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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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Rolex Sky-Dweller 326934 282762

Rolex
Sky-Dweller
326934

Box
Papers
Year 2023
£18,250
Rolex Deepsea 116660 234328

Rolex
Deepsea
116660

Box
Papers
Year 2013
£9,180
Rolex Datejust 41 126334 277756

Rolex
Datejust 41
126334

Box
Papers
Year 2019
£9,020
Rolex Datejust II 116333 276796

Rolex
Datejust II
116333

Box
Papers
Year 2015
£8,515
Rolex Datejust Lady 31 278384 RBR 278144
Manufacturer's Warranty

Rolex
Datejust Lady 31
278384 RBR

Box
Papers
Year 2022
£15,950
Rolex Sky-Dweller 326135 273725

Rolex
Sky-Dweller
326135

Box
Papers
Year 2018
£29,950
Rolex Sky-Dweller 326939 276044

Rolex
Sky-Dweller
326939

Box
Papers
Year 2018
£31,945
Rolex Datejust Lady 179160 256768

Rolex
Datejust Lady
179160

Box
Papers
Year 2013
£4,675
Rolex Datejust Lady 79173 275203

Rolex
Datejust Lady
79173

Box
Papers
Year 2004
£4,160
Rolex Datejust II 116333 279350

Rolex
Datejust II
116333

Box
Papers
Year 2015
£9,325
Rolex Datejust II 116300 266818

Rolex
Datejust II
116300

Box
Papers
Year 2016
£7,275
Rolex Datejust Lady 31 278273 277372
Manufacturer's Warranty

Rolex
Datejust Lady 31
278273

Box
Papers
Year 2021
£12,745
Rolex Datejust 16220 269867
Vintage

Rolex
Datejust
16220

Box
Papers
Year 1991
£5,975
Rolex Explorer 40 224270 283286
Manufacturer's Warranty

Rolex
Explorer 40
224270

Box
Papers
Year 2023
£7,750
Rolex Datejust 16030 259164
Vintage

Rolex
Datejust
16030

Box
Papers
Year 1987
£6,060
Rolex Datejust Lady 179171 273073

Rolex
Datejust Lady
179171

Box
Papers
Year 2005
£7,800
Rolex Datejust Lady 179171 253258

Rolex
Datejust Lady
179171

Box
Papers
Year 2006
£7,450
Rolex Datejust 16233 272697
Vintage

Rolex
Datejust
16233

Box
Papers
Year 1992
£4,640
Rolex Datejust Lady 31 178343 269438

Rolex
Datejust Lady 31
178343

Box
Papers
Year 2018
£12,120
Rolex Datejust 41 126300 277355
Manufacturer's Warranty

Rolex
Datejust 41
126300

Box
Papers
Year 2023
£8,650
Rolex Datejust Lady 179174 258245

Rolex
Datejust Lady
179174

Box
Papers
Year 2010
£4,720
Rolex Datejust 16234 262206
Vintage

Rolex
Datejust
16234

Box
Papers
Year 1992
£6,400
Rolex Datejust Lady 79174 273312

Rolex
Datejust Lady
79174

Box
Papers
Year 2004
£4,015
Rolex Datejust II 116300 243308

Rolex
Datejust II
116300

Box
Papers
Year 2016
£6,225
Rolex Datejust Lady 31 178274 271364

Rolex
Datejust Lady 31
178274

Box
Papers
Year 2012
£8,125
Rolex Datejust 16203 269734

Rolex
Datejust
16203

Box
Papers
Year 2000
£7,250
Rolex Datejust Lady 69178 267302
Vintage

Rolex
Datejust Lady
69178

Box
Papers
Year 1999
£7,250
Rolex Explorer II 16570 275611

Rolex
Explorer II
16570

Box
Papers
Year 2005
£7,150
Rolex Datejust 16234 274429
Vintage

Rolex
Datejust
16234

Box
Papers
Year 1997
£5,945
Rolex Deepsea 126660 - (D'Blue) 279963

Rolex
Deepsea
126660 - (D'Blue)

Box
Papers
Year 2021
£12,735
Rolex Explorer II 16570 280184

Rolex
Explorer II
16570

Box
Papers
Year 2006
£8,250
Rolex Sky-Dweller 336933 275283
Manufacturer's Warranty

Rolex
Sky-Dweller
336933

Box
Papers
Year 2023
£18,450
Rolex Datejust 16200 275326

Rolex
Datejust
16200

Box
Papers
Year 2005
£5,315
Rolex Datejust Lady 179174 271965

Rolex
Datejust Lady
179174

Box
Papers
Year 2008
£4,205
Rolex Datejust Lady 179174 272848

Rolex
Datejust Lady
179174

Box
Papers
Year 2016
£5,880
Rolex Datejust 126234 265842

Rolex
Datejust
126234

Box
Papers
Year 2020
£8,445
Rolex Sky-Dweller 326934 269027

Rolex
Sky-Dweller
326934

Box
Papers
Year 2018
£12,560
Rolex Datejust 126233 277559
Manufacturer's Warranty

Rolex
Datejust
126233

Box
Papers
Year 2022
£12,950
Rolex Datejust 116243 272789

Rolex
Datejust
116243

Box
Papers
Year 2021
£11,250
Rolex Datejust 116234 272265

Rolex
Datejust
116234

Box
Papers
Year 2002
£8,250
Rolex Datejust Lady 79173 276065

Rolex
Datejust Lady
79173

Box
Papers
Year 2001
£4,475
Rolex Datejust 126200 273308

Rolex
Datejust
126200

Box
Papers
Year 2019
£6,245

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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