How Watches Work

While just about everyone you know has a watch including yourself, most people are not aware of just how a watch works. In order to make the most out of your watch, it can be helpful to know what makes it tick so to speak. There are several types of watches but for the most part they are much similar in what makes them work so below is some of the basics that will help you to understand just how your watch works.

The first things to consider are how the watch is powered. Since watches have been around for centuries, it goes without saying that there are many movements to watches that make them do what they do. When you think about a watch is a tiny replica of a clock. The parts do the same thing but they are much smaller and have to work that much harder. Making repairs to a watch is much more complicated than that of a wall clock.

Watches are either powered by a battery, solar power or a winding mechanism. Vintage watches were powered by tiny gears that either had to be wound or they would wind themselves when a person moved his or her wrist. This would help to power the watch so that a person could have a maintenance free watch. Battery powered watches need to have the battery changed every so often so that the watch performs at its best without missing a beat.

Hand wound watches would need to have a stem pulled out from the side of the face so that it could be turned to power the watch and move the parts. Most people find that winding the watch at bedtime works best so that it is ready for the next day. This powers the watch by winding the spring that makes the energy to run the watch.

Many people prefer to have what is called an automatic watch. This is a watch that doesn't need to be wound at all and it doesn't need solar power to make it run. While the watch still needs to be wound, it is done just by the person's movement who is wearing the watch. When the watch is full of energy, it stores the energy so that the watch will work even when it is not worn. The amount of time that the watch will last depends on the manufacture and how the watch was made. Some last only a few days without being worn where others will last weeks or months.

Some watches offer a clear back so that you can actually watch your time piece in action. You can see each and every spring and gear in action. This helps to see exactly how a watch works and it makes you aware of proper maintenance so that it will last you for years to come. Most watches work by the movement of a spring inside of it. It creates the energy which makes the watch keep time. You can go with an analog watch or a digital watch. Some people even go with a watch that gives both digital and analog. No matter what type of watch you have you can be sure that they all work similar as it contains a timekeeping device with a drive mechanism, a way to display the time such as a digital face or a face with hands that tell the time and an escapement device. In order for a watch to work properly all of these parts need to be functioning properly.

In order for these parts to function properly, you need to take care of your watch so that it will keep perfect time without missing a beat or second so to speak. Be sure to keep your watch out of water and away from the elements and electric waves and static. All of these can take a toll on your watch and make it run slow or not at all.