# Expensive Manual or automatic wind multi jewel watches

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/expensive-manual-or-automatic-wind-multi-jewel-watches/339774>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [January 13, 2006, 3:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/expensive-manual-or-automatic-wind-multi-jewel-watches/339774 "2006-01-13T03:59:58Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Whammo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8dc957/32.png) [@Whammo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whammo)\
**Post date:** [January 13, 2006, 3:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/expensive-manual-or-automatic-wind-multi-jewel-watches/339774/1 "2006-01-13T03:59:58Z")

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So these fine works of craftsmanship have no batteries or external power sources other then winding or autowind. So I am ASSUMING the internals are all gears… If I am assuming correctly how does the second hand SWEEP without the ticking of gears??

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**Author:** ![CurtC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ce73a5/32.png) [@CurtC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CurtC)\
**Post date:** [January 13, 2006, 4:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/expensive-manual-or-automatic-wind-multi-jewel-watches/339774/2 "2006-01-13T04:24:41Z")

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It does tick, but in smaller increments than one second. Back when quartz watches first came out, it was a big part of why they looked cool, that the second hand jumped once per second. Not like those old-fashioned watches everyone else had. (All watches before that had the same second hand movement you’re talking about, even the cheap ones that I wore).

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**Author:** ![CookingWithGas](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cookingwithgas/32/485_2.png) [@CookingWithGas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CookingWithGas)\
**Post date:** [January 13, 2006, 4:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/expensive-manual-or-automatic-wind-multi-jewel-watches/339774/3 "2006-01-13T04:38:40Z")

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Everybody always says that you can tell a real Rolex from a fake by the smooth movement of the second hand rather than 1-second increments. As **CurtC** (is your spouse Bow? 😉 ) said, if you get a real good look at one, you’ll see that the second hand is making something like 6 distinct jumps per second.

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**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\
**Post date:** [January 13, 2006, 4:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/expensive-manual-or-automatic-wind-multi-jewel-watches/339774/4 "2006-01-13T04:50:47Z")

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> [@CookingWithGas](#):
>
> if you get a real good look at one, you’ll see that the second hand is making something like 6 distinct jumps per second.

And the movments vary. My GMT II has more ‘beats’ than my Submariner, which has more ‘beats’ than my Seiko Bell-Matic, which has more ‘beats’ than my first watch (a Times I got when I was ten). I don’t remember how many beats the movements have, but I used to know. If anyone can remind me, then I’ll know again. 😉

Incidentally, there is (unless it’s been discontinued) a quartz Rolex. The shape of the case is very different from the Oyster case though. And there are fake Rolexes that have automatic movments instead of quartz ones. (Hence, just listening to the beats as a possible way of identifying them.)