And how does mere movement power it? Cheers
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It has a weight pendulum inside that spins when the wearer moves. That spinning pendulum wither winds a mechanical mechanism, or activates a charger similar to the ones on the hand cranked radios and flashlights to charge the watch’s battery. On the ones with them, the battery is large enough that it only needs a tiny charge daily, as long as the watch is worn often and regularly
Mechanical watches have a spring inside that you wind up, the spring then powers the movement throughout the day.
Automatic watches still use this same system, but instead of having to manually wind the spring everyday there is a heavy weight inside that spins freely as you move your hand. This weight is then attached to the winding spring system and effectively winds the watch as it spins around all day.
Many automatic watches have a glass window in the back and you can see this weight freely moving as you turn the watch.
“Automatic” watches are mechanical watches which are self-winding. Mechanical watches store their power in the form of metal springs, wound up to slowly release their energy through the mechanism of the watch.
Instead of being wound by the turning of a small stem by the user’s fingers, an automatic watch uses a weight within the watch to crank a sort of ratchet mechanism. As the orientation of the watch changes the weight will swing down and provide force to crank the watch’s spring tighter. Since people move around quite a bit a small amount of that force is harvested to keep the watch wound.
Mechanical watches hold power by having a wound spring inside. The clockwork gears release this energy very precisely, which is what allows the hands to move and the watch to tell time accurately.
Older watches would require the owner to wind the spring manually – either by turning the crown or using a watch key.
Automatic watches have a mechanism inside where a weight travels around in a circle and _this_ motion winds the spring. So long as the watch is worn and the wearer is semi-active, the spring will wind enough to operate the clockwork.
I’ve not heard the phrase ‘automatic watch’ before.
I’ve seen them advertised as self-winding or perpetual watches.
There is a weight in the back of the watch that spins around when the wearer moves about. It cranks on the spring inside to tighten it up just as winding the watch by hand does.
There’s also a clutch of sorts that allows some slippage of the mechanism. Allowing enough energy from the weight moving to crank up the spring, but also slipping when the spring is fully wound.
(Those clutches and cranks break quite easily, leaving a spinning weight that does nothing. And it has to be cranked by hand.
I have one, and the self-winding broke within a few months. For anyone interested, they’re cool and all, but rather expensive. Best not to be worn daily or during any fast pace activity. Just very special occasions.
Sudden impacts, like closing a car door or jumping, not good for it.)
I read the post as “how does the ‘power reserve’ work in an automatic movement.”
Someone described a battery – that’s a kinetic movement. My understanding is that a Kinetic movement is just a quartz movement which is charged by an automatic-esque rotating weight.
I always wondered why certain automatic movements claim 24 or 48 hour power reserves, but I’m thinking that’s the estimated spring windout if the watch is sedentary and fully wound.
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