Tag: Automatic Watch

The use of automatic watch is gaining popularity nowadays. Although it is the first time that they are introduced in the market, it continuously becomes a fad because of environmental awareness. Unlike a normal watch, mechanically operated watches are not powered by batteries. For an automatic watch for instance, its power source is the arm movement of the person wearing the watch. However, before purchasing one, it is not enough that you are doing so just to get into the band wagon. In order to get the most out of it, you should also learn setting an automatic watch. This is actually easy. Because it does not require any battery in order to run, you do not have to open the back part just to replace the cell and make it work again.

Through normal movement of the wrist, your watch will be wound automatically. When it is fully wound, it will run for forty hours even if you remove it during your sleep. However, you can also use a watch winder to make sure that the movement does not really stop when you get it out of your wrist. If it stops and you want to restart it again, simply wind the cap or swing it from side to side until the second hand starts moving. Once it does, set the time and the date accordingly then wear it on your wrist. As long as the watch is in your wrist, you can be sure that it will not stop from moving. Wear it for at least eight hours a day to avoid gaining and losing time. Gaining time happens when you over wind the watch making it move faster than normal second count. Losing time on the other hand happens when it is not fully wound when you take it off. The fast movement your watch may also cause the pins to break. Therefore, be careful not to over wind them.

Set the time just like any other normal watch. Make sure that the hour and the minute hands are pointed to the corresponding time where they are supposed to be. Then set the date in the watch. Pull out the crown to position two and rotate it counter clockwise stopping only when the previous day’s date appears. Do not set it on the date today or else, it will not be chronological with the present day. Pull it out to the third position and advance the hour and the minute hand until the present day’s date appears. Then, put it back to the first position. Remember not to set the date between 9:00PM to 4:00 or it will not change properly.

When setting an automatic watch, make sure that you double check the time so that you will not be too early or late for any appointment that you need to attend to. Also make sure that they are properly set in AM or PM mode so that they date can change simultaneously with the time. Also, remember that you should pull the crown carefully when setting this kind of watch to avoid it from being separated from the entire device.

Battery-operated watches have been the custom of use for many years. More recently, however, artisans have begun to resurrect the old-world charms of mechanical watches, but with certain new world innovations—then came the birth of the automatic watch.

Automatic watches could be either manual or self-winding. More often than not, self-winding watches are more common these days than manual, though quartz watches are what is still considered to be the norm. Aside from getting the rustic charm of a self-winding watch, what are the benefits of getting one as opposed to getting a normal, battery-operated quartz watch?

No Batteries Necessary

As is obviously the best answer, self-winding and even manual watches have no need for batteries in order to keep going. Their internal mechanism involves a rotor powered by a spring that can be wound up by hand or automatically, by arm movements. This effectively eliminates the need for batteries that run out of juice in a year or so.

Having no need for batteries also eliminate the danger of battery fluid leakage, which can corrode the clock mechanism or cause the internal metal parts to rust. Of course, having no batteries will also reduce the cost of wearing the watch, no matter how small or inexpensive that cost might be.

Unique, Vintage Feel

Wristwatches are something more than a way to tell time; they are also great fashion pieces that can either make or break an outfit. Having a self-winding watch will give that old-world aristocratic feel associated with black-tie events and other first-class social gatherings. It can also call to mind the romanticism of the era in which mechanical watches were first introduced. For someone who is an avid collector or an enthusiast of all things vintage, self-winding watches are something that should be commonplace in his or her closet or wardrobe.

Lasts a Lifetime

The most important benefit a self-winding watch has over standard quartz watches is that self-winding watches last generally longer than quartz watches—decades longer, even more. The use of batteries increases the chances of accumulating dust, rust, and leakage inside the mechanism, while self-winding watches do not have such possibilities. Also, self-winding watches have a better chance of restarting itself even after being stopped for a long time than most quartz watches today.

That is not to say that self-winding watches do not break or wear down. If left stopped for an extreme length of time, even self-winding watches will have the chance to not restart properly. The difference with this is that fixing a stopped self-winding watch is easier than fixing a stopped quartz watch. In most cases, a stopped self-winding watch will usually need nothing more than a new oiling of parts, whereas a quartz watch might need a new mechanism altogether.

Time Will Tell

Between a quartz watch and an automatic watch, it is true that there are not that many differences. Getting one from the other will all come down to which is more preferred by the buyer or not, because if the owner of a watch is exceptionally careful—whether it be manual, automatic or battery-operated—then he or she can be sure that he or she will have a timepiece that will tell the time for years to come.