Mechanical watch

Mechanical Watch：Everything You Need To Know About Mechanical Watches

Many watch lovers are attracted by mechanical watches for their intricate craftsmanship. Unlike quartz watches powered by batteries, a mechanical watch runs purely on mechanical energy, with hundreds of tiny gears, springs and balance wheels working together. This article explains manual‑winding and automatic mechanical watches, core parameters, common faults and daily care knowledge.

Two Main Types Of Mechanical Watch

Manual‑winding mechanical watch

Manual mechanical watches rely on manual twisting of the crown to wind the mainspring. Turning the crown tightens the spring inside the movement to store energy.

When the power is exhausted, the watch will stop running. You need to wind it manually again. Many classic thin‑case watches adopt manual‑winding movement.

Automatic mechanical watch (self‑winding watch)

Automatic mechanical watch is the most common style on the market. It adds an oscillating rotor on the movement. When you swing your arm during daily wear, the rotor spins and automatically winds the mainspring.

Normally you do not need to wind it manually if you wear it every day. If you leave it aside for several days, power will run out and the watch stops. At this time you can shake the watch or wind the crown manually to restart it.

Key parameters of mechanical watch movement

Vibration frequency

The vibration frequency means the oscillation times of balance wheel per hour. Common values are 21600 vph and 28800 vph. Higher vibration frequency brings better anti‑interference performance and relatively stable timekeeping.

Power reserve

Power reserve refers to how long the watch can keep running after fully wound. Basic movements offer around 40‑42 hours power reserve. High‑end improved movements can reach 70 hours or longer. Long power reserve means the watch can keep working even if you do not wear it for one or two days.

Timekeeping error

Mechanical watches have reasonable time deviation. It is normal to have daily error within ±15‑30 seconds. Temperature, gravity and impact will affect accuracy. If the error becomes too large, the movement may need maintenance or demagnetization.

Common problem: mechanical watch magnetized

Mechanical watch is easy to get magnetized when close to mobile phones, speakers and magnetic objects. After magnetization, the watch runs obviously fast.

If your mechanical watch speeds up suddenly, demagnetization is the first thing to check. It needs a professional demagnetizer, do not try to handle it by yourself.