Striking Balance
December 28th, 2006
O.K. you're reading the manual to your new automatic wrist watch and you come across 28,800 pulsations per hour. Huh!? What!?! Why? Let CTWG break it down. The 28,800 are the oscillations made by the balance in the watch. The little pallet jewel (the red teeth you see snapping forward and back) is the source of energy, literally, from rotating energy to oscillation energy. This becomes a controlled way to let down power! Count up all of these small but powerful strikes (1.5 million p.s.i.) and there are your vibrations per hour. Typically faster is better, lighter is better. 18,000 was the old standard speed and 28,800 is the modern fast speed. Many other speeds are used but there it is! CTWG
Entry Filed under: Just In, Watches, Mechanical
2 Comments Add your own
1. nancy mesko | March 12th, 2007 at 11:38 am
Chad,
Do all automatic watches need wound to get them started initally?Are there any that you just shake to start them? I currently have a Rado watch that is an auto and the rep. said to start it all you to is shake it, I disputed that with her. Please let me know how to start an automatic, and is shaking good for an automatic watch.
2. Chad | March 12th, 2007 at 12:48 pm
Nancy,
Shaking may get the watch started, but to bring the watch up to a proper power reserve, winding is almost always needed. The timepiece is not going to perform up to factory specifications with a shake. Rado is Swatch group timepiece, I am certain that they do not have a team of shakers in the factory for testing! CTWG
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