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Rolex Daytona 116503 Very good Gold/Steel 40mm Automatic
Promoted
Rolex Daytona
Bi-metal black dial 2018 full set with both Tags
20 667
+ €59 for shipping
Rolex Daytona 116528 Very good Yellow gold 40mm Automatic
Promoted
Rolex Daytona
GOLD CRYSTAL
59 999
+ €250 for shipping
Tudor Black Bay M79230N-0008 New Steel 41mm Automatic
Promoted
Tudor Black Bay
41mm
3 160
Free shipping
Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Offshore Diver 15720ST.OO.A052CA.01 Very good Steel 42mm Automatic Finland, Helsinki
Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Offshore Diver
42mm Diver Khaki Green
43 000
+ €100 for shipping
Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Selfwinding 15400ST.OO.1220ST.03 Very good Steel 41mm Automatic
Promoted
Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Selfwinding
15400ST.OO.1220ST.03
42 500
+ €150 for shipping
Rolex Yacht-Master II 116688 Very good Yellow gold 44mm Automatic Finland, Jyväskylä
Rolex Yacht-Master II
116688
43 000
+ €20 for shipping
IWC Pilot Chronograph Top Gun IW389106 Unworn Ceramic 44.5mm Automatic
Promoted
IWC Pilot Chronograph Top Gun
Pilot's Watch Chronograph Top Gun Edition "Woodland" IW389106 NEW
14 950
+ €200 for shipping
Rolex GMT-Master II 126711CHNR Unworn Gold/Steel 40mm Automatic
Promoted
Rolex GMT-Master II
'Rootbeer' Ref. 126711CHNR
20 950
+ €150 for shipping
Sinn U1000 1011.020 New Steel 44mm Automatic
Promoted
Sinn U1000
U1000.S MOTHER EARTH 80 pieces Limited edition
6 755
Free shipping
Franck Muller Cintrée Curvex 6850 QPE Very good Rose gold 34mm Automatic
Promoted
Franck Muller Cintrée Curvex
Perpetual Calendar Retrograde Chronograph
19 975
+ €94 for shipping
Rolex Day-Date II 218239 Very good White gold 41mm Automatic Finland, HELSINKI
Rolex Day-Date II
41mm 2010 18k LC100 FULLSET
39 900
+ €10 for shipping
Girard Perregaux Laureato 81015-32-432-32A New Ceramic 42mm Automatic
Promoted
Girard Perregaux Laureato
Skeleton ceramic Earth to Sky Edition Full set new
35 000
+ €320 for shipping
Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Offshore Chronograph 26400RO.OO.A002CA.01 Very good Rose gold 44mm Automatic Finland, Helsinki
Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Offshore Chronograph
Rose Gold and Ceramic
47 900
+ €100 for shipping
Vacheron Constantin Patrimony 85180/000R-B515 Very good Rose gold 40mm Automatic
Promoted
Vacheron Constantin Patrimony
85180/000R-B515
18 500
+ €150 for shipping
Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Offshore Chronograph 26470ST.OO.A101CR.01 Very good Steel 42mm Automatic Finland, Jyväskylä
Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Offshore Chronograph
26470ST.OO.A101CR.01
26 850
+ €20 for shipping
IWC Pilot Chronograph IW388108 Unworn Titanium 41mm Automatic
Promoted
IWC Pilot Chronograph
Pilot's Watch Chronograph 41 Mercedes-AMG Petronas Formula One IW388108 NEW
8 750
+ €100 for shipping
Rolex Daytona 116523 Very good Gold/Steel 40mm Automatic
Promoted
Rolex Daytona
Steel / Gold ' Black Dial' Ref. 116523
19 750
+ €150 for shipping
Fortis 656.10.55M New Steel 42mm Automatic
Promoted
Fortis
AEROMASTER PC-7 TEAM EDITION CHRONOGRAPH LIMITED TO 300 PIECE
4 024
Free shipping
Franck Muller Cintrée Curvex 7880 SC DT Very good Steel 36mm Automatic
Promoted
Franck Muller Cintrée Curvex
Date Platinum Rotor 7880 SC DT BOX & PAPERS
6 495
+ €90 for shipping
Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Offshore Diver 15710ST.OO.A002CA.02 Good Steel 42mm Automatic Finland, HELSINKI
Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Offshore Diver
42mm White Dial 2016 FULLSET
25 900
+ €10 for shipping
Chronograph II Very good Steel 38mm Automatic Finland, Oulu
Promoted
Kurono Tokyo Chronograph 2
3 998
Excl. shipping
Private Seller
Hublot King Power 701.CO.0180.RX Very good Ceramic 48mm Automatic Finland, Helsinki
Hublot King Power
Unico Ceramic King Gold
17 500
+ €100 for shipping
Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso Duoface Q3838420 Unworn Steel 47mm Automatic
Promoted
Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso Duoface
Classic Large Duoface 47 steel silver black day night 215.8.S9 UNWORN 2017 B+P NE
9 950
+ €125 for shipping
Rolex Sky-Dweller 326235 Very good Rose gold 42mm Automatic Finland, Jyväskylä
Rolex Sky-Dweller
326235
43 900
+ €20 for shipping
IWC Portuguese Chronograph IW371616 Unworn Steel 41mm Automatic
Promoted
IWC Portuguese Chronograph
Portugieser Chronograph Burgundy Dial IW371616 NEW
7 750
+ €100 for shipping
Rolex Submariner Date 116613LB Very good Gold/Steel 40mm Automatic
Promoted
Rolex Submariner Date
'Blue Dial' Ref. 116613LB
15 750
+ €150 for shipping
Sinn U1 1010.010 New Steel 44mm Automatic
Promoted
Sinn U1
U1.S.E MOTHER EARTH 80 pieces Limited edition
3 809
Free shipping
Bulgari Diagono DGP42SGCH Very good Gold/Steel 42mm Automatic
Promoted
Bulgari Diagono
Chronograph Calibro 303 Steel & Gold BOX
4 995
+ €90 for shipping
Vacheron Constantin Overseas Chronograph 5500V/110A-B481 Very good Steel 42.5mm Automatic Finland, HELSINKI
Vacheron Constantin Overseas Chronograph
10/2022 FULLSET
39 900
+ €10 for shipping
Rolex Oyster Perpetual Lady Date 79160 Very good Steel 26mm Automatic
Promoted
Rolex Oyster Perpetual Lady Date
Datejust 26mm Steel and 18 karat Gold White Roman Diamond Bezel Watch
5 693
+ €147 for shipping

