Do automatic watches need to be wound? In short, yes. All automatic watches need to be wound before any functions on the dial can work.
Automatic watches are powered by mechanical movements which consist of a combination of tiny components that work together to power the watch. Unlike a quartz watch which is powered by a battery, a mechanical watch must be powered by winding a component called the mainspring. The mainspring stores and transfers the energy through a series of gears including a balance wheel and an escapement, regulating a release of energy to power the watch’s functions.
There are two types of mechanical watches: automatic and manual winding. Both automatic and manual winding watches need to be wound before the watch will work. Nevertheless, automatic and manual winding watches differ in how they are wound.
How do you wind a manual winding watch?
In a manual winding or hand winding mechanical watch, the mainspring is attached to the crown usually found on the right hand side of the case. To wind the mainspring, you must turn the crown around 30-40 times to get the watch to full power. All mechanical watches have different power reserves, so depending on this, you will not have to wind it again until the set number of hours have passed.
You can find a great selection of manual winding watches here.
How do you wind an automatic watch?
Automatic watches can also be wound by turning the crown, but they are also equipped with something called an oscillating rotor which means you shouldn’t have to wind it at all if you wear it regularly. The oscillating rotor is attached to the mainspring and spins around every time you move your wrist. The more you wear the watch and move about, the more the watch is wound. Automatic watches are perfect for those like wear their watch almost every day since they will never have to get the battery changed or have to manually wind it.
You can find a great selection of automatic winding watches here.
