Hand-winding Watch

[Maleficent_vf]

This is a rather odd question for Intercot, but...does anyone know if it is possible to get a watch that you can wind by hand instead of a battery operated one. I am tired of spending money on watch batteries and would rather invest in a really good "old-fashioned" watch, even if I have to remember to wind it regularly.

BTW - it doesn't have to be a Disney-themed watch.

Thanks!

[DisneyDog]

I'm not sure if they make them anymore, but you might be able to get an antique one used. I have owned solar powered watches, and they just need to be left out in the light. They are made by Citizen, Casio and Seiko.

If you want to pursue your question, you could ask at a watch store, or, barring that, there is the National Watch and Clock Museum in Columbia, PA. They have a website, and a reference library:thumbsup:

[BrerGnat]

You can get one of those newer watches that is charged by the MOTION of your arm as you wear it. Forget what it's called, though. They tend to be expensive...

[Tink1]

I would check out antique jewelry shops, estate sales , that type of thing.

This past Sunday my youngest graduated college. As he got ready, I gave him my dad's gold dress watch. He brought it back from Germany after WWII. My son had never seen a wind up watch before!

Nanc

[alpro2]

Yes, these watches still exist (as a matter of fact, there are some people out there who classify these types as "time pieces" as opposed to "watches"). The term that is used is Automatic (battery operated uses the term Quartz). Depending on the brand, the Automatic watches are generally more expensive models than their Quartz counter-parts.

[TinksDH]

A hand-wound timepiece is called a "manual" watch, and needs to be wound usually once a day, sometimes once every other day depending on the mechanism. It uses a rotating balance that acts as a pendulum, as opposed to a vibrating crystal such as found in a quartz watch.

A previous poster described an automatic watch, which uses the same balance mechanism and spring to actually keep time. However, instead of winding the spring manually by rotating the crown back and forth, a weight inside the watchcase called a rotor spins as you move your hand and winds the spring "automatically".

Seiko and Citizen are two fairly well-known affordable automatic watch brands, but most of their autos are sold in Japan. You can get them through Amazon and other online retailers. Another affordable automatic brand is Invicta, which uses mainly Chinese and Japanese components (and sometimes swiss movements) but is purported to be assembled in the US. Trias is another affordable auto watch brand, made in Germany from Chinese and Japanese parts.

Here is a military inspired Seiko auto:

http://www.amazon.com/Seiko-SNK809-Automatic-Black-Strap/dp/B002SSUQFG/ref=pd_sim_dbs_watch_6

[PAYROLL PRINCESS]

Maybe a cheapo Timex? Takes a licking and keeps on ticking.