Mechanical Watch and its Functioning

Technology has changed our lifestyles, and now we have the luxury of looking elegant much more than ever before. Today, we see fantastic digital watches with colour display, alarms, digital numbers, temperature sensors, and much more. Mechanical watches were actually the watches people used to buy, and liked in the early centuries.

Earlier, in the beginning of the twentieth century, the most common type of watches used by people was mechanical. They did not depend on batteries for their power source. Almost every day, one had to wound the watch to generate power. Even now, some still appreciate the use of this watch owing to its original design and aesthetics.

It is not only the wounding of the spring, and the gear set that makes the mechanical watch work, the source of power is also mechanical. The mechanical watch is similar to the quartz watch in the sense that it uses gears to move its hands. However, in a quartz watch, a crystal supplies the energy. The mainspring of the watch generates energy in a mechanical watch when it is wind upped. Once the spring has been wind upped, it allows the watch to function for forty hours approximately, giving it the energy to move its gears.

In a complex mechanical watch, you can see accurate time for a bit longer, as it generates more energy with the full wind of the mainspring. Automatic watches also function much like mechanical watches with the only difference that the wrist movement of the wearer activates the winding mechanism. This is the reason these watches are called automatic watches.

In essence, the mechanical watch has not changed over time. However, certain additions has been made to it in the sense; it has become more elaborate in terms in the number of screws, plates, balances, wheels, springs, and jewels used in it. It takes the amalgamation of all these parts for a mechanical watch to be developed. The integral unit amongst all these is the jewel, which truly brings a smooth watch movement.

The jewels like rubies are used in the mechanical watches, as they are made of crystallised aluminium oxide. Rubies are very hard, smooth; and because it has slippery surface, it allows wheel pivots to move in a consistent and constant manner. The steel wheel pivots are also saved from friction. In the modern mechanical watches of today, synthetic rubies are being used.

Ranging from watch to watch, owing mainly to its complexity, the quantity of jewels used varies from between five to about thirty-five. The more the jewels used, the more complicated its design is. One may think that more jewels mean a better watch, but the growth in technology has made this known that the ideal number of jewels for a good watch are four to eight.

A fine crafted mechanical watch can last for the lifetime. Of course, you should care about it. You should save it from dust and debris; you can take it to the watchmaker every 3 to 5 years and get it lubricated, and cleaned. You should also protect it from water, and should check the back case for any cracks every now and then.

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