If your new watch stops frequently when it is brand new out of the box, then your new watch has a mechanical self-winding movement. In most cases, you will be able to tell immediately if your watch is an automatic self-winding timepiece by looking at the backside of the watch. Almost all “automatics” from Stührling Original come with exhibition case-backs; the back of the watch has a crystal through which you can see the movement. This type of watch is referred to as an “automatic watch.” This means that your new watch will wind itself (while being worn) and does not have a battery with a computer chip (quartz watch). Wearing a mechanical timepiece is an homage to a time-honored art and tradition that dates back more than two centuries! (Quartz watches did not come into being until the 1970’s.)

When worn daily, the movement of your wrist causes the mainspring to wind progressively, eliminating the need for additional winding. However, to start your automatic, it is recommended that you manually wind it by rotating the crown clockwise a number of turns while it is in its normal operating position (screw-down crowns will need to be unscrewed first). This will place some initial power on the mainspring to begin wearing your watch. You should wind it until you feel some resistance being careful not to “over-wind” the mainspring. If you hold the watch to your ear while you are winding your watch, you will hear a little ratcheting noise; that is the mainspring winding.

While merely wearing a mechanical automatic timepiece will keep the mainspring wound, the movement of the oscillating piece with the Stührling logo on it (the rotor) seen through the crystal on the backside does not generate enough force to wind the mainspring beyond a certain point. If it did, then surely the mainspring could become over-wound and lock up. However, the slightest movement of the rotor will keep the mainspring wound and keep your timepiece running.

The mechanical movements in the Stührling Original timepieces will generally carry approximately forty hours of autonomy. This means that when fully and completely wound, the watch may continuously run for approximately forty hours. Should your watch have stopped from non-wear (overnight or otherwise) merely reset the time and manually wind the watch to get it started again.

While wearing a mechanical timepiece certainly requires more “love” and attention than a quartz watch, the renaissance of wearing a mechanical automatic timepiece is swelling to new proportions never before seen. At Stührling Original we take great pride in catering to an increasing market segment that can now appreciate the long history of wearing a mechanical timepiece of quality born from the rich tradition of an art that goes back centuries!