# Whither wound watch wearing?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whither-wound-watch-wearing/27441>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [July 30, 2000, 3:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whither-wound-watch-wearing/27441 "2000-07-30T15:31:22Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![hawthorne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/c89c15/32.png) [@hawthorne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hawthorne)\
**Post date:** [July 30, 2000, 3:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whither-wound-watch-wearing/27441/1 "2000-07-30T15:31:22Z")

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My normal watch broke down recently and I reverted to my grandfather’s Russian one (I would have worn my father’s, but it was stolen a decade ago by a man in a tiger suit).

Battery-operated watches seem to have taken over completely. When did batteries take over the non-chunky-digital market?

Are there still self-winding watches available?

When batteries replaced winding and self-winding, did it happen across the board, or were really flashy watches the last to go?

picmr

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**Author:** ![Oblio](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/c4cdca/32.png) [@Oblio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oblio)\
**Post date:** [July 30, 2000, 3:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whither-wound-watch-wearing/27441/2 "2000-07-30T15:38:08Z")

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I believe that Seiko manufactures self winding watches. Bring your checkbook though, I think they were several hundred USD.

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**Author:** ![AHunter3](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ahunter3/32/368_2.png) [@AHunter3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AHunter3)\
**Post date:** [July 30, 2000, 3:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whither-wound-watch-wearing/27441/3 "2000-07-30T15:38:51Z")

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I still use a windable mainspring-powered pocket watch, but admittedly I bought it as an antique. I don’t know if you can (easily) buy them as new merchandise. If you can’t, I don’t know when the last of them stopped being manufactured.

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**Author:** ![astro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\
**Post date:** [July 30, 2000, 3:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whither-wound-watch-wearing/27441/4 "2000-07-30T15:47:25Z")

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> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by picmr \*  
> \*\*My normal watch broke down recently and I reverted to my grandfather’s Russian one (I would have worn my father’s, but it was stolen a decade ago by a man in a tiger suit).
> 
> Battery-operated watches seem to have taken over completely. When did batteries take over the non-chunky-digital market?
> 
> Are there still self-winding watches available?
> 
> When batteries replaced winding and self-winding, did it happen across the board, or were really flashy watches the last to go?  
> picmr \*\*

YES!YES!YES!

A world of mechanical splendor lies just beyond the veil. Supreme engineering masterworks which most humans have no concept of, loving and proud expressions of the intersection where art and craft reach their acme.

see [http://www.timezone.com](http://www.timezone.com)

Horologists are waiting to help you! From 100 to 1,000,000. a self winding watch is like a living thing.