A mechanical watch is a watch which keeps running by harnessing power from the moving mechanical parts instead of a battery as it would in a quartz powered time piece. All mechanical watches operate in this manner however there are two important sub categories to know which are automatic watches also known as self wind and manual wind also knows as hand wound.
Automatic watches as the name suggests, keep functioning automatically without the need to wind the crown of the watch regularly to keep it ticking. An automatic rotor is fitted on these types of time pieces which winds the mainspring powering the watch. This is done seamlessly for the wearer as the natural movement of the wrists provides enough oscillation to keep the watch driven and working. Different watches have varying power reserves which means a watch will stop functioning if it isn’t worn for a certain period of time. The biggest drawback of an automatic mechanical watch is that rotors are often very large and restrict the view of the fine inner workings of a time piece.
Manual wind watches differ from automatic as they need to be wound regularly by their wearer by turning the crown. This winds the mainspring and keeps the time piece alive for as long as the power reserve allows. Many prefer mechanical watches as it establishes a special bond between it and its owner as time and energy has to be invested into the time piece every so often to keep it working.
A choice of a time piece will always come down to personal preference and taste. If you are willing to put in the time every morning to wind up your beloved accessory then a hand wound piece should be a consideration. However, for those wanting a watch that can be quickly would and worn, an automatic is the better choice.
Feeling inspired to browse for watches? Take a look at our range of mechanical time pieces:
https://blisswatches.com/collections/automatic-watches