Mechanical watches are the old fashioned watches that need to be wound up every day. They have no pretensions about them, no gimmicks just good old fashioned watch making at its best. Some people swear by them and will not go near a digital watch. They say they trust the old style more.

Mechanical watches they say give a more accurate time. Perhaps it has something to do with the fact they feel they have more control over how it works, that they are the ones every night winding it up and making it tick again. Maybe they like the more authentic style; the big round clock face, roman numerals and shiny watch straps.

Whatever the reason they are still incredibly popular with consumers, and despite strong competition from their digital sons look here to stay. These watches tend to appeal to the connoisseurs. People that know how watches work.

So how do they work? Well a mechanical watch is like an engine, it is powered by a mechanical set of gears. To get these gears moving we wind the spring until it can't be wound up and anymore then let that spring release it self slowly, turning the gearing, until it is fully extended and then that is when we wind it back. The gears work on all the three hands of the clock; the second hand, the minute hand and the hour hand. The ticking that you hear when you put your ear to the clock is the second hand. In modern watches there up to 40 wheels and springs working together to give good time.

But perhaps what you didn't know is that jewels also play a part in the working of a watch. These are actually real jewels and no doubt are the most expensive things in the watch, though they are used because they are the least expensive of quality gemstones. They work because their smooth surface allows the cogs to run consistently and hence keep accurate time. You may ask why digital watches have not taking over completely.

They are far easier to use, have many more function plus are worn by almost everybody. Who wears mechanical watches nowadays? They are mostly worn by people who want a watch to look good. They do have a mark of quality precisely because they are older and are more expensive to make. The disadvantages are that they tend to have to be serviced every few years as they can lose the time.

An advantage is that they have no battery and can run forever. A good mechanical watch can be expensive but it will always remain its just out of reach of digital relation because of its attractiveness and the ability to be more than just something you need to keep track of the time.

Gregg Hall is an author living in Navarre Beach, Florida. Find more about this as well as quality wristwatches at http://www.watchesplusmore.com