When my interest in watches sparked, I perhaps didn’t know much about many things, such as quartz watches; it was written on all the watches I initially bought, but I never really thought about what “quartz watch” meant. And then, when my interest in expensive watches arose, I faced a lot of confusion when I had to choose between automatic and mechanical watches. Therefore, I am going to share with you the main differences between these two terms and watches so that those who have just started collecting watches don’t face any issues.
We know that nowadays smartwatches are quite popular, but only those who invest in luxury watches (analogue watches) know how special it feels to have one on the wrist. Most luxury watch brands predominantly manufacture mechanical or automatic watches.
Let’s start with Mechanical Watches:
There are two types of watches: Mechanical and Quartz (battery-powered), about which we will discuss in detail in another article and the title will be Mechanical Watch vs Quartz Watch. Now you will find it easy to understand that mechanical watches do not require a battery and operate on a spring that unwinds. The slow unwinding of the spring moves the dials inside the watch with small gears or cogwheels, as seen in machines. In a mechanical watch, you need to manually wind the crown (the knob on the side of a watch) to wind the spring after a specific time to keep the watch functioning.
Automatic Watches:
All automatic watches are mechanical, but the difference is that they do not need to be manually wound because they have a rotor inside that moves with the movement of the hand and wrist, thereby winding the watch automatically. If you don’t wear an automatic watch for a long time, it may stop working because it relies on self-winding as long as it is on your wrist. I have a Seiko 5 Automatic 21 Jewels,if I don’t wear it for two days, the watch stops ticking as I mentioned above that the watch is wound when it is on the wrist.
Now, let’s talk about the difference between Manual and Hand-wound watches:
All automatic watches are mechanical, but the way they are powered is different. Automatic watches are self-winding, and those that need to be manually wound are called “mechanical” or sometimes “manual.” Many watch brands mention “Automatic” on the dial so that customers don’t get confused when selecting a watch and can easily make their choice.
Let me tell you which watch is better, Mechanical vs. Automatic:
Luxury brands such as Marc Jacobs, Rolex, Patek Philippe, Hublot, etc., typically manufacture mechanical watches, which are usually handmade, hence it takes months to make a single watch, which is the reason for their high price tag. Generally, automatic watches are better and more convenient because you don’t have to wind them repeatedly, and the watch remains functional. Hand-wound watches are also good; they have their own advantages, some of which I have observed and mentioned below:
Design and Attractiveness: You can see the mechanism of hand-wound watches from the back case. If the case is transparent, you will be fascinated by the watch movement, which makes a simple mechanical watch more desirable.
Price Factor: Simple mechanical (hand-wound) watches are relatively cheaper. Many brands produce watches with the same dial and design, but a hand-wound watch in the same design is cheaper than a similar automatic watch because it doesn’t use a complicated automatic mechanism, which cuts down the cost.
Watch Thickness: Yes, most mechanical watches are slightly thinner than automatic watches because there is no rotor inside for self-winding.
We hope you now understand the difference between automatic and mechanical watches. Personally, if I were to buy an expensive watch, I might opt for a hand-wound (manual) watch because it might be a bit cheaper compared to an automatic watch, and also because I am somewhat old-school, like many others reading this article. I have a fondness for vintage watches, and that experience can be attained with a simple hand-wound mechanical watch.
