Why Does the Part on the Back of Expensive Watches Rotate?

Our main area of ​​interest is smart watches Let’s put it aside and return to the actual watches that shed light on these times with their hundreds of years of history. Yes, we are talking about automatic watches. Previously on the dial of most watches quartz We touched upon the phrase and shared its meaning with you.

Now quartz’s arch rival mechanical watches We mention. These watches, which are much more expensive than quartz ones, work with a mechanism, as we can understand from the name. For those with a transparent back cover, it’s almost like a piece that doesn’t stay in place We see. But what exactly is automatic about these watches? Also, why does the piece in question constantly rotate around itself?

First of all, our mechanical watches are divided into two: ‘winding’ and ‘automatic’.

Think of winding watches as that chick toy we are all familiar with.

The more we turn the handle next to it, the more we move inside the toy. energy accumulates And when we let go, the chick moves forward thanks to this accumulated energy. Naturally, it stops when the energy runs out and we have to set it up again.

As we turn the crown (handle on the side) where we adjust our winding watch, the movement inside the mechanism main spring We are stretching and this is happening to a certain extent. As we turn, energy accumulates, the gears turn, the clock works, and when the energy runs out, we have to wind the clock again. While some people say they like it because they think it has a connection with the watch, others see it as a burden.

For those who see it as a burden, the word “automatic” on the watch comes into play.

automatic watchesIt has a mechanism that works with gears and springs, just like winding watches. However, unlike wind-ups, when the watch runs out of power, you do not have to take it off and wind it again and again. The mechanism of these watches is the same as you use your watch on a daily basis. to accumulate energy is being designed.

This is where the piece called ‘rotor’, which is the focus of our content, comes into play.

This critical part, which some people think is just visual, is basically a tool for the mechanism. a weight task sees. As it moves, it stores small amounts of energy to ensure the continuity of the clock. When these clocks stop, all you have to do is pick them up and shake them in a circular motion to start them again.

After this, you can easily use these hours during the day. Because while you are doing your daily work, As you move, the rotor also rotates. and stores energy. In this way, the clock stays alive.

Both winding and automatic watches work by releasing the energy accumulated on the spring.

But in winding watches, you can use this spring. while stretching it in a spiral shape by hand The rotor in automatic watches is driven by interconnected gears. without bothering you it makes it happen. In other words, this piece you see on the back of the watches stretches the spring as it rotates, and thus your watch works.

This was a big problem in the 70s and 80s.

Quartz watches, which appeared at the beginning of these years, until the batteries run out It virtually wiped mechanical watches off the map because they kept time so accurately. Today, we can pull out our phone and check the time, so time tracking doesn’t seem like a big deal.

However, since it was critical for watches to keep good time at that time; In particular, Swiss watch manufacturers were competing with each other to produce the watches that kept time the longest and most accurately. From the most popular manufacturers seiko With the Quartz Revolution he initiated, he pioneered the production of watches that were more numerous, cheaper and kept better time compared to mechanical watches.

From then until now; Battery-powered watches from brands such as Casio, Citizen and Seiko have become widespread. The answer of the Swiss manufacturers, who want to get their share of the market captured by these manufacturers, is to produce quartz watches – mostly – that are relatively cheaper than luxury watches and suitable for everyone. Swatch became its brand.

Today the company; Omega, Blancpain, Tissot and Longines It keeps luxury watch manufacturers with deep history, such as, under its roof. In this context, we can think of it as Volkswagen.

We have come to the end of our content with our little history lesson. You can determine the topic of our next content by stating your questions about this area in the comments section.

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