How does an automatic watch hold a power reserve?

Question

And how does mere movement power it? Cheers

In: 3

Answer 1

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.