Watch Mechanism

Watch Mechanism

A movement is a term used in watch-making. It is the method that measures the passage of time and shows the current time. The movement can be mechanical, electronic or both.

Mechanical Movements: In this the escapement mechanism is used to control the watch by converting the unwinding process into a period release of energy. The gear system is controlled by a balance wheel and a balance spring or a hairspring. To reduce the effect of gravitation an additional part called the tourbillon is used. As the tourbillon has a complex design and because it is expensive, they are implemented in high-end watches only. Tuning fork mechanism is used in electromechanical-movement watches but soon became a thing of the past after the advent of electronic quartz watches. The mechanical movement is less accurate than the electronic movements - shows errors in seconds – and is sensitive to temperature and position. However, the mechanical movement watches are still attractive as it has the old-world charm to it.

Electronic Movements: In this mechanism there are few or no moving parts at all. A small quartz crystal and the principle of piezoelectric effect is used to stabilize the time. The crystal has a quartz oscillator which can be activated by a suitable frequency and can be used to maintain the time accurately. The archetype of quartz watch was tested in Switzerland in 1962 and Seiko 35 SQ Astron became the first watch which used this mechanism; it was released in 1969. Some watch makers also combine this mechanism with mechanical movements, like the Seiko Spring Drive which was release in 2005. Modern watches synchronise itself by receiving signals from atomic clocks, radio signals, GPS satellite signals, DCF77 signal (Europe), and WWVB signal (US). These type of watches not only synchronize the time but also the date, check if the year is a leap-year, and show the present condition of daylight saving time (if it is ON or OFF).