Watch Movements

A watch's movement is the mechanism by which the watch measures time from instant to instant.

• For example, mechanical watches break time into eight parts per second. A pallet arm clicks off a regulating gear every 1/8th of a second.
• The other major movement is the quartz, which relies on the peizoelectric qualities of its crystal base.

The following is a brief introduction to these two most well-known movements as well as solar-powered watches. In general, mechanical movements are more costly than others.

Mechanical Watch Movements

There are two types of mechanical watches: manual and self-winding (or automatic).

• With a manual watch, the wearer turns the crown to wind the mechanism.
• An automatic watch requires no winding by the wearer. Instead, movement is activated by a rotor which turns with regular movements and turns of the wearer's wrist.

Mechanical movement begins with a pre-wound spring. The watch's hands and other parts are moved by the regulated release of this spring which slowly discharges its energy under a mechanized control. The mechanism that controls the release of this energy has been engineered in a variety of ways which have been patented throughout history.

The sheer delicacy of this engineering is what makes mechanical watches at once both fragile and valuable. Since 1657, mechanical watch designers have calibrated these frail mechanisms specific to each watch model, considering temperature changes, day to day wear, demand for slimmer cases and the placement of gems and other embellishments.

Quartz Watch Movements

Quartz movements are activated by a quartz crystal that vibrates at a consistent pace when it is compressed - approximately 33,000 times per second. This naturally occurring quality of quartz makes it an excellent timekeeping component. This kind of movement is much cheaper to produce than the delicate human-engineered mechanical movement.

The accuracy of quartz movements is governed by the quality or purity of the quartz and its shape and cut. From this basis, digital readouts are built around seconds, minutes and hours, to give us the LCD display that is now so common. Quartz movement was discovered in the late 1960s.

Solar Powered Watches

Also called eco-driven or light powered, these are becoming increasingly viable. Light from the sun or other sources enters the watch through its crystal and dial. A solar cell under the dial powers the watch, when the light loosens free electrons, creating a current which is then stored in a battery or capacitor. The watch then runs automatically.