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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. Breitling Breitling
  3. Omega Omega
  4. Tag Heuer Tag Heuer
  5. Panerai Panerai
  6. IWC IWC
  7. Tudor Tudor
  8. Cartier Cartier
  9. Hublot Hublot
  10. Audemars Piguet Audemars Piguet
  11. Jaeger-LeCoultre Jaeger-LeCoultre
  12. Vacheron Constantin Vacheron Constantin
  13. Patek Philippe Patek Philippe
All Brands
  1. Audemars Piguet Audemars Piguet
  2. Ball Ball
  3. Baume et Mercier Baume et Mercier
  4. Bell and Ross Bell and Ross
  5. Breitling Breitling
  6. Bremont Bremont
  7. Bvlgari Bvlgari
  8. Carl F. Bucherer Carl F. Bucherer
  9. Cartier Cartier
  10. Chanel Chanel
  11. Chopard Chopard
  12. Eterna Eterna
  13. Franck Muller Franck Muller
  14. Frederique Constant Frederique Constant
  15. Girard Perregaux Girard Perregaux
  16. Graham Graham
  17. Grand Seiko Grand Seiko
  18. H. Moser and Cie H. Moser and Cie
  19. Hamilton Hamilton
  20. Hublot Hublot
  21. IWC IWC
  22. Jaeger-LeCoultre Jaeger-LeCoultre
  23. JeanRichard JeanRichard
  24. Longines Longines
  25. Maurice Lacroix Maurice Lacroix
  26. Montblanc Montblanc
  27. Omega Omega
  28. Oris Oris
  29. Panerai Panerai
  30. Parmigiani Parmigiani
  31. Patek Philippe Patek Philippe
  32. Perrelet Perrelet
  33. Rado Rado
  34. Raymond Weil Raymond Weil
  35. Richard Mille Richard Mille
  36. Roger Dubuis Roger Dubuis
  37. Rolex Rolex
  38. Tag Heuer Tag Heuer
  39. Tissot Tissot
  40. Tudor Tudor
  41. Vacheron Constantin Vacheron Constantin
  42. 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. Bronze Bronze
  2. Carbon Carbon
  3. Ceramic Ceramic
  4. Platinum Platinum
  5. Rose Gold Rose Gold
  6. Silver Silver
  7. Steel Steel
  8. Steel & Rose Gold Steel & Rose Gold
  9. Steel & Rose Gold Plated Steel & Rose Gold Plated
  10. Steel & White Gold Steel & White Gold
  11. Steel & Yellow Gold Steel & Yellow Gold
  12. Steel & Yellow Gold Plated Steel & Yellow Gold Plated
  13. Titanium Titanium
  14. White Gold White Gold
  15. Yellow Gold Yellow Gold
  16. Yellow Gold Plated Yellow Gold Plated
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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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Limited Edition
  1. Limited Edition Limited Edition
Reset Results (1078)
Results (1,078)
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Jaeger-LeCoultre AMVOX II 1972472 269735
Limited Edition

Jaeger-LeCoultre
AMVOX II
1972472

Box
Papers
Year 2012
£12,430
Cartier Pasha W31029M7 253947

Cartier
Pasha
W31029M7

Box
Papers
Year 2000
£1,880
Cartier Santos W2SA0006 266080

Cartier
Santos
W2SA0006

Box
Papers
Year 2019
£6,625
Breitling Navitimer Chronograph GMT 46 A24322 257606

Breitling
Navitimer Chronograph GMT 46
A24322

Box
Papers
Year 2015
£4,150
IWC Pilot's Chrono IW395001 239936

IWC
Pilot's Chrono
IW395001

Box
Papers
Year 2017
£6,265
Cartier Ballon Bleu W69016Z4 260472

Cartier
Ballon Bleu
W69016Z4

Box
Papers
Year 2018
£4,800
Cartier Ballon Bleu W6920046 268948

Cartier
Ballon Bleu
W6920046

Box
Papers
Year 2019
£4,575
IWC Pilot's Chrono IW370603 254298

IWC
Pilot's Chrono
IW370603

Box
Papers
Year 2012
£2,610
Cartier Santos 100 W20077X7 274109

Cartier
Santos 100
W20077X7

Box
Papers
Year 2004
£4,380
Breitling Super Chronomat B01 44 AB0136 277011

Breitling
Super Chronomat B01 44
AB0136

Box
Papers
Year 2022
£4,755
Cartier Ballon Bleu W6920025 259389

Cartier
Ballon Bleu
W6920025

Box
Papers
Year 2014
£3,925
Breitling Super Chronomat B01 44 AB0136 272371

Breitling
Super Chronomat B01 44
AB0136

Box
Papers
Year 2022
£4,610
Cartier Pasha WSPA0026 260466
Manufacturer's Warranty

