Batteryless Quartz Watch

By Frederik Drost

A batteryless quartz watch does not exist in many forms. Bulova and Grand Seiko are the 2 main known companies producing these types of movements. Grand SEIKO started and pioneered this type of movement by intriducing the Spring Drive movement. Spring Drive is a type of mechanical watch that uses the power of a mainspring as its source of energy, replacing the traditional escapement with a new type of regulator invented by Seiko. The Spring Drive system combines a mainspring, a gear train, and an electronic regulator to create a smooth, sweeping second hand without the ticking sound of a traditional mechanical watch. This system uses a movement of the gear train to generate electricity that powers the electronic regulator, which in turn controls the speed of the mainspring. The result is a watch with a consistent, accurate timekeeping system that has the look and feel of a traditional mechanical watch. The Bulova version of this is called an Electrostatic Accutron Movement. Two small turbine-like structures are visible in the lower half of the dial, which rotate rapidly when the watch is in motion, while the upper part of the dial is dominated by a near-identical, but larger, turbine – this rotates continuously, as it drives the seconds hand in a smooth forward motion that recalls the original Accutron watches. (source : https://www.hodinkee.com/articles/citizen-electrostatic-accutron-concept-movement-introducing)

Leave a comment