How do a mechanical watch work?

by wishdoit January 19, 2022

How to operate the mechanical watch, we should first clearly know what is the mechanical watch and its components, and finally make out its working principle. Through these we can understand the operation process of the mechanical watch.

What is the mechanical watch?

First of all, we have to make sense of what is a mechanical watch which is a watch that uses a mechanical mechanism to measure the passage of time, and Mechanical watches are divided into two kinds, manual mechanical watches and automatic mechanical watches. The power source of the mechanical watch is by the movement of the spring for power, driving the gear and then pushing the hand.

Components of mechanical watches

The internal mechanism of a watch, excluding the face and hands, is called the movement. It includes mainspring, wheel train, balance wheel and escapement mechanism and so on. Appearance components by the case, indicating dial, hand, strap and other components.

The working principle of mechanical watches

A mechanical watch is driven by a mainspring which must be wound either periodically by hand or via a self-winding mechanism. Its force is transmitted through a series of gears to power the balance wheel, a weighted wheel which oscillates back and forth at a constant rate. A device called an escapement releases the watch's wheels to move forward a small amount with each swing of the balance wheel, moving the watch's hands forward at a constant rate. The escapement is what makes the 'ticking' sound which is heard in an operating mechanical watch.
History of mechanical watches
Mechanical watches evolved in Europe in the 17th century from spring powered clocks, which appeared in the 15th century.Since the 1970s, quartz watches have taken over most of the watch market. Nowadays, mechanical watches are mostly a high-end product, purchased for their aesthetic and luxury values, for appreciation of their fine craftsmanship or as a status symbol.

Related articles

Back to Watch knowledge
Go to full site