The Ultimate Guide To Luxury Watches – What Is Movement?

Mechanical Movement

Mechanical watches are highly sought after by luxury watch collectors due to their advanced craftsmanship. They were first developed in the 16th century, and their design hasn’t varied much over the centuries, making them all the more appealing. Mechanical watch owners are each connected to the great minds of watch design historians, sporting past genius on their wrists. Design evolutions include the incorporation of precise instruments to improve accuracy. Rather than a battery, mechanical movements source energy from a wound spring. The spring stores and transfers energy via a series of gears and springs which power the watch functions.

 

Quartz Movement

Quartz movement watches came about in the 1960s. They’re battery-powered, sending an electrical current to a quartz crystal. This design is accurate and affordable. You can spot a quartz crystal through the crisp ticking of the second hand. The battery in quartz movement watches typically needs replacing every 18 to 24 months, making them low maintenance and easy to care for.

 

Automatic Movement

Just like mechanical movement, automatic movement is designed with a mainspring and has used the innovative designs of watchmakers through the centuries. Automatic movement watches are often called “self-winding”, as they don’t require daily winding, unlike mechanical movement watches.

 

Chronograph Movement

The first chronograph was designed in 1815 by Louis Moinet. A chronograph movement watch allows you to time something without interrupting the accurate time displayed on the watch face. Chronographs will typically time anywhere from 30 seconds to 12 hours.

 

Chronometer Movement

The idea for the chronometer movement was birthed after the 1707 Sicily Naval disaster. A watchmaker by the name of John Harrison created a design that was capable of maintaining the correct time from anywhere, even on a ship in the ocean. His design maintained the correct time despite changes in temperature, air pressure, salt air corrosion, humidity or ship movements. The chronometer movement watches you see today are still based on Harrison’s design and must undergo testing by the Contrôle Officiel Suisse des Chronomètres (COSC) to earn chronometer certification.

 

Kinetic Movement

A kinetic movement watch uses oscillating weights powered by the watch wearer’s movements. A magnetic charge is created from these movements, which turns into electricity. Some of the kinetic movement watches you see today can store energy for multiple months, allowing them to maintain accurate times even when they’re not being worn.