Movements in Motion – More About Watch Movements

Watches are incredible pieces of technology that stemmed from human ingenuity. With constant developments to make things wearable and portable, watches are some of the earliest, most astonishing engineering and research innovations. While today’s industry has evolved into smart technology, this has replaced most of what a watch used to be with highly advanced programming and connectivity.

However, with the horological connoisseur viewing the classic watch as an essential part of life and an incredibly classy element of style, it is highly unlikely that the world will ditch these soon. One company that produces some of the highest quality products despite being mass-produced is Seiko, and they don’t seem to be slowing down anytime soon.

Horological Engineering Marvels

A watch is more than just a metal device that tells time. If you look at things from a micro perspective, these wrist pieces are works of art with intricate inner workings that are practically magical. While the exterior of a watch is what people see and use to recognize the timepiece, what makes it even more interesting is the heart and soul that keeps it alive.

Watch movements are the essential piece of any watch, and it’s often this component that indicates how expensive a watch can go for on the market. Various types of timepieces use different types of movement technologies, and brands like Seiko have some of the best in-house produced movements on a large scale.

The Two Common Movements

The heart and soul of a watch rely on stored power, kinetic energy, or a battery. Stored power and kinetic energy-fueled timepieces are classified under mechanical movements, as these use gears and bespoke mechanisms to fuel the watch. These rely on a winding mechanism that is either manually done, requiring a wind after a few days, or can continue running as long as the piece is worn. These are typically more expensive than the battery-powered counterparts due to their complicated build qualities.

Automatic movements are part of the mechanical category and are powered by kinetic energy. The movements of a person’s arms generate energy, which is the timepiece’s power source. As long as the piece is worn, the watch can practically live and keep running forever.

Battery-powered movements are known as quartz movements, as these use a crystal that transmits electricity to keep the watch running even when the timepiece isn’t worn. These are typically cheaper to produce and maintain, as they require a battery replacement every few years, and repair jobs are easier to do thanks to fewer moving parts. Any experienced watch smith can handle quartz repairs, but very few can actually do a mechanical movement fix.

Components of a Watch Movement

While both mechanical and quartz movements operate differently and have different parts, some similar parts are found in both. The first is the mainspring, which is a coil that stores energy by tightly winding up the coil for a more accurate time depiction. Secondly, the gear train is the power receptor that takes the mainspring’s stored energy and transfers it through a series of tiny gears. Next is the escapement, a circular part with teeth, acting as a gear that receives power from the gear train and meters it out through a balance wheel. Lastly, the balance wheel is a tiny pendulum that assists in keeping the time of a watch.

Conclusion

Whether you own a mechanical or a quartz watch, these are both essential technologies that have been perfected throughout the last century. Seiko’s revolutionary quartz movement was a powerhouse back in the day thanks to its accuracy and power, while its automatic and manual movements have proven themselves as well. Wearable technology has gone a long way, and both have fantastic potential, whether they are analog or digital.

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