Automatic watches do not need batteries since they are powered using the kinetic energy that the wearer generates by moving their arm while they wear the watch. These automatic or “self-winding” watches use a rotor (an oscillating weight) inside the watch that generates energy to wind and power the watch. Manual wind watches also do not need batteries but must be hand-wound frequently.
There are other types of watches on the market that you might think don’t have batteries, including kinetic and solar watches. However kinetic watches do have an internal electrical storage unit (capacitor) and solar watches normally have rechargeable lithium batteries. So while you may not need to replace the battery or capacitor in these watches for many years, truly battery-free watches are mechanical – automatic and self-winding.
Winding Your Automatic Watch
You might think that all watches these days must have a battery. When’s the last time you even saw a steam-powered watch? In fact, though, the first watches didn’t have batteries and they worked just fine by simply being wound.
A hand-wound watch certainly seems like a relic of a long-gone era, back when “horsepower” literally referred to how many horses you had out in front of your buggy. In fact, while hand-wound watches are not the norm these days, they never went away. There remain some watch aficionados who would never dream of owning any other kind.
For the most part, hand-wound watches were replaced by automatic watches (also known as self-winding). Both types of watches rely on a mainspring inside the body of the watch which is tightened for the gears within to move. Automatic watches, though, don’t require daily attention.
As a result of ingenious design, automatic watches are powered by the movement of the wearer’s body as they move. The natural movement of the arm when the wearer is walking or doing other activities causes a weighted piece inside the watch to fall back and forth, utilizing that kinetic energy to wind the gear train.
For storing watches, especially if you invest in a collection of watches and can’t possibly wear each watch daily- you can also use a watch winder, these devices are used to keep an automatic watch running when not worn.
Whether hand- or self-wound, these types of watches have a classic feel and don’t require a battery, which is a bonus for anyone who has ever struggled to change out one of those tiny batteries.
For a clear explanation of an automatic watch, this short video gives a great explanation and answers to several frequently asked questions.
Should I Buy An Automatic watch?
Now that you know about automatic watches, the obvious question to ask is whether there are more advantages to a wound watch or a battery-powered watch.
First, it’s important to know how the two kinds of watches differ. Besides the power sources, there are slight differences in the way the two types of watches behave.
The most obvious is the second hand. On a watch that is powered by winding, either hand or automatic, the second hand glides smoothly around the face of the watch in constant motion.
If you think about the mechanics of a wound watch, that makes perfect sense. By contrast, if the second hand of the watch makes a halted ticking motion as it moves, you’re in possession of a battery-powered watch.
Another difference is internal and probably only makes a difference to the aforementioned watch aficionado. A wound watch, by necessity, will be a more intricately designed and crafted machine. The carefully assembled gears can look like a work of art and so, from a purely aesthetic point of view, an automatic watch is nicer to look at.
Physical appearance isn’t the only advantage, though. As a result of the higher craftsmanship, automatic (and hand-wound) watches tend to also be more durable and less difficult to keep in working condition.
And the Sellita W200 movement is imported, very famous and of very good quality. Many of our watches use this movement, such as Cronos Water Ghost Luxury Dive Watch SW200 Movement L6005, Cronos Luxury Men Watch Diver BB58 Watches L6017