Automatic winding

What does automatic winding mean for a watch?

In self-winding watches, a rotating oscillating weight - the rotor - automatically winds the movement. The wearer's body and arm movements move the flywheel mass, and the energy thus generated is transferred to the power reserve. These are called "self-winding watches" or "watches with automatic winding". 


                       Chopard                                          Jaeger-LeCoultre                                       Zenith

Central rotor and planetary rotor

The generally accepted principle here is the central rotor. An alternative to this is the principle of the micro or planetary rotor, which is used for example in calibers 11-13 from Heuer. The pendulum oscillating weight (hammer automat) and the ring rotor are also used in movements. There are single and double-sided winding oscillating weights.

John Harwood - Inventor of the automatic winding mechanism in wristwatches

The inventor of automatic winding for wristwatches is the English watchmaker and engineer John Harwood, whose automatic wristwatch Harwood Perpetual was presented at the Basel Fair in 1926. 
Here are some particularly beautiful and sophisticated examples of modern automatic movements