Cover Photo Courtesy of IWC Schaffhausen

Filling your life with fun and positivity is what you need during these hard times, and here’s something that might get your mind off of things, even if it’s just for a few minutes. The movement of a watch is the element that makes it tick. It’s like a beating heart pumping energy into it to tell you the time. Before you invest in a new luxury timepiece, discover the types of movements in order to choose the right one for you. There are three primary types – manual, automatic and quartz – and we’ll tell you all about them.

In terms of function, manual movements call for manual winding in order to create energy. It is the oldest movement in the world of watchmaking and it’s rarely manufactured nowadays. Automatic movements is a more modern version of the manual movement and they are more convenient as you don’t need to wind the watch daily yourself; it winds itself as you move, and paired with a self-winding functionality, it’s the most popular choice of movements seen nowadays. However, quartz movements remain the simplest as they only use a battery to function.

When choosing a watch, you must also take into consideration the accuracy of its movement. Manual movements keep the time quite well, but subject to a slight variation as they can stop functioning unexpectedly, and automatic ones continue to function as long as you wear them so time accuracy is not one of their very best features. However, the best accuracy is provided with quartz movements as they are battery-powered.

Aesthetically speaking, manual watches remain the most beautiful as they are usually supplied with a sapphire case-back that reveals the beauty of the movement. So, it’s most probably a must-have in every watch enthusiast’s collection.

Now that you’ve discovered the basics of watch movements, get immersed in another kind of creativity in watchmaking:

Cases: Another Watchmaking Innovation

Article Written by Mirella Haddad