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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. Rolex Rolex
  2. Panerai Panerai
  3. IWC IWC
  4. Omega Omega
  5. Breitling Breitling
  6. Tag Heuer Tag Heuer
  7. Cartier Cartier
  8. Jaeger-LeCoultre Jaeger-LeCoultre
  9. Hublot Hublot
  10. Tudor Tudor
  11. Vacheron Constantin Vacheron Constantin
  12. Patek Philippe Patek Philippe
  13. Audemars Piguet Audemars Piguet
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. Omega Omega
  33. Oris Oris
  34. Panerai Panerai
  35. Parmigiani Parmigiani
  36. Patek Philippe Patek Philippe
  37. Perrelet Perrelet
  38. Piaget Piaget
  39. Porsche Design Porsche Design
  40. Rado Rado
  41. Raymond Weil Raymond Weil
  42. Roger Dubuis Roger Dubuis
  43. Rolex Rolex
  44. Tag Heuer Tag Heuer
  45. Tissot Tissot
  46. Tudor Tudor
  47. Ulysse Nardin Ulysse Nardin
  48. Vacheron Constantin Vacheron Constantin
  49. 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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Stock Type
  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. Silver Silver
  8. Steel Steel
  9. Steel & Rose Gold Steel & Rose Gold
  10. Steel & Rose Gold Plated Steel & Rose Gold Plated
  11. Steel & White Gold Steel & White Gold
  12. Steel & Yellow Gold Steel & Yellow Gold
  13. Titanium Titanium
  14. White Gold White Gold
  15. Yellow Gold Yellow Gold
Dial Colour
Black
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Bronze
Brown
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Diamond
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Strap
  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
Promotion
Limited Edition
  1. Limited Edition Limited Edition
Reset Results (619)
Results (619)
Sort
Rolex Datejust 16030 279700
Vintage

Rolex
Datejust
16030

Box
Papers
Year 1986
€3,465
Rolex Datejust 16220 266375
Vintage

Rolex
Datejust
16220

Box
Papers
Year 1992
€7,185
Rolex Datejust 16200 282563
Vintage

Rolex
Datejust
16200

Box
Papers
Year 1998
€5,690
Rolex Datejust 116231 281818

Rolex
Datejust
116231

Box
Papers
Year 2006
€7,280
Rolex Datejust 126234 283964

Rolex
Datejust
126234

Box
Papers
Year 2019
€7,660
Rolex Datejust 16234 278625

Rolex
Datejust
16234

Box
Papers
Year 2000
€5,370
Rolex Datejust 116200 280584

Rolex
Datejust
116200

Box
Papers
Year 2008
€7,150
Rolex Datejust 116233 281821

Rolex
Datejust
116233

Box
Papers
Year 2007
€9,570
Rolex Datejust 126201 270802

Rolex
Datejust
126201

Box
Papers
Year 2020
€14,315
Rolex Datejust 16234 274836

Rolex
Datejust
16234

Box
Papers
Year 2000
€5,425
Rolex Datejust Lady 179166 266119

Rolex
Datejust Lady
179166

Box
Papers
Year 2006
€9,915
Rolex Datejust 116234 277499

Rolex
Datejust
116234

Box
Papers
Year 2005
€9,115
Rolex Datejust 126231 280849

Rolex
Datejust
126231

Box
Papers
Year 2020
€10,255
Rolex Mid-Size Datejust 68240 269426
Vintage

Rolex
Mid-Size Datejust
68240

Box
Papers
Year 1994
€5,345
Rolex Datejust 16220 277285
Vintage

Rolex
Datejust
16220

Box
Papers
Year 1998
€3,730
Rolex Datejust Lady 69174 282126
Vintage

Rolex
Datejust Lady
69174

Box
Papers
Year 1986
€4,165
Rolex Mid-Size Datejust 68274 276533
Vintage

Rolex
Mid-Size Datejust
68274

Box
Papers
Year 1987
€6,840
Rolex Datejust 126231 274675

Rolex
Datejust
126231

Box
Papers
Year 2019
€9,720
Rolex Datejust 1601 275671
Vintage

Rolex
Datejust
1601

Box
Papers
Year 1976
€3,495
Rolex Datejust 16233 275807
Vintage

Rolex
Datejust
16233

Box
Papers
Year 1990
€6,125
Rolex GMT Master II 16710 280245
Vintage

Rolex
GMT Master II
16710

Box
Papers
Year 1997
€9,985
Rolex Datejust 16014 281627
Vintage

Rolex
Datejust
16014

Box
Papers
Year 1986
€5,155
Rolex Datejust 116200 281820

Rolex
Datejust
116200

Box
Papers
Year 2010
€5,375
Rolex Datejust 16220 266959
Vintage

Rolex
Datejust
16220

Box
Papers
Year 1996
€7,185
Rolex Datejust 116231 274659

Rolex
Datejust
116231

Box
Papers
Year 2008
€11,690
Rolex Datejust 16030 282135
Vintage

Rolex
Datejust
16030

Box
Papers
Year 1983
€6,025
Rolex Mid-Size Datejust 78274 278607

Rolex
Mid-Size Datejust
78274

Box
Papers
Year 2004
€4,515
Rolex Oyster Perpetual Date 1500 275878
Vintage

Rolex
Oyster Perpetual Date
1500

Box
Papers
Year 1986
€3,965
Rolex GMT Master II 16710 272123
Vintage

Rolex
GMT Master II
16710

Box
Papers
Year 1999
€14,380
Rolex Datejust 116200 281822

Rolex
Datejust
116200

Box
Papers
Year 2007
€6,735
Rolex Oyster Perpetual Date 15210 271454

Rolex
Oyster Perpetual Date
15210

Box
Papers
Year 2001
€4,950
Rolex GMT Master II 16710 281866

Rolex
GMT Master II
16710

Box
Papers
Year 2005
€13,465
Rolex Oyster Perpetual Date 15053 272652
Vintage

Rolex
Oyster Perpetual Date
15053

Box
Papers
Year 1989
€6,380
Rolex Milgauss 116400 GV 281817

Rolex
Milgauss
116400 GV

Box
Papers
Year 2015
€10,370
Rolex GMT Master 16750 244891
Vintage

Rolex
GMT Master
16750

Box
Papers
Year 1983
€12,015
Rolex Mid-Size Datejust 68274 272649
Vintage

Rolex
Mid-Size Datejust
68274

Box
Papers
Year 1998
€6,670
Rolex Oyster Perpetual Date 15000 275045
Vintage

Rolex
Oyster Perpetual Date
15000

Box
Papers
Year 1989
€3,660
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

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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