What Is A Watch Movement?

A watch movement is the mechanism that is used to power the watch. There are two main variations that are used in watches: mechanical movements and quartz movements. 

Quartz movements use the electrical charge from a battery to vibrate a quartz crystal that, in turn, drives the watch hands. A quartz movement can run for several years before requiring a new battery. 

Meanwhile, mechanical watch movements use the gradual release of energy from a wound mainspring - regulated by a series of gears and an oscillating balance wheel - to precisely drive the hands and maintain accurate timekeeping. As these movements are powered by a spring, they need to be regularly wound in order to keep running. Mechanical watches usually last between 40 and 70 hours once fully wound. 

Owing to their complexity and the increased labour required to manufacture mechanical movements, they are considered the more artisanal and luxury option. 

All Farer’s watches use Swiss-made mechanical movements from reliable manufacturers such as La Joux-Perret and Sellita. You can read about La Joux-Perret and their G101 calibre movement here, and you can read all about why Sellita are so popular here. 

What is the difference between automatic and manual wind watches?

Mechanical watches can either be hand-wound or automatic. Though it is nearly always possible to wind an automatic watch by hand, the key difference between the two movements is that automatic watches feature an oscillating weight called a rotor that winds the mainspring as it turns. 

Most watch rotors are semi-circular and fixed to the centre of the underside of the movement. They are clearly visible on watches with a display caseback, and so they are often customised and decorated. 

On the other hand, manual-wind movements are wound by hand. You can read all about how to correctly wind a manual-wind watch here. 

The movements used in Farer watches are tried and tested calibres that are well-known for their reliability and accuracy. However, like any machine, they require periodic maintenance to perform at their best. You can read about when to service your watch here.