How Watches Work
A watch is a wearable device used in time-telling and is held in place on the wrist with the help of straps. Watches have not been left behind in the changing times. Unlike their predecessors, today’s watches tell the time and date, and perform simple calculations, among other interesting features.
There are two main types of watches: the analogue watch and digital watch. In the analogue watch, time of the day is shown in hours, minutes and seconds. The long hand and short hands’ revolution around the watch’s dial is what enables the time to be displayed. Digital watches time is displayed by actual numbers and is visually represented; they do not tick like analogue watches.
Most people are unaware of a watch’s inner workings. The mechanisms are very interesting, based on simple functions. A watch is either powered by a battery or by manually winding it. Battery-powered watches are the most efficient because their batteries last longer and hence eliminate chances of them stopping. These batteries need to be changed over time, depending on whether they still work or not. Winding is more cost effective and is low maintenance, but is less popular because of the amount of time and effort put into winding them.
Automatic wrist watches are the most preferred because they store energy, meaning the need to wind it daily is eliminated. The watch-making mechanism is the movement calculating time passage and display of the current time. Categories of movements are of three types: completely electronic, completely mechanical, and a mix of both mechanical and electronic. The accuracy of electronic watches makes them more widely trusted than mechanical watches as the latter are prone to errors of seconds and can be affected by temperature and position. Their production cost is higher, with more effort and time required for adjustment and maintenance. Escapement mechanism is used to control the unwinding of the spring.
Electronic movements are based on piezoelectric effect, meaning they rely on a crystal to generate an electric effect with minimal or no turning parts. Their timekeeping techniques are quite accurate and run at strong oscillations, reason being their possession of quartz crystal, which sets an oscillator that vibrates at an unwavering rate.
This is limited primer on how watches work as there are many intricacies that differentiate types of wrist watches. At Égard Watch Company, we take pride in all of our watches and back it up with a 3 year hassle free warranty. Check out our exclusive sales to shop for your limited edition Égard timepiece today!