It is amazing what a sophisticated and precise technical system leads to the fact that a clock works. For most people, it is taken for granted, even banal, that a watch shows the exact time. But if you take a look inside a watch, you will gain fascinating insights into the clever and complex construction that leads to the correct time being displayed.
How does a mechanical watch work?
Mechanical watches can be found pretty much in all sizes and variations - from wristwatches and pocket watches to tower clocks. The principle of operation is based on mechanical energy generated by winding the crown and transmitted through a sophisticated gear train. When the crown is wound, the winding stem, the winding wheels and the ratchet wheel of the mainspring barrel move. This ratchet wheel contains the spring core, which transmits mechanical energy to the spring in the barrel. This spring is the energy store of a mechanical watch.
The spring then transfers this energy to the minute wheel, the third wheel and the fourth wheel via several gear wheels. To prevent the second hand in particular from moving forward too quickly, there is the escapement wheel, which ensures that the movement is slowed down with the help of the pallet and balance wheels. Incidentally, the interaction between the pallet and balance wheel also produces the characteristic ticking of the watch that we can hear.
What are the advantages and disadvantages of a mechanical watch compared to other types of watches?
A clear advantage of mechanical watches is certainly that, compared to other types of watches such as quartz watches, they do not require electrical energy through batteries and are therefore much better for the environment. However, those who attach great importance to always having the hundred percent exact and precise time displayed may be better off with a quartz watch or other models - because mechanical watches always lag a few seconds per day.
Under certain circumstances, some people find it annoying to have to wind the mechanical watch every day. However, this problem does not apply to an automatic watch, for example, where the watch winds itself. However, in contrast to mechanical watches, automatic watches often have to make sacrifices in terms of aesthetics, as an additional rotor has to be installed in automatic watches, which makes a very slim design of the watch impossible. Also contributing to the aesthetics of a mechanical watch is that it has a certain retro charm to it, the appeal of a technology that has worked for centuries.
So, each type of watch has its advantages and disadvantages; ultimately, the choice of the right watch depends primarily on the personal, individual preferences of the wearer and the intention with which he acquires a watch.
