![]() ![]() The dial train is located close to the mainspring barrel, which makes sense since it needs the energy (stored in the mainspring) to drive the watch. We will get to why this part can have those names, too, in a moment.įor starters, the name implies that the dial train controls the movement on the dials. The dial train could also be referred to as the wheel train or the gear train. Thus, the mainspring can be said to be the power source of the mechanical watch and determines the power reserve that it can manage. Once wound, the mainspring will begin to gently unravel in a move that sends power to the watch hands, causing them to work and tick. When the mainspring is fully wound, a barrel enclosure prevents it from losing the stored energy all at once. The mainspring receives energy from the winding of the watch or movement of the wearer's hand, depending on what kind of mechanical watch we are dealing with. Note that they are not the same and should be treated independently. Some refer to it by other names, some of which are hairspring and balance wheel. Depending on how tightly wound the mainspring is, the watch can keep a power reserve that keeps it running for some time.Ī mechanical watch is not complete without this component. Thus, the crown is an important part of the manual mechanical watch to set the watch and start it. ![]() But that is on modern watches alone.įor mechanical watches, the crown can also be pulled out to a certain length to wind the watch again. In most cases, the crown enables the wearer to interact with the watch's inner workings. Here are the most important parts of the mechanical watch that are needed for the mechanism to work at all:Īlmost every traditional watch comes with a crown. These components – and the engineering that goes into making sure they all work together – are the reason why most mechanical timepieces come with a hefty price tag when compared to their quartz mechanism counterparts. Unlike the quartz watch, there are a series of tiny components that makes the watch tick – no pun intended. What parts are present in a mechanical watch? The automatic movement is not the typical watch because it does not have a battery like the quartz watches but also does not require manual winding like the manual watches. The mainspring sends impulses to the watch between 18,000 to 36,000 times every hour, so it needs to stay wound to keep the watch working. The spinning movement of the rotor transfers energy to the mainspring, which winds the watch automatically. How does that happen?Īn automatic watch consists of a weighted rotor that spins anytime the wearer wears the watch. Instead of relying on manual effort to wind the watch, this movement relies on the watch being worn regularly to keep it working. The automatic winding mechanism improves on the basic manual wind watches and has been referred to as the self-winding watch in some circles. In most cases, you have to wind the manual mechanical watch daily as its power reserve is not usually for more than a few hours at a time. The mechanical energy from winding the crown is converted into potential energy in the watch's mainspring, which is gently released to the watch's hands. The watch industry was built on the backs of the manual movement, so we might as well talk about it first.Ī manual mechanical movement watch is powered by winding the crown before it is worn. The basic working principle of mechanical movement has been addressed above.ĭepending on the kind of mechanical watch, there are a series of differences in the working principles of these watches.įor starters, let's see how the automatic movements differ from the traditional manual mechanical movement based on how they both work. Split further into the manual and automatic watch, find out more about how the mechanical watch works below. That is not all there is to a mechanical timepiece, though. When the mainspring fully unwinds, the watch starts losing power and cannot keep time anymore. The balance spring converts kinetic energy from the movement of the wearer's hands, storing that energy into the mainspring to be sent into the watch. The mechanical watch is powered by energy stored inside a tightly wound balance wheel. That said, what is a mechanical watch – and what makes them special compared to other kinds of movement? The mechanical watch movements might not be as popular as they used to be, but they deserve a lot of appreciation.Īfter all, it is this movement that ushered in watches and clocks as we know them today, so they do have a lot of skin in the game.
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