I’m a simple guy. I love Star Wars, graphic design and watches. I specifically like pocket watches. I guess you could say I’m an old-fashioned guy, but I did recently begin to appreciate the craftsmanship that goes into making wristwatches.
As I started diving into my new-found passion for wristwatches I realized I had no clue what I was looking for in a watch. All I knew was that a watch tells time. Beside the obvious hour hand, minute hand and second hand I didn’t know what all the other dials or parts did. You hear terminology being used, like a watches movement, case size or crown…What does it all mean? Is it important? How will this affect my purchase?
I want to start by telling you about a watch’s movement. I think this is a great starting point because it’ll help you narrow down your search and understand the most important component of a watch – what keeps it ticking! There are four main types of movements:
Mechanical: Mechanical watches have the honor of being the oldest movement in town. Watches with mechanical movements date back to the 17th Century. How does it work? Here comes the real technical part…the mechanism inside is spring driven and is powered by a series of gears oscillating back and forth at a constant rate. Mechanical watches do require manual winding in order to keep the watch ticking.
Automatic: Automatic watches are next in our discovery of watch movements. They keep excellent time due to their self-winding features. Automatic watches wind themselves through their user’s movement throughout the day. You will never need to wind the watch manually or change batteries as long as it’s kept in motion. We sell automatic watch winders that keep the watch in motion while you’re not wearing one so that it doesn’t lose time.
Quartz: Quartz watches fall next on the list. Introduced in 1969 by Seiko, Quartz watches use the vibrating quartz mineral together with the battery to convert the vibrations into energy to power the watch. Quartz watches are the most popular and most worn watches as they’re typically less expensive than the previous two movements. Their battery lifetime can last from 12 to 36 months.
Hybrid Quartz: Hybrid Quartz watches are fairly new and fuse old technology with today’s new technology. Using rechargeable batteries and solar power or motion technology this type of watch will never require you to change the batteries. It’s great for the environment and saves you from the mission of switching out a watch battery. These are called solar watches or kinetic watches.
I hope this post will help you decide what kind of watch you want. Keep in mind that a watch, like clothes or a hair style, is an extension of who you are. They reveal a glimpse of your personality and passions.