Watches Information

Whatever Happened to Winding?

Depending on your age, you may or may not remember seeing your father wind his watch each night before going to bed. If he did not, he would surely wake to a watch that had stopped. Those days became history with the advent of the automatic watch. What makes it automatic? It still has the same basic mechanism to keep the watch working, but how that mechanism is powered changed the way we cared for our watches.

All mechanical watches work in a similar manner. They require a movement of a series of gears to “tick” of increments of time, which in turn registers as movements of the hands on the face of the watch. A rotor in the watch sits on a staff in the middle of the watch’s movement. It rotates in a circular motion and winds the mainspring which is the source of power in mechanical watches. With an automatic watch the winding of this spiral spring is done automatically with any arm or wrist movement.

Self-winding, automatic watches work great for people who wear the watch each day, but if you do not wear the watch frequently, it needs manual winding about twice a week. Even automatic watches will stay working better if they are wound manually about once every two weeks because this helps keep the watch lubricated. It is a misconception that automatic watches never need any winding, since it all depends on the movement of the arm to keep it functioning well.

A power reserve lets the movement of your watch keep time for anywhere between 10 and 72 hours. There is something called a power reserve, and the bigger the reserve, the longer your automatic watch will keep running without further movement or manual winding.

Rolex was the first watch manufacturer to devise and patent the rotor system that is still used today. They called it the Perpetual and it was part of the popular Oyster line created in the early 1930s. Emile Borer was the Rolex technician who came up with the system, but he was not the first to develop a rotor. That distinction goes to Swiss watchmaker, Abraham-Louis Perrelet as long ago as 1770. This was quite the invention because it wouldn’t be until much later in time that wrist watches were worn and there just wasn’t enough physical movement with a pocket watch to make it a feasible way to move the rotor and wind the mainspring.

Automatic watches differ from quartz watches which are powered by batteries and not by either a manual or automatic winding system. Powered by a battery, the quartz crystal inside a quartz watch vibrates nearly 33,000 times per. Watch batteries last about two years, where automatic watches have a never ending source of power: movement or motion.

Quartz watches account for most moderately priced watch sales today, but connoisseurs of watches still like the prestige and elegance of a finely crafted mechanical watch. Automatics have started to regain some of the quartz market in recent years accounting for huge increases (95%) in sales between 1993 and 1995.

Lubrication is essential to keeping an automatic watch running well. Watches can be lubricated by manually winding the watch periodically and taking it in to a jeweler once about every 3 to 5 years. When winding an automatic watch, just wind it about 30 to 40 times or until you feel some resistance. Keeping the watch is a watch winding box is also a good way to keep the watch lubricated.

Automatic watches are also quite affordable. They actually come in every price range. Some economical brands include Invicta watch and Orient watch, and then the price can reach into the very expensive range depending on the embellishments or the prestige of a specific brand.

Zai Zhu is a watch collector and a watch dealer. Shop over 800 fine watches including Citizen watches, Invicta watches, Orient watches, Mido watches, Luminox watches and many more at http://www.discountwatchstore.com . Read reviews and watch articles.

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Shopping for watches on the Internet, while enjoyable can be difficult for a number of reasons. Two main reasons are that there are an overwhelming number of watches available and you don’t get to see them and feel them before you click that buy button. However, with some basic knowledge on wrist watches, you will be able to browse through more choices in less time and significantly increase your chance of finding the watch that you want.

Watches 101

Before you shop for your next watch, be it a Citizen watch or an Invicta watch or any watch for that matter, it is a good idea to know how watches are classified. Watches are generally classified as either quartz watches or mechanical watches. Mechanical watches are further broken down to automatic watches (automatic winding) and manual wind watches. Mechanical watches consist of all mechanical components and hence the name mechanical watches. Mechanical watches do not need battery. Quartz watches do need battery. Quartz watches gets their name from the quartz crystal that is in use in the movement.

There are inherent advantages and disadvantages with both quartz and mechanical watches. Quartz watches are more accurate and less expensive than similar mechanical watches. However, you do have to change the battery every few years, which will incur additional cost and inconvenience. Mechanical watches are less accurate. They are heavier and usually cost more than similar quartz watches. However, mechanical watches are view as more than just timepieces; they are pieces of art. They are canvases where watchmakers showcase their creativity and skills. Even a simple mechanical watch can have over 100 parts in them compare to just a few dozen in quartz watches. It is not difficult to see that it takes far more expertise to put a mechanical watch together. Knowing whether you want a quartz watch or a mechanical watch will help you filter out a significant number of choices.

Watches are further classified into smaller categories based on their functions or complications. Examples of popular complications are chronograph, perpetual calendar, and moon phase.

What is popular now?

Currently, chronograph watches, diamond watches, dive watches, and watches with large face are some of most popular watches available on the market. Chronograph watches are watches with a stop watch feature built in. Most people buy chronograph watches for the look, few actually use the function. Diamonds can really add some sparkles to watches. Diamond is one of the most popular precious stones, so it is no surprise that diamond watches are popular. Dive watches are popular because they are often rugged looking and convey a sense of durability, not to mention the fact that they have high water resistance. Large face watches are popular partly because many celebrities are wearing them and also because it is easier to tell time with them.

What to look for?

Once you determine whether you want a quartz watch or a mechanical watch and the kind of complications you want it to have, it is time to look at some materials.

Case materials:

Popular watch materials for watch cases are stainless steel and titanium. Stainless steel and titanium are good because and they are durable. Titanium is lighter than stainless steel, but much stronger. However, it has a duller look compares to stainless steel. Titanium tends to be a little more expensive than stainless steel.

Crystal materials:

Sapphire crystals and mineral crystals are recommended for most watches. Sapphire crystal is much harder than mineral crystal and is a lot more scratch resistant than mineral crystal. They are obviously more expensive than mineral crystals. Materials to avoid are glass and acrylic. They are found in many low end watches.

Watch band materials:

There are a wide variety of watch band materials ranging from stainless steel to eel skin. Which material works best for your watch is determined by your taste and your intended use for that watch. If you are active and will be getting the watch wet often, then you will want to go with either a metal bracelet of some sort or a rubber strap as they are easy to clean and maintain. It is not recommended for any type of leather strap to be submerged in water as it can deteriorate the quality of the band.

Tips to getting the right watch the first time!

Read the descriptions including all the specifications of all the watches you are interested in carefully. As a watch dealer, very often I see customers returning a watch simply because it was too big or too small. If only they had read the descriptions and the specs carefully, they won’t have to waste money on shipping and create extra work and inconvenience for themselves and others. If you are unsure whether a watch will be too big or too small for you, measure your wrist and know its approximate size. Remember you can always call the vendor and ask for additional help. It sure beats making an unnecessary trip to the post office.

Learn these basics about watches and you will soon discover that you can spend less time and browse through more watches, so you may find the one that best fits your taste and your style of life.

Copyright 2006 Zai Zhu

Zai Zhu is a watch collector and a watch dealer. Visit http://www.discountwatchstore.com to learn more about wristwatches. You can also shop over 800 fine watches including 100’s of Citizen watches and Invicta watches as well as other brand name watches such as Luminox, Mido, Orient, Croton, Vanceur, and Wenger.

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