s Accutron tech and vibrating at 300Hz, it delivers an incredibly smooth sweep and an unmistakably futuristic wrist presence.
It’s the kind of weird we love: 1970s case design, retro-futuristic energy, and that cool low-key hum if you get close enough. You can still find them under €500, which is wild for an Omega with this much character.
No crown, two time zones.
At first glance, this sleek ceramic Rado looks minimal. Then you realize… it has no crown. That’s because it runs on dual independent quartz modules, one for each time zone — controlled entirely through hidden pushers.
It’s light, travel-ready, and unlike anything else on the market. We discovered this one during a dinner in Miami — and the second we saw how it worked, we had to have it.
⌚ Seiko Kinetic
Powered by motion.
It looks like an automatic. It feels like an automatic. But instead of winding a spring, the rotor inside a Seiko Kinetic generates electricity and stores it in a small capacitor — which then powers a quartz movement.
Think of it as a hybrid engine: smooth, efficient, and quietly brilliant. It’s low-maintenance, affordable, and very much Seiko doing its own thing.
The atomic pioneer.
This was the first radio-controlled wristwatch ever made — and it still looks like it was designed for a spaceship.
Released in 1990 by German brand Junghans, the Mega 1 syncs to atomic time via radio signal. No crown, no manual setting, just hyper-accurate timekeeping delivered straight from the source.
And the design? Pure 90s sci-fi minimalism. It’s thin, black, and feels like Bauhaus met Blade Runner.
Still underrated — and still ahead of its time.
⌚ Casio G-Shock Multiband 6
Solar-powered, atomic time.
Casio took quartz and over-engineered the hell out of it. This G-Shock charges itself with light via a solar panel beneath the dial, then syncs daily via radio waves to an atomic clock — meaning it’s always accurate, no matter what.
It’s shock-resistant, water-resistant, basically bomb-proof… and incredibly practical. If you want to understand the tech behind it, we recommend this great breakdown by Tick Tock Treasure:👉 Watch it here
💭 Final Thoughts
Let’s not pretend these watches are better than mechanical ones — but they’re definitely more fun than people give them credit for.
If you’re a collector who only focuses on escapements and Swiss lever movements, you might be missing out on a whole world of innovation. These pieces may not tick, but they absolutely tell a story — and isn’t that why we love watches in the first place?
Got a weird quartz or electronic piece you love? Drop us a message or tag us on Instagram @brothersinwatches. We’re always down to discover something strange.
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