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Automatic Watches

An automatic watch winds itself with no need for a battery. With a weighted, free-spinning rotor inside that moves as you do, you’ll keep your watch wound with every action. Browse our selection of automatic watches below.

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Popular Brands
  1. Panerai Panerai
  2. Rolex Rolex
  3. IWC IWC
  4. Omega Omega
  5. Tag Heuer Tag Heuer
  6. Breitling Breitling
  7. Cartier Cartier
  8. Jaeger-LeCoultre Jaeger-LeCoultre
  9. Hublot Hublot
  10. Tudor Tudor
  11. Vacheron Constantin Vacheron Constantin
  12. Audemars Piguet Audemars Piguet
  13. Patek Philippe Patek Philippe
All Brands
  1. A. Lange and Sohne A. Lange and Sohne
  2. Audemars Piguet Audemars Piguet
  3. B.R.M Watches B.R.M Watches
  4. Ball Ball
  5. Baume et Mercier Baume et Mercier
  6. Bell and Ross Bell and Ross
  7. Blancpain Blancpain
  8. Breguet Breguet
  9. Breitling Breitling
  10. Bremont Bremont
  11. Bvlgari Bvlgari
  12. Carl F. Bucherer Carl F. Bucherer
  13. Cartier Cartier
  14. Chanel Chanel
  15. Chopard Chopard
  16. Corum Corum
  17. Eterna Eterna
  18. Franck Muller Franck Muller
  19. Frederique Constant Frederique Constant
  20. Girard Perregaux Girard Perregaux
  21. Glashutte Original Glashutte Original
  22. Grand Seiko Grand Seiko
  23. Hamilton Hamilton
  24. Hermes Hermes
  25. Hublot Hublot
  26. IWC IWC
  27. Jaeger-LeCoultre Jaeger-LeCoultre
  28. Jaquet Droz Jaquet Droz
  29. Longines Longines
  30. Maurice Lacroix Maurice Lacroix
  31. Montblanc Montblanc
  32. Nomos Glashutte Nomos Glashutte
  33. Omega Omega
  34. Oris Oris
  35. Panerai Panerai
  36. Parmigiani Parmigiani
  37. Patek Philippe Patek Philippe
  38. Perrelet Perrelet
  39. Piaget Piaget
  40. Porsche Design Porsche Design
  41. Rado Rado
  42. Raymond Weil Raymond Weil
  43. Roger Dubuis Roger Dubuis
  44. Rolex Rolex
  45. Tag Heuer Tag Heuer
  46. Tissot Tissot
  47. Tudor Tudor
  48. TW Steel TW Steel
  49. Ulysse Nardin Ulysse Nardin
  50. Vacheron Constantin Vacheron Constantin
  51. Zenith Zenith
Series
Case Size
The size of a watch is very important for style and comfort. If you prefer an oversized watch like a Panerai Luminor, you’ll probably want Large. If you’re looking for something more discreet like a Rolex Lady Datejust, you’ll want Small. For everything in between, Medium.
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  1. Stock Stock
Case Material
  1. Aluminium Aluminium
  2. Bronze Bronze
  3. Carbon Carbon
  4. Ceramic Ceramic
  5. Platinum Platinum
  6. Rose Gold Rose Gold
  7. Rose Gold Plated Rose Gold Plated
  8. Silver Silver
  9. Steel Steel
  10. Steel & Rose Gold Steel & Rose Gold
  11. Steel & Rose Gold Plated Steel & Rose Gold Plated
  12. Steel & White Gold Steel & White Gold
  13. Steel & Yellow Gold Steel & Yellow Gold
  14. Titanium Titanium
  15. White Gold White Gold
  16. Yellow Gold Yellow Gold
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  1. Bracelet Bracelet
  2. Fabric Fabric
  3. Leather Leather
  4. Rubber Rubber
Box and Papers
  1. Original box Original box
  1. Original papers Original papers
Movement
A mechanical watch is powered by a spring. Manual mechanical watches must be hand wound. Automatic watches are also mechanical, and are wound by a weight that spins with the wearer's movements. A quartz watch is battery powered and extremely accurate.
  1. Automatic Automatic
  2. Manual Manual
  3. Quartz Quartz
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  1. Limited Edition Limited Edition
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Rolex Pearlmaster 80318 253149

