How Do Wrist Watches Work?

A battery sends an electric current to a tiny, tuning-fork-shaped piece of quartz, causing it to oscillate at 32,768 vibrations per second. The watch's circuits reduce that number to one vibration per second, or one hertz, and those pulses are translated into ticks by a tiny electric motor.

How do automatic mechanical watches work?

An automatic watch movement uses a rotor, or metal weight, to power the timepiece. The rotor will oscillate freely within the watch. Every time the wearer moves their wrist, the rotor spins. That intrinsic spinning motion is transferred into energy that winds the mainspring in the watch automatically.

How does a watch work without a battery?

Mechanical watches do not require a battery. Instead, they have a main spring that is used to power the watch. This then powers a balancing wheel that oscillates around four or more times every second. They are manually wound on a regular basis by the wearer.