Glossary
What a watch rotor is
watch rotor
A watch rotor is the half-moon weight in an automatic movement that spins as your wrist moves and winds the mainspring.
What you are seeing
Through an exhibition caseback, the rotor is usually the large decorated weight swinging across the movement. Some are skeletonized or engraved. The job is the same: turn motion into winding.
Ownership notes
Rotors can make a faint whirring sound, which is normal on many movements. Ball-bearing rotors and older bushing designs feel different. Manual-wind watches have no rotor, which is one reason they can be thinner.
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