What is an automatic watch?
A mechanical watch that winds itself: a weighted rotor spins as you move your wrist and winds the mainspring.
How it works
Every mechanical watch is powered by a mainspring. On a manual watch you wind it with the crown. An automatic adds a half-moon rotor that pivots on the movement; your arm's movement swings it, and a gear train turns that motion into winding. Wear it daily and it stays wound; take it off and it runs for its power reserve, typically 40 to 80 hours, then stops.
The mainspring's energy is released in tiny, regular steps by the escapement and balance wheel, which beats several times a second. That's why an automatic's seconds hand sweeps in small ticks instead of jumping once a second like most quartz watches.
Accuracy and care
Automatics are less accurate than quartz: a few seconds a day for a certified chronometer, up to 20 or more for an entry-level movement. They need servicing every five to ten years, when the movement is cleaned and re-oiled. In return you get a watch that runs without a battery and can last generations.
History
Abraham-Louis Perrelet made a self-winding pocket watch around 1770. John Harwood patented the first automatic wristwatch in 1923, and Rolex's 1931 Perpetual rotor, which winds in both directions through a full circle, set the design nearly every automatic still uses.
What's inside, by price
| Price | Automatic | Hand-wound | Quartz | Solar | Watches |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Under $500 | 40% | 0% | 49% | 11% | 106 |
| $500 to $1,500 | 71% | 2% | 17% | 9% | 98 |
| $1,500 to $5,000 | 78% | 10% | 10% | 2% | 93 |
| $5,000 and up | 82% | 8% | 6% | 0% | 110 |
The median automatic we've measured runs 56 hours on a full wind. Browse every caliber on our movements page.
Current watches in our catalog, which is weighted to popular enthusiast models.
Questions
- Does an automatic watch need a battery?
- No. It's powered entirely by its mainspring, wound by the motion of your wrist.
- What happens if I don't wear my automatic watch?
- It runs until its power reserve is used up, usually two to three days, then stops. Wind it with the crown or put it on and give it a shake, then reset the time.