Worry-Free Watch Purchases

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Patek Philippe Chronograph 5975R-001 Very good Rose gold 40mm Automatic Finland, Helsinki
Patek Philippe Chronograph
175th Anniversary Chronograph complete set excellent
81 900
+ €100 for shipping
Glashütte Original PanoMaticInverse 1-91-02-02-02-61 New Steel 42mm Automatic
Promoted
Glashütte Original PanoMaticInverse
1-91-02-02-02-61
11 353
+ €60 for shipping
Panerai Luminor Submersible 1950 3 Days Automatic PAM 00684 Very good Rose gold 42mm Automatic Finland, Jyväskylä
Panerai Luminor Submersible 1950 3 Days Automatic
PAM 00684
19 900
+ €20 for shipping
IWC Portofino Chronograph IW391031 Unworn Steel 42mm Automatic
Promoted
IWC Portofino Chronograph
IW391031 NEW
6 150
+ €100 for shipping
Rolex Datejust 31 278271 Unworn Gold/Steel 31mm Automatic
Promoted
Rolex Datejust 31
'Pink Dial - Jubilee' Ref. 278271
13 250
+ €150 for shipping
Fortis F-43 F4260000 New Titanium 43mm Automatic
Promoted
Fortis F-43
FLIEGER F-43 TRIPLE-GMT ON BLOCK BRACELET
3 593
Free shipping
Rolex GMT-Master II 126710BLNR Very good Steel 40mm Automatic
Promoted
Rolex GMT-Master II
"Batgirl" Herrenuhr Oyster Perpetual Ref 126710BLNR B&P 2021
20 450
+ €59 for shipping
Rolex Daytona 116518LN New Yellow gold 40mm Automatic Finland, HELSINKI
Rolex Daytona
18k FULLSET NEW 8/2022 Diamond dial
42 900
+ €10 for shipping
Rolex Lady-Datejust 69173 Very good Gold/Steel 26mm Automatic
Promoted
Rolex Lady-Datejust
69173 Steel and 18K Yellow Gold Champagne Diamond Bezel Watch
5 665
+ €147 for shipping
Audemars Piguet Royal Oak 14790BA Good Yellow gold 36mm Automatic Finland, Helsinki
Audemars Piguet Royal Oak
14790BA Yellow Gold
55 900
+ €100 for shipping
Glashütte Original Senator Excellence 1-36-01-01-02-30 New Steel 40mm Automatic
Promoted
Glashütte Original Senator Excellence
1-36-01-01-02-30
8 231
+ €60 for shipping
Rolex GMT-Master II 16710 Fair Steel 40mm Automatic Finland, Jyväskylä
Rolex GMT-Master II
16710
13 750
+ €20 for shipping
TAG Heuer Carrera Calibre 16 CV2013 Fair Steel 41mm Automatic
Promoted
TAG Heuer Carrera Calibre 16
chronograph Calibre 16
2 800
+ €50 for shipping
Rolex Lady-Datejust 69178 Very good Yellow gold 26mm Automatic
Promoted
Rolex Lady-Datejust
26 'Champagne Diamond Dial - President' Ref. 69178
11 221
+ €150 for shipping
Fortis Marinemaster F8120013 New Steel 40mm Automatic
Promoted
Fortis Marinemaster
M-44 Amber-orange rubber
3 593
Free shipping
Rolex GMT-Master II 126711CHNR Very good Gold/Steel 40mm Automatic
Promoted
Rolex GMT-Master II
Rootbeer Stahl / Gold Oyster Perpetual 126711CHNR B&P 2021
23 650
+ €59 for shipping
Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Offshore Chronograph 26470ST.OO.A101CR.01 Very good Steel 42mm Automatic Finland, HELSINKI
Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Offshore Chronograph
Vampire 42mm 2014 FULLSET Very good condition
26 500
+ €10 for shipping
Rolex Lady-Datejust 69173 Very good Gold/Steel 26mm Automatic
Promoted
Rolex Lady-Datejust
Steel and 18K Gold Champagne Diamond and Ruby Bezel Watch
5 570
+ €147 for shipping
Panerai PAM 01037 Unworn Ceramic 44mm Automatic Finland, Helsinki
Panerai
Luminor Luna Rossa Chrono Flyback
13 900
+ €100 for shipping
Breitling Navitimer 1 B01 Chronograph AB0138211B1A1 New Steel 43mm Automatic
Promoted
Breitling Navitimer 1 B01 Chronograph
43mm
8 022
+ €60 for shipping
TAG Heuer Carrera Calibre 16 CV2A11.BA0796 Very good Steel 43mm Automatic Finland, Jyväskylä
TAG Heuer Carrera Calibre 16
CV2A11.BA0796
2 750
+ €20 for shipping
Fortis B-42 Black 647.28.13L 13 Good Steel 42mmmm Automatic
Promoted
Fortis B-42 Black
Automatic
1 280
+ €50 for shipping
Rolex Datejust 36 116234 Very good Gold/Steel 36mm Automatic
Promoted
Rolex Datejust 36
'Silver Diamond Dial - Jubilee' Ref. 116234
10 760
+ €150 for shipping
Fortis F-43 F4240004 New Steel 43mm Automatic
Promoted
Fortis F-43
FLIEGER F-43 BICOMPAX ON BLOCK BRACELET
3 090
Free shipping
Rolex GMT-Master II 126710BLRO Very good Steel 40mm Automatic
Promoted
Rolex GMT-Master II
"Pepsi" Herrenuhr Oyster Perpetual Ref. 126710BLRO B&P 2020
23 950
+ €59 for shipping
Richard Mille RM 029 RM029 Very good Titanium 48mm Automatic Finland, HELSINKI
Richard Mille RM 029
Titanium 2016 FULLSET RM Service 2020
179 800
+ €10 for shipping
Rolex Lady-Datejust 79173 Very good Gold/Steel 26mm Automatic
Promoted
Rolex Lady-Datejust
79173 Steel & 18K Yellow Gold Index Diamond Bezel Watch
5 526
+ €147 for shipping
Zenith Chronomaster Sport 03.3100.3600/69.M3100 Very good Steel 41mm Automatic Finland, Helsinki
Zenith Chronomaster Sport
Panda
9 790
+ €100 for shipping
Breitling Navitimer 1 B01 Chronograph AB0138211B1P1 New Steel 43mm Automatic
Promoted
Breitling Navitimer 1 B01 Chronograph
43mm
7 710
+ €60 for shipping
Rolex Oyster Perpetual 41 124300 Very good Steel 41mm Automatic Finland, Jyväskylä
Rolex Oyster Perpetual 41
124300
9 500
+ €20 for shipping
Rado HyperChrome R32976102 New Gold/Steel 31.5mm Automatic
Promoted
Rado HyperChrome
31.5MM
1 220
+ €50 for shipping
Rolex Datejust 36 126200 Unworn Steel 36mm Automatic
Promoted
Rolex Datejust 36
'Silver Dial - Jubilee' Ref. 126200
9 450
+ €150 for shipping
Fortis Marinemaster F8120006 New Steel 40mm Automatic
Promoted
Fortis Marinemaster
M-40 ROCKSTONE GRAY ON BLOCK BRACELET
2 875
Free shipping

