If you wonder how an automatic mechanical watch works, it is likely that you already own one or are thinking of buying one. So, first, we will explain how an automatic mechanical watch works and when users like you have been able to start enjoying them. At Armando-G, we have been manufacturing displays for luxury watches for years, and there is no detail or singularity of these pieces that we can’t handle. Are you ready for a journey through time?

 What is the origin of self-winding mechanical watches?

The first automatic watch, then a pocket watch, dates back to 1770. The inventor Abraham-Louis Perrelet (1729-1826) developed a system that had never been seen before, in which, thanks to the movement of the owner when walking, the intrinsic mechanism of the watch oscillated and allowed it to function correctly. The Perrelet brand (1777), now acquired by the Festina Group, was born.

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In 1812, Queen Caroline Murat, Napoleon’s sister, commissioned Abraham-Louis Breguet to make a wristwatch, and so it was made. The first wristwatch. A curious fact is that these watches were worn by men on a chain attached to the back pocket of their trousers, while women wore them around their necks, a trend that lasted almost a century.

How to start automatic mechanical watches? 

We will explain how automatic luxury watches work. If you have an automatic watch, and you want to start it, you must avoid hitting it or shaking it vigorously to start it. Although it may be effective at the time, the small screws that form part of the machinery could become loose or even break.

To start it running you must set the watch to the time using the crown, once this has been done:

  • Make sure that the crown is closed. To achieve this, push it in so that the winding mechanism is connected to the crown.

  • Turn the crown about 20 full turns clockwise. If 20 times is not enough, you can turn it further, this will not damage your watch, but a maximum of 30 turns should be sufficient.

  • If you do not use the watch, it may stop in the next twenty or thirty hours. To fix it, repeat the process to start it again.

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Where to store mechanical self-winding watches safely?

From Armando-G, we provide the user with boxes to store their watches and prevent them from stopping if they are not used for long periods of time or to facilitate the daily change of their watches by preventing the watches that are not worn from stopping. These watch winder cases or automatic watch winders have an internal movement that keeps the watch mechanism active even when not in use.

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The main functions of these cases are:

  • To ensure that, the watch is always on time by preventing its mechanism from stopping.

  • Facilitate the maintenance work of the watch, since being a constant movement it can be better appreciated if the calibre is optimal and its variations in the power reserve.

  • It makes it easier to ensure that the automatic watch’s machinery is always lubricated.

Everything you could wish for your luxury watches

There are other types of storage boxes that protect your watch from the passage of time and provide the necessary security. If you need any information about the different types of storage for your watch, please do not hesitate to contact Armando-G by email at info@armando-g.com or by calling +34 93 636 14 16. We will be pleased to help you.