Cartier
Pasha
WSPA0026

Box
Papers
Year 2022
£5,710
Breitling SuperOcean Automatic 36 A17377 270525

Breitling
SuperOcean Automatic 36
A17377

Box
Papers
Year 2022
£2,935
Cartier Santos 100 W20091X7 269763

Cartier
Santos 100
W20091X7

Box
Papers
Year 2017
£4,985
Breitling Avenger Automatic 43 A17318 276324

Breitling
Avenger Automatic 43
A17318

Box
Papers
Year 2021
£2,515
Breitling Avenger Automatic 43 A32397 247308

Breitling
Avenger Automatic 43
A32397

Box
Papers
Year 2021
£2,950
Cartier Pasha W31015M7 272088
Vintage

Cartier
Pasha
W31015M7

Box
Papers
Year 1997
£2,260
Cartier Pasha W31072M7 240709

Cartier
Pasha
W31072M7

Box
Papers
Year 2016
£2,475
Breitling Super Chronomat B01 44 AB0136 274763

Breitling
Super Chronomat B01 44
AB0136

Box
Papers
Year 2022
£5,950
Breitling Navitimer B01 Chronograph 43 AB0121 277762

Breitling
Navitimer B01 Chronograph 43
AB0121

Box
Papers
Year 2021
£4,630
Cartier Roadster W62000V3 268261

Cartier
Roadster
W62000V3

Box
Papers
Year 2004
£2,540
Breitling Super Chronomat B01 44 UB0136 273362

Breitling
Super Chronomat B01 44
UB0136

Box
Papers
Year 2023
£8,575
Jaeger-LeCoultre AMVOX II 192T450 248736
Limited Edition

Jaeger-LeCoultre
AMVOX II
192T450

Box
Papers
Year 2007
£6,085
Breitling SuperOcean Heritage II U13313 282734

Breitling
SuperOcean Heritage II
U13313

Box
Papers
Year 2021
£4,260
Cartier Pasha WSPA0026 260477
Manufacturer's Warranty

Cartier
Pasha
WSPA0026

Box
Papers
Year 2022
£5,710
Cartier Roadster W6206018 270340
Limited Edition

Cartier
Roadster
W6206018

Box
Papers
Year 2011
£2,525
Cartier Roadster W62005V2 254864

Cartier
Roadster
W62005V2

Box
Papers
Year 2015
£6,805
Cartier Santos 100 W20073X8 269919

Cartier
Santos 100
W20073X8

Box
Papers
Year 2008
£4,255
Breitling Navitimer Chronograph GMT 46 A24322 275442

Breitling
Navitimer Chronograph GMT 46
A24322

Box
Papers
Year 2016
£4,150
Breitling Chronomat 44 AB0110 271260

Breitling
Chronomat 44
AB0110

Box
Papers
Year 2010
£3,960
Breitling SuperOcean Heritage B01 Chronograph 44 AB0162 263955

Breitling
SuperOcean Heritage B01 Chronograph 44
AB0162

Box
Papers
Year 2021
£4,450
Breitling Navitimer B01 Chronograph 43 AB0121 253831

Breitling
Navitimer B01 Chronograph 43
AB0121

Box
Papers
Year 2019
£5,185
Breitling Premier B01 AB0145 274776

Breitling
Premier B01
AB0145

Box
Papers
Year 2023
£6,250
Cartier Calibre De Cartier Diver W7100055 271091

Cartier
Calibre De Cartier Diver
W7100055

Box
Papers
Year 2015
£4,925
Breitling Chronomat Automatic 36 A10380 271537

Breitling
Chronomat Automatic 36
A10380

Box
Papers
Year 2022
£5,360
Breitling Avenger II Seawolf A17331 280679

Breitling
Avenger II Seawolf
A17331

Box
Papers
Year 2016
£2,500
Breitling Chronomat 44 CB0110 278451

Breitling
Chronomat 44
CB0110

Box
Papers
Year 2017
£7,410
Breitling Navitimer B01 Chronograph 43 AB0121 269377

Breitling
Navitimer B01 Chronograph 43
AB0121

Box
Papers
Year 2019
£4,565
Breitling SuperOcean Automatic 44 A17376 268330

Breitling
SuperOcean Automatic 44
A17376

Box
Papers
Year 2022
£3,465
Breitling SuperOcean Heritage B20 Automatic 42 UB2010 281513

Breitling
SuperOcean Heritage B20 Automatic 42
UB2010

Box
Papers
Year 2021
£4,310
Breitling Navitimer Chronograph GMT 46 A24322 270601

Breitling
Navitimer Chronograph GMT 46
A24322

Box
Papers
Year 2011
£3,025

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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