Automatic Watches: Self-Winding Mechanical Timepieces

Automatic watches are powered by the natural motion of your wrist while you wear them. This type of watch has a rich history reaching back to the 18th century. Today, countless brands produce their own automatic calibers for their watches.


Highlights

  • Automatically wound by the natural movements of your arm
  • Environmentally-friendly: No batteries to produce or throw away
  • The Rolex Oyster Perpetual is one of the most famous automatic watches
  • John Harwood is considered the inventor of the automatic wristwatch
  • Automatic watches available in almost every price range

Automatic Watches: Self-Winding Timepieces

Automatic watches fall under the larger umbrella term of mechanical watches. They offer a key advantage over manual timepieces: They wind automatically via the movement of the wearer's arm. An oscillating mass inside the caliber is responsible for winding the spring. Today, this is in most cases a winding rotor. It is flexibly mounted so that gravity pulls it towards the center. When you're wearing the watch and move your wrist, the rotor moves and gives the caliber new energy. Automatic watches don't require batteries, making mechanical watches comparably more environmentally friendly than battery-powered quartz watches.

Automatic watches are available from almost every famous watch manufacturer in all price ranges. Less expensive models are often powered by base calibers made by the ébauche manufacturers ETA, Soprod, or Sellita. Various manufacturers use these calibers in a more or less reworked form in their watches. These calibers even power the watches made by famous brands such as Breitling and TAG Heuer. However, both manufacturers have developed their own in-house movements as well.

Rolex and Patek Philippe are some of the most well-known watch manufacturers. Unlike many other brands, these two Geneva-based manufacturers don't outsource base calibers. Instead, they use their own. For example, Rolex's caliber 3130 is considered very robust, reliable, and precise. These qualities and more make the caliber one of the best automatic movements on the market; it powers Rolex watches such as the Submariner. Since Rolex produces their watches almost entirely in-house, production is costlier. This results in higher prices for automatic watches with in-house movements.


Buying Tips

If you're searching for an automatic watch, the hard part is actually choosing one. Should it be large or small, simple or extravagant, affordable or expensive? The selection is ample for every taste and budget. Pre-owned automatic watches from Citizen, Seiko, or Swatch are available for around 50 euros. These watches often only have three hands for the hours, minutes, and seconds. Some also have a date or even day/date display.

In the price range between 100 and 200 euros, you can find diverse new automatic watches from brands like Seiko or Fossil. Pre-owned watches from long-established manufacturers such as Tissot, Hamilton, or Longines cost up to 500 euros. The situation is similar in the 1,000 euros and under price range, though here you can also find new models from the German brand Marcello C.

In the 1,000 euro price range, you can find pre-owned Omega or Breitling watches. New automatic three-hand watches are available from Oris, Raymond Weil, or Rado.

However, if you're looking for an automatic chronograph, you need to adjust your budget accordingly. A pre-owned automatic chronograph costs at least 500 euros; this applies to watches from brands such as Tissot or Hamilton. New chronographs cost a few hundred euros more, around 800 euros. These watches are often powered by ETA's Valjoux 7750, which is considered one of the most successful automatic chronograph calibers in the world.

