The history of the mechanical watch started in the late 13th century with the invention of the mechanical clock. From early portable clocks to the sophisticated watches of today, mechanical watches have evolved while retaining their appeal as both functional tools and works of art. **Some basics...** The movement shown below is a Seiko NH-36. It's known for its affordability and reliability. This day-and-date automatic movement is found in many budget-friendly watches, including Seiko, Orient, and Invicta. A watch movement, also known as a "caliber," is the heart of a watch, the engine responsible for moving the hands on the dial and powering complications. ![[deep-blue-deep-sea.png|Pro Sea Diver power by NH36]] ![[nh36-front.jpeg|300]] ![[nh36-back.jpeg|300]] Complications are watch functions beyond the hours, minutes, and seconds hands. Common complications include Day, Date, and Chronograph (stopwatch function). ![[deep-sea-comp.jpg|Day and date Complication|400]] The Mechanical movement is powered by a mainspring, a coiled piece of metal that stores energy when wound. ![[mainspring.jpg|Mainspring]] There are two mechanisms for winding the mainspring, Manual and Automatic and some movements provide both. Manual movements are wound manually by wearer using the crown. Automatic movements are self-winding through the motion of the wearer's wrist. This movement contains a rotor that spins and winds the mainspring as the wearer moves. ![[nh36-rotor-crown-2.jpg]] A basic mechanical movement has between 100 and 200 parts, while a complex movemen t could have over 1,000 parts. Some parts are so small they are barely visible to the naked eye. Working on watch movements requires special tools and high magnification. ![[nh36-quarter.jpeg]] <iframe width="315" height="560" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/DzWzX7yCOM8" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen></iframe> ## Resources An [excellent description](https://ciechanow.ski/mechanical-watch/) of how a mechanical watch works by Bartosz Ciechanowski. --- [Instragram](https://instagram.com/learning.watches/)