What are Kinetic Watches?
Kinetic watches are timepieces that utilize the power from the human body to keep the watch running. There are no batteries needed and you should not have to wind the watch to keep it going. Kinetic watches have oscillating weights that are turned by constant movement from the wrist. The constant movement turns into a magnetic charge in the watch and then into electricity. Kinetic watches are powered by kinetic energy. The term kinetic energy comes from the Greek words kinesis and energia, which mean motion and energy.
Kinetic energy is power that the body produces through movement. The energy that the body produces through normal movement will stay constant until a negative energy is applied, such as the body stopping the movement. Kinetic energy has been converted from other types of energy. For example, the body uses chemical energy such as that gained from food, in order to make the energy needed to manufacture kinetic energy.
A big selling point with kinetic watches is their energy saving ability and their accuracy. Kinetic watches never need winding or a battery change. Kinetic watches are capable of storing energy for up to six months. Most kinetic watches have power reserve indicators that show how much power is stored within the watch.
They also have built-in sensors that tell the wearer if the watch has been inactive for at least 24 hours. If the watch senses this it will automatically put itself to sleep, which is called suspended animation. To awaken the watch you simply give it a shake of the wrist and it will automatically reset the time and the date. Kinetic watches have the ability to reset themselves even if they have been suspended for up to four years. The watch’s ability to do this gives it greater energy saving capabilities.
Kinetic watches are manufactured by a variety of brand watchmakers and come in all shapes and sizes. Although kinetic watches are very environmentally friendly because they do not require batteries, they will need a tune up every 5 to 10 years. The watch's main capacitor that stores the energy will eventually wear out and need to be replaced.
The kinetic watch is a great energy saving device but it may have a rival with solar powered watches. The solar powered watch uses the sun’s energy to keep the watch running. For those in less-sunny climes, a kinetic watch may be more reliable than a solar powered one.
Written by Garry Crystal
