This additional mechanical module is integrated into a classic watch movement but it isn't necessarily classed as one of the “great complications”, i.e. Watch amateurs have become very interested in the power reserve because they understand the level of ingenuity required from engineers in order to gain just a few minutes of extra power.Ī complication known as the “power reserve indicator” also exists and is usually displayed on the face of a watch to indicate precisely how much life your watch has left in it, similar to a battery or petrol gauge. Watchmakers have made significant progress in terms of making components as small as possible and minimising the resistance of cogs by introducing new materials to reduce friction and energy loss.
Over the last few years, much research has been dedicated to the energy efficiency of movements, with a view to increasing their power reserves by reducing their consumption. It's a real feat for a watchmaker to succeed in storing energy in a movement to make it tick over for as long as several dozen days. This can be anywhere between 12 hours to several dozen days (30 for some rare models), with an average of around 40 hours for the most complex (and therefore most expensive) watches in recent years. The power reserve, which of course doesn’t feature on battery-powered watches, is the functioning time a watch has from the moment it's fully wound until the moment it runs out of energy. In other words, the term “power reserve” refers to the time it takes for the barrel to use up the kinetic energy coiled up inside it, similar to the fuel tank in a car. The gradual relaxation of the spring then transmits energy which drives the cogs that operate the mechanism. When you wind a watch, the spring is compressed. This mechanism, known as a barrel, contains a spring. This can be done manually using the crown or, if you have an automatic watch with oscillating weight, the watch draws energy automatically from your wrist movements. The reason for this is that a mechanical timepiece draws the energy it needs to run the cogs of the mechanism and activate the hands from a complex system, which is kept active by winding it up. Once the power reserve has run out, your watch will stop. First things first: it’s important to note that power reserves only feature on mechanical watches (automatic and manual).Īs the name suggests, “power reserve” refers to the length of time the watch can continue to function until the mechanism stops because it hasn’t been wound up or activated.
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