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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
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  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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Maurice Lacroix Les Classiques LC6057-SD501-17 244488

Maurice Lacroix
Les Classiques
LC6057-SD501-17

Box
Papers
Year 2014
€1,610
Bell and Ross BR-X5 BRX5R-IB-ST/SST 277684

Bell and Ross
BR-X5
BRX5R-IB-ST/SST

Box
Papers
Year 2022
Product Location
€5,440
incl. import taxes & duties
Panerai Radiomir Automatic PAM00287 278558

Panerai
Radiomir Automatic
PAM00287

Box
Papers
Year 2010
€3,055
Panerai Radiomir Automatic PAM00391 244262

Panerai
Radiomir Automatic
PAM00391

Box
Papers
Year 2012
€8,120
Panerai Luminor Submersible PAM00616 276452

Panerai
Luminor Submersible
PAM00616

Box
Papers
Year 2016
€7,230
Bell and Ross BR03-94 Chronograph BR0394-ST-G-HE/SCA 283052

Bell and Ross
BR03-94 Chronograph
BR0394-ST-G-HE/SCA

Box
Papers
Year 2017
€2,890
Rado Golden Horse R33930355 273933
Limited Edition

Rado
Golden Horse
R33930355

Box
Papers
Year 2019
€1,395
Bell and Ross Vintage WW2 BRWW2-REG-BS/SCR 244186

Bell and Ross
Vintage WW2
BRWW2-REG-BS/SCR

Box
Papers
Year 2018
€2,370
Baume et Mercier Clifton 10436 280837

Baume et Mercier
Clifton
10436

Box
Papers
Year 2019
€1,600
Panerai Luminor GMT PAM00335 244362

Panerai
Luminor GMT
PAM00335

Box
Papers
Year 2012
€8,365
Patek Philippe Complications 5205G-013 267241

Patek Philippe
Complications
5205G-013

Box
Papers
Year 2019
€38,300
Panerai Luminor Chrono PAM01298 267406
Limited Edition

Panerai
Luminor Chrono
PAM01298

Box
Papers
Year 2022
€8,305
Hublot Big Bang 411.ES.5119.RX 268355
Limited Edition

Hublot
Big Bang
411.ES.5119.RX

Box
Papers
Year 2022
€12,445
Bell and Ross BR03-92 BR0392-BAPE-25-CE 244052
Limited Edition

Bell and Ross
BR03-92
BR0392-BAPE-25-CE

Box
Papers
Year 2018
€3,940
Panerai Luminor GMT PAM01088 279401

Panerai
Luminor GMT
PAM01088

Box
Papers
Year 2021
€4,470
Patek Philippe Grand Complications 5059P 267397

Patek Philippe
Grand Complications
5059P

Box
Papers
Year 2002
€31,670
Panerai Luminor Chrono PAM00250 267973
Limited Edition

Panerai
Luminor Chrono
PAM00250

Box
Papers
Year 2009
€4,560
Patek Philippe Grand Complications 5159G-001 245187

Patek Philippe
Grand Complications
5159G-001

Box
Papers
Year 2017
€30,175
Panerai Luminor Submersible PAM00616 243855

Panerai
Luminor Submersible
PAM00616

Box
Papers
Year 2017
€7,220
Panerai Luminor Submersible PAM00671 258173
Limited Edition

Panerai
Luminor Submersible
PAM00671

Box
Papers
Year 2019
Product Location
€26,820
incl. import taxes & duties
Patek Philippe Calatrava 5153R-001 270431

Patek Philippe
Calatrava
5153R-001

Box
Papers
Year 2015
€21,800
Maurice Lacroix Pontos S Extreme PT6028-ALB11-331 244648

Maurice Lacroix
Pontos S Extreme
PT6028-ALB11-331

Box
Papers
Year 2022
€1,355
Baume et Mercier Classima Executives M0A08731 282811

Baume et Mercier
Classima Executives
M0A08731

Box
Papers
Year 2016
€610
Hublot Big Bang 322.CK.1140.RX 243865

Hublot
Big Bang
322.CK.1140.RX

Box
Papers
Year 2009
€5,330
Bell and Ross BR01-92 BR0192-10TH-CE 280675
Limited Edition

Bell and Ross
BR01-92
BR0192-10TH-CE

Box
Papers
Year 2019
€1,965
Bell and Ross Geneva G123B.001 276424

Bell and Ross
Geneva
G123B.001

Box
Papers
Year 2002
€865
Corum Admirals Cup 132.201.04/V200 AN10 279267

Corum
Admirals Cup
132.201.04/V200 AN10

Box
Papers
Year 2016
Product Location
€3,410
incl. import taxes & duties
Montblanc 1858 Geosphere 125567 282242

Montblanc
1858 Geosphere
125567

Box
Papers
Year 2022
€4,775
Baume et Mercier Clifton M0A10402 280810
Limited Edition

Baume et Mercier
Clifton
M0A10402

Box
Papers
Year 2020
€1,755
Baume et Mercier Clifton M0A10343 270275

Baume et Mercier
Clifton
M0A10343

Box
Papers
Year 2020
€2,045
Corum Deep Hull 48 753.934.95/0371 AN92 244677
Limited Edition

Corum
Deep Hull 48
753.934.95/0371 AN92

Box
Papers
Year 2015
€1,570
Baume et Mercier Classima Executives M0A08462 279800

Baume et Mercier
Classima Executives
M0A08462

Box
Papers
Year 2008
€705
Bell and Ross BR V3-94 BRV394-A521/SCA 280838
Limited Edition

Bell and Ross
BR V3-94
BRV394-A521/SCA

Box
Papers
Year 2023
€2,990
Bell and Ross BR 03-93 BR0393-GMT-ST/SCA 274676

Bell and Ross
BR 03-93
BR0393-GMT-ST/SCA

Box
Papers
Year 2016
€2,415
Hublot Square Bang 821.NM.0170.RX 253999

Hublot
Square Bang
821.NM.0170.RX

Box
Papers
Year 2022
Product Location
€14,760
incl. import taxes & duties
Hublot Big Bang 411.ES.5119.RX 244510

Hublot
Big Bang
411.ES.5119.RX

Box
Papers
Year 2019
€11,320
Bell and Ross Aviation BRS92-BL-ST 280672

Bell and Ross
Aviation
BRS92-BL-ST

Box
Papers
Year 2022
€1,450
Bell and Ross BRS White Gold 255020

Bell and Ross
BRS
White Gold

Box
Papers
Year 2017
€5,420
Montblanc TimeWalker 104286 245333

Montblanc
TimeWalker
104286

Box
Papers
Year 2010
€2,090
Rado Hyperchrome R32525169 257000

Rado
Hyperchrome
R32525169

Box
Papers
Year 2015
Product Location
€2,125
incl. import taxes & duties
Hublot Classic Fusion 511.CM.1110.VR.PIC12 244506
Limited Edition

Hublot
Classic Fusion
511.CM.1110.VR.PIC12

Box
Papers
Year 2012
€5,995
Bell and Ross BR03-92 BR0392-WH-C/SRB 280836

Bell and Ross
BR03-92
BR0392-WH-C/SRB

Box
Papers
Year 2019
€2,750

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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