Which is better, an automatic mechanical watch or a manual mechanical watch?

2022-07-17

The mechanical watch is characterized by no need to replace the battery and can be used for a long time through regular maintenance and oil washing. Which is better, an automatic mechanical watch or a manual mechanical watch? They each have their pros and cons, and their features are as follows:

1. Introduction of automatic mechanical watches and manual mechanical watches

(1) An automatic mechanical watch is based on an ordinary mechanical watch, and an additional mechanical automatic winding mechanism is added. Ordinary mechanical watches need to be manually wound at regular intervals, otherwise, the watch will stop. For automatic mechanical watches, you should wear the watch on your hand for a certain time every day to let it move. With the swing of the arm, the automatic winding mechanism of the watch starts to wind up.

(2) Manual mechanical watches rely on manual winding to drive the watch, usually by turning the crown to wind up the spring in the watch, and the clockwork system releases kinetic energy to drive the timing function of the watch. All these processes are It is done by mechanical principles and construction.

2. Structural characteristics of automatic mechanical watches and manual mechanical watches

(1) Automatic mechanical watches can be divided into two types: semi-automatic and fully automatic. A semi-automatic watch can only be wound by rotating the automatic rotor in a certain direction, and a fully automatic watch can be wound by rotating the automatic rotor in any direction. Different from one-way reversing devices, two-way reversing devices, or ratchet pawl-type devices.

(2) Mobile phone mechanical watches usually use the elastic potential energy stored by the tightened mainspring as energy. During the normal operation of the watch mechanism, it converts the elastic potential energy into mechanical energy (the rotation of the barrel wheel) and releases it, thereby releasing the energy. Drive the wheel train to rotate, maintain the vibration system to vibrate without attenuation, and drive the pointer mechanism or additional mechanism to move, which is referred to as the source mechanism for short.

3. Advantages and disadvantages of automatic mechanical watches and manual mechanical watches

(1) Automatic mechanical watch

Advantages: In daily work and life, the clockwork on the arm movement is enough to walk for 24 hours, and some can reach 30 to 40 hours.
Disadvantages: Bedridden patients and elderly people are not suitable to wear this watch, because the amount of activity is too small, and the watch may stop and go.

(2) Manual mechanical watch

Advantages: A fully wound mainspring can usually make the watch run for about 30 hours, and the longest can even reach eight days or more.
Disadvantages: If you want the watch to run continuously, you need to pay attention to winding the mainspring at any time, but over-winding the mainspring will cause damage to the watch, so it is usually recommended to wind up the watch at the same time every day, which can better maintain the watch.

4. Daily maintenance of mechanical watches

(1) Wear it normally and avoid vibration

Automatic mechanical watch: with the appropriate amount of activity, it can continue to be wound and run normally (it may be slower when the wearer is less active, This is normal. Please rotate the crown 20-30 when using it for the first time times, to initially wind the mainspring).
Manual mechanical watch: wind up enough to make the watch run normally and ensure the accuracy of travel time. Although the watch is shockproof, it is easy to break the tip of the pendulum shaft or the journal of the wheel train when the external impact is strong, and the vibration of the speed needle can also affect the travel time.

(2) Prevent magnetization

Although the watch is made of non-magnetic materials that are not easy to be magnetized, it is greatly affected by the magnetic field when traveling. For example, do not place it in places with magnetic fields such as TV sets, radios, or speakers.

(3) The watch is waterproof

Try not to take the watch for swimming or washing clothes. Once it gets wet or wet in the rain, you cannot pull out the crown to adjust the watch at this time, but wipe it dry immediately. Since the crown head is relatively protruding, try to avoid it being bumped, and pay attention to the gap between the crown head and the case. If it is too small, it will affect the operation, and if it is too large, it will affect the waterproof performance, and it is not beautiful at the same time.