Why Mechanical Watches Still Have A Place In The Watch Market

Executive summary about Mechanical Watches By Gregg Hall

Mechanical watches are the old fashioned watches that need to be wound up every day. They have no pretensions about them, no gimmicks just good old fashioned watch making at its best. Some people swear by them and will not go near a digital watch. They say they trust the old style more. Mechanical watches they say give a more accurate time. Whatever the reason they are still incredibly popular with consumers, and despite strong competition from their digital sons look here to stay.

These watches tend to appeal to the connoisseurs. People that know how watches work. Well a mechanical watch is like an engine, it is powered by a mechanical set of gears. To get these gears moving we wind the spring until it can’t be wound up and anymore then let that spring release it self slowly, turning the gearing, until it is fully extended and then that is when we wind it back. The gears work on all the three hands of the clock; the second hand, the minute hand and the hour hand. In modern watches there up to 40 wheels and springs working together to give good time. But perhaps what you didn’t know is that jewels also play a part in the working of a watch. These are actually real jewels and no doubt are the most expensive things in the watch, though they are used because they are the least expensive of quality gemstones. They work because their smooth surface allows the cogs to run consistently and hence keep accurate time.

You may ask why digital watches have not taking over completely. Who wears mechanical watches nowadays? They are mostly worn by people who want a watch to look good. Which is Better: Quartz or Mechanical Watch?

Which is Better: Quartz or Mechanical Watch?

Executive summary about Mechanical Watches  By Ian Tham

Traditional mechanical watches had their origins in the 14th century. The mechanical watch is powered by a wound spring and the balance wheel regulates the time. The invention of the quartz watch in the 70′s has however dominated the watch market . Today , 90% of all watches manufactured are quartz watches. Quartz watches are cheaper, more accurate, reliable and require less maintenance. Quartz watches are 60 times more accurate than mechanical watches. A quartz watch loses or gains 1 second a week while a mechanical watch may lose 1 minute a week. This translates to bigger inaccuracies for longer periods of time. In a month you would lose 4 seconds for a quartz watch while a mechanical watch loses up to 4 minutes in a month.

Quartz watches have few moving parts. Moving parts cause friction and wear and tear and as a result they are more prone to breakdown. By having less moving parts quartz watches do not have breakdown as often as mechanical watches. Also , the gear train of a mechanical watch is under constant load from the mainspring whereas the gear train in a quartz watch is not under any load.

Mechanical watches also require servicing every three years to keep the watch working in good condition and tell the time accurately.

Mechanical watches require winding up which provide reserve power of 40 hours. An automatic watch relies on the movement of the wrist to power itself. But still, if you do not wear it all the time and just wear occasionally, you will find the time on the watch has stopped and you need to adjust the time . A quartz watch powered by a battery is constantly powered and tells accurate time all the time and do not need time adjustment.

Mechanical watches have longer lifespans than that of quartz watches. A mechanical watch can last indefinitely with proper care and servicing. Should it break down , parts are always available for repair. A mechanical watch can become a collectible and it can fetch high resale value due to its rarity. A quartz watch on the other hand features electronic circuitry that has a limited lifespan.

Lastly, a mechanical watch is not as sensitive to extreme cold temperature as quartz watches. In extreme cold, the mechanical watch still keeps working while the cold will temporarily shut down the battery of the quartz watch.

Check other article about Festina Watches and Bulova Watches

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