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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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  1. Stock Stock
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  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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  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
Reset Results (1078)
Results (1,078)
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Breitling Chronomat AB0115 258248

Breitling
Chronomat
AB0115

Box
Papers
Year 2018
£4,500
Breitling Super Avenger A13370 262188

Breitling
Super Avenger
A13370

Box
Papers
Year 2008
£2,465
Breitling Chrono Galactic A13364 255870

Breitling
Chrono Galactic
A13364

Box
Papers
Year 2016
£2,625
Breitling Colt Auto A13388 269400

Breitling
Colt Auto
A13388

Box
Papers
Year 2016
£2,845
Breitling SuperOcean Heritage 57 A10370 228877

Breitling
SuperOcean Heritage 57
A10370

Box
Papers
Year 2021
£3,565
Breitling Navitimer B01 Chronograph 43 AB0121 280659

Breitling
Navitimer B01 Chronograph 43
AB0121

Box
Papers
Year 2019
£4,775
Breitling Top Time AB0176 275003

Breitling
Top Time
AB0176

Box
Papers
Year 2023
£5,515
Breitling Bentley Supersports A26364 275085

Breitling
Bentley Supersports
A26364

Box
Papers
Year 2010
£3,910
Breitling Chronomat Evolution A13356 255232

Breitling
Chronomat Evolution
A13356

Box
Papers
Year 2008
£2,585
Breitling Chronomat AB0111 280698
Limited Edition

Breitling
Chronomat
AB0111

Box
Papers
Year 2016
£4,225
Breitling Chronomat AB0115 257274

Breitling
Chronomat
AB0115

Box
Papers
Year 2024
£5,335
Breitling Super Chronomat B01 44 UB0136 275941

Breitling
Super Chronomat B01 44
UB0136

Box
Papers
Year 2022
£8,085
Breitling Chronomat AB0115 272786

Breitling
Chronomat
AB0115

Box
Papers
Year 2020
£3,245
Breitling Avenger Chronograph 45 Night Mission V13317 277395

Breitling
Avenger Chronograph 45 Night Mission
V13317

Box
Papers
Year 2022
£2,950
Breitling Premier A13315 253800

Breitling
Premier
A13315

Box
Papers
Year 2021
£3,095
Breitling Avenger Seawolf M17330 273606
Limited Edition

Breitling
Avenger Seawolf
M17330

Box
Papers
Year 2022
£2,290
Breitling Top Time A23310 261899
Limited Edition

Breitling
Top Time
A23310

Box
Papers
Year 2020
£3,750
Breitling Bentley GT A13362 279948

Breitling
Bentley GT
A13362

Box
Papers
Year 2005
£3,160
Breitling Chronomat AB0115 277608

Breitling
Chronomat
AB0115

Box
Papers
Year 2014
£3,210
Breitling Chronomat Automatic 36 A10380 253167

Breitling
Chronomat Automatic 36
A10380

Box
Papers
Year 2022
£3,650
Breitling Top Time A23310 252917
Limited Edition

Breitling
Top Time
A23310

Box
Papers
Year 2020
£3,525
Breitling SuperOcean Automatic A17366 283130

Breitling
SuperOcean Automatic
A17366

Box
Papers
Year 2019
£2,200
Breitling Aviator 8 M17315 280601

Breitling
Aviator 8
M17315

Box
Papers
Year 2020
£2,330
Breitling Premier B01 AB0118 258590

Breitling
Premier B01
AB0118

Box
Papers
Year 2021
£4,030
Breitling Chronomat AB0115 258542

Breitling
Chronomat
AB0115

Box
Papers
Year 2020
£3,630
Breitling Chronomat 41 AB0140 253838

Breitling
Chronomat 41
AB0140

Box
Papers
Year 2011
£3,715
Breitling SuperOcean Automatic M17368 282916

Breitling
SuperOcean Automatic
M17368

Box
Papers
Year 2022
£2,685
Breitling Bentley GT A13363 277179

Breitling
Bentley GT
A13363

Box
Papers
Year 2007
£3,160
Breitling Colt Auto A13388 262816

Breitling
Colt Auto
A13388

Box
Papers
Year 2018
£2,930
Breitling Super Avenger II A13371 253973

Breitling
Super Avenger II
A13371

Box
Papers
Year 2016
£2,895
Breitling Montbrillant A41030 261291

Breitling
Montbrillant
A41030

Box
Papers
Year 1999
£3,750
Breitling Colt Auto A13388 262829

Breitling
Colt Auto
A13388

Box
Papers
Year 2016
£2,395
Breitling Colt Auto A13388 271241

Breitling
Colt Auto
A13388

Box
Papers
Year 2019
£2,600
Breitling Colt Auto A13388 252297

Breitling
Colt Auto
A13388

Box
Papers
Year 2015
£2,180
Breitling SuperOcean Heritage A10340 269273
Limited Edition

Breitling
SuperOcean Heritage
A10340

Box
Papers
Year 2022
£3,350
Breitling Premier A13315 274708

Breitling
Premier
A13315

Box
Papers
Year 2018
£3,120
Breitling Navitimer 01 AB0121 250581

Breitling
Navitimer 01
AB0121

Box
Papers
Year 2020
£4,310
Breitling Super Avenger A13370 270780

Breitling
Super Avenger
A13370

Box
Papers
Year 2020
£2,475
Rolex Datejust 41 126300 247690

Rolex
Datejust 41
126300

Box
Papers
Year 2021
£7,285
Breitling Chronomat AB0115 273872

Breitling
Chronomat
AB0115

Box
Papers
Year 2019
£3,905
Breitling Bentley Motors A25362 276876

Breitling
Bentley Motors
A25362

Box
Papers
Year 2003
£3,545
Breitling Colt Auto A32350 281207

Breitling
Colt Auto
A32350

Box
Papers
Year 2012
£1,375

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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