Rolex
Pearlmaster
80318

Box
Papers
Year 2006
€10,135
Rolex Pearlmaster 80339 244013

Rolex
Pearlmaster
80339

Box
Papers
Year 2005
€10,375
Rolex Yacht-Master 169622 278611

Rolex
Yacht-Master
169622

Box
Papers
Year 2000
€5,500
Rolex Yacht-Master 116622 274794

Rolex
Yacht-Master
116622

Box
Papers
Year 2008
€9,420
Rolex Yacht-Master 16622 281267

Rolex
Yacht-Master
16622

Box
Papers
Year 2004
€9,080
Rolex Milgauss 116400 GV 283666

Rolex
Milgauss
116400 GV

Box
Papers
Year 2017
€9,035
Rolex GMT Master 1675 270218
Vintage

Rolex
GMT Master
1675

Box
Papers
Year 1972
€14,445
Rolex Submariner 124060 283048
Manufacturer's Warranty

Rolex
Submariner
124060

Box
Papers
Year 2023
€11,785
Rolex Explorer 124270 280590
Manufacturer's Warranty

Rolex
Explorer
124270

Box
Papers
Year 2021
€7,545
Rolex Sea-Dweller 16600 283659
Vintage

Rolex
Sea-Dweller
16600

Box
Papers
Year 1999
€9,705
Rolex Sea-Dweller 126603 282882
Manufacturer's Warranty

Rolex
Sea-Dweller
126603

Box
Papers
Year 2022
€15,840
Rolex Oyster Perpetual 276200 278624
Manufacturer's Warranty

Rolex
Oyster Perpetual
276200

Box
Papers
Year 2023
€4,115
Rolex Sea-Dweller 16600 244738

Rolex
Sea-Dweller
16600

Box
Papers
Year 2006
€8,335
Rolex Sea-Dweller 16660 267003
Vintage

Rolex
Sea-Dweller
16660

Box
Papers
Year 1980
€7,245
Rolex Explorer 1655 270269
Vintage

Rolex
Explorer
1655

Box
Papers
Year 1981
Product Location
€25,975
incl. import taxes & duties
Rolex Explorer 124270 279709
Manufacturer's Warranty

Rolex
Explorer
124270

Box
Papers
Year 2022
€7,725
Rolex Oyster Perpetual 114300 279585

Rolex
Oyster Perpetual
114300

Box
Papers
Year 2020
€7,940
Rolex Oyster Perpetual 124300 283655
Manufacturer's Warranty

Rolex
Oyster Perpetual
124300

Box
Papers
Year 2021
€7,840
Rolex Day-Date 18238 265164
Vintage

Rolex
Day-Date
18238

Box
Papers
Year 1990
€27,025
Rolex Day-Date 18238 250685
Vintage

Rolex
Day-Date
18238

Box
Papers
Year 1990
€27,025
Rolex Day-Date 118238 260035

Rolex
Day-Date
118238

Box
Papers
Year 2004
€23,230
Rolex Oyster Perpetual 77080 253514

Rolex
Oyster Perpetual
77080

Box
Papers
Year 2000
€4,690
Rolex Day-Date 18238 267400
Vintage

Rolex
Day-Date
18238

Box
Papers
Year 1994
€29,325
Rolex Daytona 116500 LN 282807

Rolex
Daytona
116500 LN

Box
Papers
Year 2020
€24,140
Rolex Oyster Perpetual 116000 282345

Rolex
Oyster Perpetual
116000

Box
Papers
Year 2011
€5,515
Rolex Day-Date 118239 283957

Rolex
Day-Date
118239

Box
Papers
Year 2004
€26,390
Rolex Daytona 116500 LN 244431

Rolex
Daytona
116500 LN

Box
Papers
Year 2019
€27,240
Rolex Day-Date 18078 249397
Vintage

Rolex
Day-Date
18078

Box
Papers
Year 1991
€21,945
Rolex Daytona 126518 LN 282346
Manufacturer's Warranty

Rolex
Daytona
126518 LN

Box
Papers
Year 2023
€45,365
Rolex Daytona 116500 LN 281874

Rolex
Daytona
116500 LN

Box
Papers
Year 2020
€24,075
Rolex Daytona 116500 LN 282884

Rolex
Daytona
116500 LN

Box
Papers
Year 2019
€27,500
Rolex Daytona 116500 LN 281602

Rolex
Daytona
116500 LN

Box
Papers
Year 2019
€27,520
Rolex Explorer 14270 266372

Rolex
Explorer
14270

Box
Papers
Year 2001
€6,870
Rolex Explorer 14270 281640
Vintage

Rolex
Explorer
14270

Box
Papers
Year 1998
€6,715
Rolex Air-King 14010 265154
Vintage

Rolex
Air-King
14010

Box
Papers
Year 1994
€5,460
Rolex Air-King 114234 266121

Rolex
Air-King
114234

Box
Papers
Year 2008
€5,385
Rolex Air-King 14000M 262699

Rolex
Air-King
14000M

Box
Papers
Year 1999
€4,610

Automatic Watches

The person largely credited with inventing the first self-winding movement powered by an oscillating weight—or rotor—is the pioneering Swiss watchmaker Abraham-Louis Perrelet in the 1770s.

