Atmos And Other Ways Of Winding

CanberraOmega
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I was in canberra's only vintage watch store and they had a JLC Atmos clock.

I'd never heard of these - a capsule filled with chemicals expands and contracts with temperature changes, winding the mainspring. A 1degree temperature change will wind the clock sufficient for 24 hours! No need to hand wind at all. Are these available in watches? Could it be?

Apart from manual wind and kinetic (I.e. automatic) have there been any other ways of winding mainsprings or powering mechanical watches?
 
dsio
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The thing with an Atmos is they're extremely efficient, extremely low friction, and extremely fragile. Automatics take a massive beating and keep on ticking (well at least the good ones do 馃槈)
 
Gavin
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The change in temperature powers them up but they have to be placed on a flat level surface. If not, they will gain/lose time.
 
N2FHL
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The Atmos clock is based on the anniversary clock- so called because you only wind it once a year. This is accomplished by having a very strong mainspring and a torsion pendulum which only "ticks" every 30 seconds. A balance wheel large enough to turn that slowly, a strong mainspring and a diaphragm to power the whole contraption would be too large to cram into a wristwatch.

Steve
 
gatorcpa
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Don't have much to add, except this:

DSCN1884.jpg

This clock is far more accurate than any mechanical watch I own. Off maybe a minute every couple of months.
gatorcpa
 
dsio
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There's another interesting way of running a clock, some companies use this magical crystal, that when an electrical charge is applied, vibrates at a specific frequency, allowing accurate timing of the clock under battery power.
 
dsio
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gatorcpa gatorcpa
Sometime around 1918, this same concept was used with clocks that ran on that new-fangled alternating electrical current at 60 cycles per second.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electric_clock

There is nothing new under the sun,
gatorcpa
I know, what I was describing above was Quartz 馃槣
 
gatorcpa
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dsio dsio
I know, what I was describing above was Quartz 馃槣

The concept of using a battery to power a clock is even older than the harnessing of electricity.
gatorcpa
 
U
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dsio dsio
I know, what I was describing above was Quartz 馃槣

I got it, just don't ask if I thought it was funny. 馃榿
 
gatorcpa
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Shhhh...I got it, too. 馃槈

Just don't tell Ash,
gatorcpa
 
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