Like the Time ATAC, Look’s Quartz has twin-sprung bars instead of jaws. The Quartz is second only to the Eggbeater in this category for mud clearance, but doesn’t suffer the foot roll you can get from the Eggbeater.
The titanium axle has a nice long threaded section for full engagement in the crank threads, although it's not as stiff as as steel axle.
We’ve not had the Quartz for long, so lifespan is hard to gauge, although Look road pedals are traditionally bombproof.
One downside is that you can’t install or remove the pedal with an Allen key – it’s a 15mm wrench job only. It’s a pain when we all now expect to use Allen keys. Setting the cleat height with shims is a fiddle and never feels as good as having a fixed height cleat.
Buy if: You like Time’s twin-bar performance, but want a lighter and more adjustable interface between cleat and pedal.