Mechanical, automatic (selfwinding) or quartz-movements Mechanical replica watches come in two types: manual and selfwinding. In a manual replica watch, the wearer must turn the crown to wind the mechanism. In an automatic or selfwinding watch, the movement is activated by a rotor which turns by the force of gravity with the regular movements of the wearer's wrist. Mechanical movements are generally more expensive than quartz.
In Quartz replica watches, a specially designed battery activates a quartz crystal inside the movement that vibrates approximately 33.000 times per second. These vibrations are then translated into impulses by a computerchip that drives an electric motor which moves the watch's hands. A quartz replica watch should be serviced when a battery change is necessary.
Kinetic watches are powered by the movement of the wearer's arm. That movement causes a weight to move back and forth, which sets a micro-generator spinning which produces electrical energy. The electricity is stored in a capacitor (analogous to a battery in a battery-powered watch).
ECO-drive or light (solar) powered replica watches: the light enters the watch through the watch's crystal and dial. It then hits a solar cell underneath the dial. In some watches, the solar cell is a disk as big as the dial itself. In others, it's a smaller rectangle. The light knocks loose electrons in the solar cell, creating electrical current. The current is then stored in the battery or capacitor. From that point on, the watch operates just as traditional quartz watches do.
