Serious watch enthusiasts prefer automatic watches because of its reputation as the “genuine article”. Fine watch making is considered to be an art form and watch purists who appreciate the complexity of a fine-tuned machine will only consider buying an automatic watch. They last a lifetime and are cherished heirlooms for many generations. Some of these automatic watches have become highly sought after collectibles by watch aficionados worldwide.

Automatic watches replaced the original manual winding watches of yesteryear. This self winding mechanism was originally invented by Abraham-Louis Perrelet in 1770 for use in pocket watches. Early watch making technology required the watch wearer to keep winding their watch every 10 to 24 hours to keep accurate time.  An automatic movement is similar to that original mechanism with the addition of a ‘rotor’, an eccentric weight which winds the internal mainspring using the natural motion of the watch wearers arm. The fully wound automatic watch can store enough energy reserve to keep accurate time for about 48 hours allowing it keep working overnight while not in motion. Most automatic watches can also be wound by turning the crown manually so it can run precisely while not worn.

The earliest version of the self winding automatic wristwatch appeared immediately after the First World War when wristwatches originally became popular. It was perfected by a watch repairer named John Harwood in the early 1920’s.

Automatic Watches require a little more loving care than the popular quartz movements but are considered more eco friendly since they do not run on batteries. Here at Ashford.com we strive to make your shopping experience for that unique Automatic watch as pleasurable as possible. We stock a varied and extensive selection of self winding Automatic Watches from a wide range of well known luxury brands at greatly discounted prices and we offer free shipping with no minimum order. That is a winning combination and translates to great savings for our customers.

For your convenience we also offer a thirty day money back guarantee on all our watches along with a two year worry free warranty. All our customer service specialists are well versed in all watches and will walk you through every step of the way.

We are constantly replenishing our stock of brand new Automatic watches by many different watch makers so keep revisiting our website to see our latest offers.