What are the classifications of watches?

　　Many people who are just getting into watches are unfamiliar with the different types available and often struggle to choose one that suits them. Below, I will introduce the classifications and features of watches for these enthusiasts!

　　Manually wound watch: Operated by turning the crown by hand to drive the winding system, which in turn winds the mainspring.

　　Please note: When winding for the first time, wind it fully yourself to see how many turns are required. Afterwards, simply wind it to 8-9 full following the same method. Do not overwind, as this may snap the mainspring.

　　Self-winding watch: Driven by the natural movement of the arm, the oscillating weight swings back and forth to automatically tension the mainspring.

　　Please note: Automatic watches feature a slip-spring mechanism and cannot be fully over-wound. Once the timepiece stops, simply give the crown a few turns to get the movement going, and the rest will be handled by the movement of your wrist during wear.

　　Quartz watch

　　This belongs to the second generation of watches, generally referring to timepieces that use a battery and a quartz oscillator to calculate and display time. The movement's frequency is regulated by quartz. Common types today include analogue quartz watches and digital quartz watches. Their defining characteristic is precision; under normal temperature ranges, the monthly variance is within approximately ±15-20 seconds.

　　Quartz watches are further divided into:

　　Analogue quartz watch: Uses battery power to generate a frequency via the quartz crystal, while an IC circuit divides the frequency and controls the coil and magnetic rotor to drive the gear train and turn the hands. The hour and minute hands are essentially electrically powered.

　　Digital quartz watch: The underlying principle is the same as an analogue quartz watch, but it lacks a gear train, instead using a liquid crystal display (LCD) to show the time directly.

　　Solar-powered watch

　　Solar cells are made from extremely high-purity silicon wafers which undergo special processing to form two exceptionally thin layers. When sunlight or artificial light strikes the surface of the silicon wafer, light energy is converted into photocurrent and photovoltage. Current flows from the higher-voltage solar cell to the lower-voltage watch battery to charge it. To prevent the voltage entering the watch from the solar cell from becoming too high, internal diodes and resistors act as buffers to protect the watch battery and extend its lifespan.