If you're searching for a new automatic Rolex, you need to plan on spending at least 3,000 euros. You can purchase the introductory model, Oyster Perpetual, for this price. You can occasionally find pre-owned vintage watches from this Genevan manufacturer for less than 1,000 euros. The Submariner, one of the first and most famous diving watches in the world, is available pre-owned for around 4,100 euros. New, it costs around 5,600 euros. Rolex's chronograph, the Daytona, is available for around 7,500 euros.

The most expensive automatic watches are from brands such as Audemars Piguet and Patek Philippe. These watches are often made of platinum or 18-karat gold and feature countless diamonds on their dial and/or case. At times, these watches are also incredibly expensive as they're rare vintage watches coveted by collectors. Prices over 1 million euros are not too rare when it comes to these watches.


The Technology Behind Automatic Watches

The mainspring of an automatic watch is, as the name suggests, automatically wound by the movement itself. The mainspring is wound, becomes tense, and stores energy. This happens through the natural movements of the wearer's arm when the watch is on his or her wrist. This mechanism eliminates the need to manually wind the mainspring. Instead, an oscillating mass - often the rotor - winds the mainspring. Gravity causes the flexibly mounted rotor to move towards the center and a gear-train transfers the energy from the rotor's movement to the barrel. Viewed from a physics standpoint, the mechanism converts kinetic energy into potential energy.

There are automatic movements that wind in one or both directions. Bi-directional winding movements have so-called reverser gears. These ensure that the rotor winds the barrel in both directions. Uni-directional winding movements actually wind bidirectionally, but the mainspring is only wound in one direction. Both variants have a reduction gear which converts the fast movements of the rotor into slower movements with more torque. The end of the mainspring is not directly connected to the barrel so that it doesn't snap off when it's fully wound. The outer end of the spring is outfitted with a bridle, which keeps the pressure on the mainspring's outermost coil. When not fully wound, that pressure allows the outer end of the mainspring to be caught in a notch in the barrel wall. Once the spring is fully wound, it moves along to the next notch.

Automatic watches have many advantages: They're comfortable, environmentally-friendly, and usually more precise. This improved precision is due to the mainspring, which is always tense and has a more constant torque than mainsprings in hand-wound calibers. This has a positive effect on the amplitude. The amplitude is the balance wheel's degree of rotation and refers to the wheel's maximum rotation angle between equilibrium and a reversal point.

Technical Details of Automatic Watches

  • The winding rotor winds the mainspring in the barrel
  • Advantages: no manual winding required, environmentally-friendly, more precise
  • Uni-directional and bi-directional winding movements

The Origins of Automatic Watches

Automatic winding is one of the most important and long-lasting innovations in the history of watchmaking and the mechanism is one of the most widespread complications in use today.

Today's automatic watches can trace their origin back to the year 1729. Abraham-Louis Perrelet improved the winding mechanism of pocket watches in the 18th century. A small key was required to wind a movement before this improvement. Since the key was never there when you needed it, winding mechanisms that didn't require a key were in high demand. Perrelet wanted to invent a self-winding pocket watch. In 1770, he introduced his pedometer watch after countless attempts. The watch had an oscillating weight which teetered back and forth as the wearer walked. The motion caused the oscillating weight to tense the mainspring. Perrelet also developed a caliber with a winding rotor which swiveled above the movement. With these innovations, the groundwork for today's automatic watches was laid.

Refined men carried their pocket watches tucked away safely in their jacket, vest, or pants. The timepieces barely moved while in their pockets, which meant that the oscillating mass didn't have enough energy to wind the mainspring. The crown-wind method solved the key-wind problem in the mid-19th century, making the automatic pocket watch superfluous.


The First Automatic Wristwatches

The French watchmaker Léon Leroy was also a pioneer in the development of automatic watches. He presented his first automatic wristwatch in 1922. Some of these watches even had a date display. However, Leroy was far away from being able to mass produce a series.

The British watchmaker John Harwood lead automatic wristwatches to series production. He began working on automatic movements in 1922. Two years later, he patented his work, paving the way for the first series-produced automatic wristwatches.

Rolex's Oyster Perpetual was one of the first automatic wristwatches. Rolex introduced the watch to the market in 1931. It's one of the few early models that has lasted over the years and is still produced today. The principle behind Oyster Perpetual's winding rotor is at the heart of every modern automatic wristwatch.