| Whatever Happened to Winding? | | | | was part of the popular Oyster line created in the |
| Depending on your age, you may or may not | | | | early 1930s. Emile Borer was the Rolex technician |
| remember seeing your father wind his watch | | | | who came up with the system, but he was not |
| each night before going to bed. If he did not, he | | | | the first to develop a rotor. That distinction goes |
| would surely wake to a watch that had stopped. | | | | to Swiss watchmaker, Abraham-Louis Perrelet as |
| Those days became history with the advent of | | | | long ago as 1770. This was quite the invention |
| the automatic watch. What makes it automatic? | | | | because it wouldn't be until much later in time that |
| It still has the same basic mechanism to keep the | | | | wrist watches were worn and there just wasn't |
| watch working, but how that mechanism is | | | | enough physical movement with a pocket watch |
| powered changed the way we cared for our | | | | to make it a feasible way to move the rotor and |
| watches. | | | | wind the mainspring. |
| All mechanical watches work in a similar manner. | | | | Automatic watches differ from quartz watches |
| They require a movement of a series of gears to | | | | which are powered by batteries and not by either |
| "tick" of increments of time, which in turn | | | | a manual or automatic winding system. Powered |
| registers as movements of the hands on the | | | | by a battery, the quartz crystal inside a quartz |
| face of the watch. A rotor in the watch sits on a | | | | watch vibrates nearly 33,000 times per. Watch |
| staff in the middle of the watch's movement. It | | | | batteries last about two years, where automatic |
| rotates in a circular motion and winds the | | | | watches have a never ending source of power: |
| mainspring which is the source of power in | | | | movement or motion. |
| mechanical watches. With an automatic watch the | | | | Quartz watches account for most moderately |
| winding of this spiral spring is done automatically | | | | priced watch sales today, but connoisseurs of |
| with any arm or wrist movement. | | | | watches still like the prestige and elegance of a |
| Self-winding, automatic watches work great for | | | | finely crafted mechanical watch. Automatics have |
| people who wear the watch each day, but if you | | | | started to regain some of the quartz market in |
| do not wear the watch frequently, it needs | | | | recent years accounting for huge increases (95%) |
| manual winding about twice a week. Even | | | | in sales between 1993 and 1995. |
| automatic watches will stay working better if | | | | Lubrication is essential to keeping an automatic |
| they are wound manually about once every two | | | | watch running well. Watches can be lubricated by |
| weeks because this helps keep the watch | | | | manually winding the watch periodically and taking |
| lubricated. It is a misconception that automatic | | | | it in to a jeweler once about every 3 to 5 years. |
| watches never need any winding, since it all | | | | When winding an automatic watch, just wind it |
| depends on the movement of the arm to keep it | | | | about 30 to 40 times or until you feel some |
| functioning well. | | | | resistance. Keeping the watch is a watch winding |
| A power reserve lets the movement of your | | | | box is also a good way to keep the watch |
| watch keep time for anywhere between 10 and | | | | lubricated. |
| 72 hours. There is something called a power | | | | Automatic watches are also quite affordable. |
| reserve, and the bigger the reserve, the longer | | | | They actually come in every price range. Some |
| your automatic watch will keep running without | | | | economical brands include Invicta watch and |
| further movement or manual winding. | | | | Orient watch, and then the price can reach into |
| Rolex was the first watch manufacturer to | | | | the very expensive range depending on the |
| devise and patent the rotor system that is still | | | | embellishments or the prestige of a specific brand. |
| used today. They called it the Perpetual and it | | | | |