May 8, 2025
Watch Movements: A Comprehensive Guide and FAQ
Watch movements, like the engines in cars, are the mechanisms that make the whole thing run, and if you're new to the world of avid watch enthusiasm, there's more to learn about them, and how they work, than you think. In this comprehensive guide to watch movements, we will attempt to answer every question that you might have about movements - their different types, their important parts, who makes them, and even a bit of history and trivia. What is a Mechanical Movement? A mechanical movement, the oldest type of movement in horology, uses a coiled metal spring, called a mainspring, that releases energy as it uncoils through a series of gears to drive a weighted, oscillating wheel called a balance wheel. The balance wheel’s oscillations are linked to an escapement, which periodically releases the gear train to move the hands forward to record the passing of hours, minutes, and seconds. Originally, the mainspring needed to be wound periodically by hand, first by a key, then by a winding crown attached via a stem to the movement. Later, a type of movement was developed that could be wound “automatically,” through the motions of the wearer’s wrist. What is the difference between a mechanical movement and an automatic movement? It isn’t really a question of difference: the latter is simply a specific type of the former, à la a Cognac and a brandy. The two main types of mechanical movements are manually wound (or “hand-winding”), in which the user needs to p...
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