When we buy a watch, its movement is by far one of the most important aspects to take into consideration. The movement, also called the watch engine is pretty much the entirety of a watch’s inner workings. This is the mechanism powering your watch. There are 3 main watch movement types, and these are quartz, automatic and mechanic.
MANUAL MOVEMENTS
Manual or mechanic movements date from the 16th century in Italy. The idea behind a manual watch movement is that you need to wound the watch daily on your own. That’s where the manual aspect of this movement comes into play. With that in mind, creating watches with a manual movement is very complicated, and it involves a lot of skill. There are many watch brands like Patek, Omega or Rolex that use a manual/mechanic watch movement.
AUTOMATIC MOVEMENTS
The automatic movement has become more prevalent during the 17th century when people wanted a low-maintenance watch. What happens here is the watch will wind itself since it harnesses the energy generated by your own movements. As you move your arms during the day, you generate energy that the watch will use to wind on its own.
A self-winding mechanism has its own weighted rotor. This is found above the mainspring and the watch will do all the work on its own. These watches tend to be a bit heavier or larger, depending on the winding mechanisms they use.
QUARTZ MOVEMENT
The quartz movement is the simplest movement out there, and it’s powered by a battery. Unlike automatic or manual movements, this particular type of movement doesn’t really involve a lot of moving parts. Because of that, these watches need way less servicing, and they do run smoothly. Which is what makes them a very good option to consider.
WHICH IS THE BETTER OPTION?
Choosing a specific watch movement is very subjective, and it’s easy to see why. Every person has their own requirements when it comes to buying a watch. Some of us buy it for the look, others focus more on the art and movement quality. Plus, there are also people that want a durable watch, while some will focus on getting an inexpensive one.
In general, automatic movements tend to be widely sought after because they involve minimal attention and servicing them is not something you have to do often. Manual movements are preferred within the enthusiast circles because they showcase the uniqueness of the watch, and they also provide a variety of other functions.
At the end of the day, buying a great watch is a personal experience, so it’s a good idea to identify what kind of movement fits your requirements. There are niche options, but also mainstream ones depending on what you want. Things like pricing, durability, servicing requirements and costs will always end up as a topic of conversation when you buy a watch. That’s why you need to create a list with the things you expect, and then you can narrow down the movement accordingly!
