A movement is what makes a watch 'go'. Manual and automatic movements are made up of only mechanical parts, like gears and springs. Most collectors and connoisseurs prefer manual or automatic watches, as these movements represent the accumulation of over 600 years of refinement, expertise, and craftsmanship.
1) Manual Movement
'Manual movements' are the most traditional movements, usually found in very conservative, collectable, and luxury watches. It is the oldest type of watch movement in production, dating back to the sixteenth century. Sometimes referred to as a 'hand-wound movement', the manual watch needs to be wound in order to function. Depending on the power reserve, this could be daily, every two days, once a week, etc. Many people cherish the timeless tradition of manual movements and even enjoy the ritual of winding them.
Components of the Manual Movement Watch:
Crown: Wheel on the side of the watch used to set the time. On a mechanical movement, either manual or automatic, the Crown is usually turned to wind the watch.
Mainspring: Power source of the movement. The kinetic energy from winding the Crown is transferred to the coil-shaped Mainspring, which stores the energy by gradually becoming tighter.
Gear Train: Transmits the stored energy from the Mainspring to the Escapement through a series of minute gears.
Escapement: Acts as a break. It takes the energy transmitted from the Mainspring through the Gear Train and meters the energy into equal, regular parts.
Balance Wheel: Heart of the movement. It receives the energy to run from the Escapement. The Balance beats, or oscillates in a circular motion, five to ten times per second. A watchmaker can adjust the Balance to make the watch run faster or slower.
Dial Train: Series of gears transmitting regulated, equally metered energy from the Balance Wheel to the hands of the watch, making them move.
Jewels: Synthetic rubies set at points of high friction, similar to the center of a gear that is constantly in motion. The Jewels are used as bearings in the watch to reduce metal-to-metal friction and wear, thereby improving performance and accuracy. Rubies are used because they absorb heat well and are extremely hard.
How a Manual Movement works:
2) Automatic Movement
An automatic, or self-winding, movement is a mechanical movement that winds itself while worn on the wrist. As it eliminates the need for daily hand winding, it is still necessary to wind an automatic watch if it has not been worn and has stopped.
Prior to wearing an automatic watch, it will need to be wound. One may choose to purchase a winding box, which will keep an automatic watch fully wound when not being worn for extended periods of time.
Components of the Automatic Movement Watch:
An automatic movement has the same parts as a regular manual movement: Crown, Mainspring, Escapement, Gear Train, Balance Wheel, and a Dial Train. The Rotor is an additional component which allows the watch to wind itself while worn.
Rotor: An oscillating (rotating) metal weight attached to the movement; allowed to swing freely in 360 degrees as the wrist moves. The Rotor is connected by a series of gears to the Mainspring. As the Rotor turns, it winds the Mainspring to give the watch energy. The Rotor is equipped with a clutch to disengage from winding when the Mainspring is fully wound. Hand winding gives the watch a full power reserve and the Rotor will keep rewinding the watch thereafter. Power reserve is a term used to indicate, in hours, the amount of energy stored in the movement. Thus, a watch with a 48 hour power reserve will run for approximately 48 hours before stopping.
How an Automatic Movement works:
A quartz movement, usually the most accurate type of movement, uses a battery for its power source. Quartz watches are reliable and accurate, with very low maintenance costs. They only require a battery change.
Components of a Quartz Movement Watch:
Battery: Power source of the watch. Typically, the Battery on a quartz watch will last between twelve and twenty four months before needing to be replaced. It is important to replace the Battery soon after it stops, to avoid the possibility of it leaking acid, causing damage to the movement.
Integrated Circuit: 'Carries' the electrical charge between various parts of the quartz movement. Think of it similarly to the Gear Train on mechanical watches.
Quartz Crystal: The heart of the movement, the Quartz Crystal performs the same function as the Balance Wheel on a mechanical watch. The Integrated Circuit applies electricity from the Battery to the Quartz Crystal in a constant stream. Quartz vibrates when electricity is applied (this is called the piezoelectric effect), generating voltage. Watch Quartz Crystals vibrate at a constant rate of 32,768 vibrations per second. The vibrations are then carried to the Stepping Motor via the Integrated Circuit.
Stepping Motor: Transforms the electrical impulses into mechanical power; moves the hands of the watch. Imagine the Stepping Motor as a bridge. This bridge is programmed to close every 32,768th electrical pulse it receives from the Quartz Crystal via the Integrated Circuit. When the bridge is closed, the power flows to the Dial Train and the hands advance on the watch. If the bridge remained open, electricity would not continue to the Dial Train and the hands would never advance.
Dial Train: Transmits energy from the Quartz Crystal to the hands of the watch, making them move. It functions in an identical manner to the Dial Train found in mechanical movements.
How it works:
2) Auto-Quartz Movement
A combination of the automatic movement and the quartz movement, the auto-quartz movement is a virtually maintenance free watch. It has no battery to replace, no springs to wear out, and functions with the accuracy of a quartz movement.
Components of the Movement:
The auto-quartz movement combines parts of mechanical and quartz watches: the Rotor, Integrated Circuit, Stepping Motor, Dial Train, and an additional component, the Capacitor.
Capacitor: Stores electrical energy generated by winding the Crown through the movement of the Rotor. The capacitor can be thought of as the equivalent to a Mainspring. Winding the watch about 25 times or shaking it 10 times will give the Capacitor enough energy to start running, and will become fully charged after three days of wear.
How it works:
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