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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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  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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Rolex Submariner 114060 281392

Rolex
Submariner
114060

Box
Papers
Year 2016
£8,820
Rolex Oyster Perpetual Date 115234 252684

Rolex
Oyster Perpetual Date
115234

Box
Papers
Year 2017
£5,790
Rolex Submariner 114060 279623

Rolex
Submariner
114060

Box
Papers
Year 2017
£8,820
Rolex Submariner 114060 276556

Rolex
Submariner
114060

Box
Papers
Year 2019
£8,980
Rolex Yacht-Master 169623 282187

Rolex
Yacht-Master
169623

Box
Papers
Year 2002
£6,275
Rolex Submariner 16808 266328
Vintage

Rolex
Submariner
16808

Box
Papers
Year 1979
£18,060
Rolex Submariner 114060 282023

Rolex
Submariner
114060

Box
Papers
Year 2020
£9,310
Rolex Submariner 126619 LB 277880
Manufacturer's Warranty

Rolex
Submariner
126619 LB

Box
Papers
Year 2021
£26,425
Rolex Lady Oyster Perpetual 76193 270355

Rolex
Lady Oyster Perpetual
76193

Box
Papers
Year 2009
£3,340
Rolex Submariner 16613 253237

Rolex
Submariner
16613

Box
Papers
Year 2004
£9,930
Rolex Yacht-Master 116622 282323

Rolex
Yacht-Master
116622

Box
Papers
Year 2015
£10,065
Rolex Yacht-Master 168622 272781

Rolex
Yacht-Master
168622

Box
Papers
Year 2005
£4,730
Rolex Oyster Perpetual Date 15200 251715
Vintage

Rolex
Oyster Perpetual Date
15200

Box
Papers
Year 1993
£3,700
Rolex Oyster Perpetual Date 15200 271942

Rolex
Oyster Perpetual Date
15200

Box
Papers
Year 2005
£4,060
Rolex Yacht-Master 268621 278589
Manufacturer's Warranty

Rolex
Yacht-Master
268621

Box
Papers
Year 2021
£9,580
Rolex Yacht-Master 16622 255911

Rolex
Yacht-Master
16622

Box
Papers
Year 2005
£7,355
Rolex Submariner 5513 243196
Vintage

Rolex
Submariner
5513

Box
Papers
Year 1967
£9,995
Rolex Yacht-Master 116622 271961

Rolex
Yacht-Master
116622

Box
Papers
Year 2013
£9,800
Rolex Submariner 5513 264222
Vintage

Rolex
Submariner
5513

Box
Papers
Year 1964
£9,995
Rolex Yacht-Master 116621 281314

Rolex
Yacht-Master
116621

Box
Papers
Year 2018
£11,210
Rolex Yacht-Master 116622 277361

Rolex
Yacht-Master
116622

Box
Papers
Year 2019
£11,300
Rolex Submariner 5513 250828
Vintage

Rolex
Submariner
5513

Box
Papers
Year 1990
£9,995
Rolex Yacht-Master 116622 281396

Rolex
Yacht-Master
116622

Box
Papers
Year 2019
£9,895
Rolex Yacht-Master 116622 270558

Rolex
Yacht-Master
116622

Box
Papers
Year 2017
£10,305
Rolex Yacht-Master 16622 258814

Rolex
Yacht-Master
16622

Box
Papers
Year 2008
£8,175
Rolex Submariner 14060M 282866

Rolex
Submariner
14060M

Box
Papers
Year 2006
£8,400
Rolex Submariner 1680 261648
Vintage

Rolex
Submariner
1680

Box
Papers
Year 1979
£13,860
Rolex Submariner 14060 259469
Vintage

Rolex
Submariner
14060

Box
Papers
Year 1999
£8,680
Rolex Submariner 116610 LNXXTEST 282718

Rolex
Submariner
116610 LNXXTEST

Box
Papers
Year 2013
£8,815
Rolex Submariner 14060M 278718

Rolex
Submariner
14060M

Box
Papers
Year 2012
£8,430
Rolex Submariner 14060 256761

Rolex
Submariner
14060

Box
Papers
Year 2000
£8,680
Rolex Submariner 14060 255859
Vintage

Rolex
Submariner
14060

Box
Papers
Year 1993
£8,205
Rolex Submariner 14060M 262588

Rolex
Submariner
14060M

Box
Papers
Year 2011
£9,025
Rolex Submariner 16610 261799

Rolex
Submariner
16610

Box
Papers
Year 2004
£8,350
Rolex Submariner 14060M 262587

Rolex
Submariner
14060M

Box
Papers
Year 2008
£9,025
Rolex Submariner 124060 283572

Rolex
Submariner
124060

Box
Papers
Year 2020
£9,460
Rolex Submariner 116610 LNXXTEST 272273

Rolex
Submariner
116610 LNXXTEST

Box
Papers
Year 2016
£9,695
Rolex Submariner 116610 LNXXTEST 272512

Rolex
Submariner
116610 LNXXTEST

Box
Papers
Year 2012
£9,375
Rolex Submariner 16613 275017
Vintage

Rolex
Submariner
16613

Box
Papers
Year 1997
£9,820
Rolex Submariner 14060M 276803

Rolex
Submariner
14060M

Box
Papers
Year 2000
£8,765
Rolex Sea-Dweller 16600 278783

Rolex
Sea-Dweller
16600

Box
Papers
Year 2009
£8,680
Rolex Explorer 14270 281526
Vintage

Rolex
Explorer
14270

Box
Papers
Year 1997
£5,310

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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