The movement of a Watches Manufacturers watch is the heart of the piece, it is the mechanism that manages to measure time accurately. It may seem like a stable process, but the big watch brands continue to develop new mechanisms, capable of achieving incredible accuracy, as well as incorporating new complications.

On this occasion we are going to analyze how the movement of a watch works, what parts usually make up its structure and some tips to protect and maintain the mechanism of a luxury watch.

What is the movement of a watch

The movement of a watch is the mechanism that allows you to measure time. There are different types of mechanisms, but all are based on the premise that the internal structure of the clock must move regularly, to prevent it from gaining or losing time.

In addition to the measurement of seconds, minutes and hours, the movement also includes all the complications that fit in a watch, from the calendar to the phases of the moon.

There are two essential types of movement in the watch industry, the quartz movement and the mechanical movement.

Quartz movement: On the one hand they are very precise and also do not require maintenance. The quartz crystal vibrates, due to the electric current generated by a battery, a tiny chip converts the vibrations into impulses, which reach an electric motor that moves the hands. These watches are also very cheap.

Mechanical movement: In this case electricity has no function, the movement is based on a rope device that moves different mechanical parts. These watches are more delicate than the previous ones, less precise and require more maintenance, so why opt for a mechanical watch? Because mechanics is the essence of watchmaking. This time we are going to focus on the automatic movement of watches to analyze what a movement is.

How does a winding mechanical movement work?

Until a few decades ago it was necessary to wind watches for their mechanism to work, today the movement of the hand itself is enough for the complete mechanism of the watch to work, thanks to several centuries of research.

The simplest explanation to understand how a movement-driven mechanical watch works is as follows:

All automatic watches have a motor spring that stores energy when it is wound, and gradually releases it by expanding. This motor acquires the rope through movement, thanks to a rotor and a pawl, which transmit the movement.

The rotor rotates around a central axis, it also has a set of coils, when pivoting sideways it winds the mechanism, the pawl prevents the rope from being lost when it rotates in the opposite direction, blocking its movement in the opposite direction.

The motor spring unwinds little by little, which is why the watch can work without the need for us to be in motion, since it has a power reserve that, depending on the model, can be greater or less. Are the motor spring, the ratchet and the rotor enough for an automatic watch to work? Yes, but the movements are much more complex, due to the fact that they have more complications that require the introduction of other parts.

How the mechanical calendar mechanism works

The operation of the calendar mechanism is simple, it is based on the mechanism of the wheel of hours, which makes a complete turn every 12 hours, that is, two times a day. By means of a series of gears, the day changes each time the wheel of hours makes a complete second revolution, that is, at twelve o'clock at night.

The perpetual calendar is capable of measuring by itself the months of 28, 30 and 31 days, even, once every 4 years, a complex mechanism is activated to count on February 29.

There are several mechanisms capable of activating a perpetual calendar, but the most common consists of a wheel with 48 cams, one for each month in a 4-year cycle, this cam is the one that groups the months depending on the days.

More complications: the lunar cycle

There are mechanisms that have all kinds of complications, one more or less common is the moon phase counter. Lunar cycles are not exact, in fact they last 29 days, 12 hours, 44 minutes, 2 seconds and 8 tenths, therefore a wheel with 59 teeth capable of calculating cycles of 29 days and 44 minutes is necessary, the consequence is that every 3 years there is an error of one day, which must be corrected.

Other parts in the movement of a mechanical watch

In addition to those we have seen, to enhance the accuracy of a mechanical watch there are other parts, such as the following:

Anchor: This is a piece that transmits the force of the rope to the regulating wheel.

Flywheel: Metal wheel that houses the spiral and regulates the gears.

Tourbillon: Device invented by Breguet in the form of a mobile cage, and which allows to cancel the effect of gravity on the mechanism.

Barrel: It is a cylindrical toothed wheel that contains the main spring.

Escape: There is the escapement and the co-axial escapement. What it achieves is to regulate the oscillations of the steering wheel.

Fusee: It is a toothed conical piece that, in some models, replaces the barrel.

Rubies: Allows you to reduce gear wear.

Bridge: Piece of metal on which the pivots of the clock wheels turn.

Helium escape valve: It is a special mechanism that is used in diving watches, and that serves to eliminate the pressure produced by helium in the depths.

Mass Manufacturered at Watches5 Watches Factory

At Watches5 Chinese Watch Manufacturer they are experts in exclusive watchmaking, that is why they have the largest catalog of custom pieces, in addition, their own team is in charge of personally checking the mechanism of each piece, to ensure that all their watches are in perfect condition.