Hubert Sarton and the great Abraham-Louis Breguet were two of several watchmakers who further developed the technology over the following century before a Parisian watchmaker called Leon Leroy came up with the idea of a self-winding wristwatch in 1922, making a small batch for a private client.

A year later, an English watch repairer by the name of John Harwood developed his own version of an automatic wristwatch that could be mass-produced. His design used a centrally mounted oscillating weight—or rotor—much like the automatic watches of today.

Rolex, together with its movement maker Aegler, took Harwood’s invention and improved it, unveiling the self-winding ‘perpetual’ movement in 1931. The resulting Oyster Perpetual—the world’s first water-resistant automatic watch—is now considered the foundation for Rolex’s success. The Eterna company was also key to progressing this technology. In 1948 it introduced the Eterna-matic movement which featured a ball-bearing-mounted rotor that reduced wear and tear.

Within a decade or so, most brands were manufacturing some kind of self-winding watch alongside manual-wind ones. These days, automatic watches are far more commonly available.

How they work

In this section, we'll delve into the mechanics of automatic watches and discuss how they differ from manual watches.

An automatic watch, or self-winding watch, is a sophisticated timepiece that doesn't require manual winding or a battery. The watch harnesses the natural movement of the wearer's arm to power its functions. As the arm moves, it spins a rotor within the watch which winds the mainspring, storing energy to power the timepiece.

The movement, or calibre, is the heart of an automatic watch. It comprises several key components like the mainspring, rotor, escapement mechanism, balance wheel, and gears. The rotor winds the mainspring, the mainspring stores energy, and the escapement mechanism regulates the release of energy from the mainspring for precise timekeeping.

The power reserve is another important feature of automatic watches. It indicates how long the watch can run without additional winding, sometimes displayed on the dial or the case back. A longer power reserve allows the watch to run for several days without wearing it, ensuring it remains accurate and ready to wear. The power reserve on most watches tends to be between 38 and 70 hours, although one Vacheron Constantin watch has an incredible 65-day power reserve.

Most modern automatic watches are equipped with a mechanism to prevent overwinding. Once the mainspring is fully wound, the mechanism disengages to prevent excessive tension on the spring.

The main difference between automatic and manual watches lies in convenience. Automatic watches, with their self-winding mechanism, only need to be wound if the watch hasn’t been worn for some time and has stopped. If you keep wearing the watch, it will keep ticking.

A manual-wind watch, however, must be hand-wound every day or so to keep ticking, regardless of whether it is on your wrist or not. Should you forget to wind it, the watch will eventually stop.

Maintenance and lifespan

Automatic watches require proper maintenance and care to ensure their longevity. Here are some tips for winding, preventing overwinding, and caring for your automatic watch.

Wearing your automatic watch daily generates enough kinetic energy to wind the mainspring and power the watch. However, if the watch has stopped running, you can manually wind it by turning the crown clockwise a few times—around twenty revolutions should suffice.

The lifespan of an automatic watch can vary based on the quality of the watch movement, regular maintenance, the wearer's activity level, and environmental factors. High-quality movements can keep accurate time for decades, while lower-quality ones may require more frequent servicing and have a shorter lifespan.

Brands that make automatic watches

All major luxury watch brands now have automatic models in their collection. Some brands, such as Rolex, use self-winding movements exclusively, having discontinued their manual-wind models. Manual-wind watches tend to be far less common in modern watchmaking, although there are still plenty of options available.

Automatic movements power all kinds of watches, from chronographs to dress watches, and the movements are often visible through an exhibition case back. It’s common for the components of the movement to be finely engraved, with the oscillating rotor often fashioned from gold and decorated or skeletonised for aesthetic appeal.

Jaeger-LeCoultre, Vacheron Constantin and Patek Philippe make some of the most beautifully decorated automatic movements.

At Watchfinder, we provide a range of pre-owned automatic watches from a wealth of prestigious brands. Our collection includes both vintage and modern timepieces, from chronographs to dive models, ensuring every taste is covered.

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