Watch movements, explained
Movement is the heart of the watch — it sets the feel, the maintenance and a lot of the price.
Automatic
Self-winding mechanical — powered by your wrist motion, no battery. The enthusiast default: a sweeping seconds hand and a lifetime with service.
Quartz
Battery-powered, accurate to seconds-per-month, low-maintenance and usually cheaper. Ticks once per second.
Solar / light-powered
Quartz accuracy with no battery changes — light keeps it charged (Citizen Eco-Drive, Seiko Solar, Casio Tough Solar).
Hand-wound
Mechanical with no rotor — you wind it daily. Thinner cases, a deliberate ritual.
Meca-quartz
Quartz timekeeping with a mechanical chronograph module — crisp snappy chrono resets at a quartz price.
A few watches worth a look
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