Automatic Watches

The appeal is not accuracy, because quartz wins that comfortably and always will. It is that the thing is mechanical: several hundred parts, no battery, and a service interval measured in years rather than a cell to replace. A well-regulated automatic will run within about ten seconds a day, and most sit closer to twenty.

The range here is unusually wide, from Seiko and Citizen at under GBP 100 to Glashutte Original and Blancpain past six figures, with the median around GBP 1,700. The jump in what you get happens roughly between GBP 500 and GBP 2,000: better regulation, finishing you are meant to see through a display back, and cases and bracelets machined to a standard the entry level does not attempt.

Automatic Watches holds 1855 models across 93 brands, from £25 to £165,000. Half cost less than £2,250, and a quarter less than £665. 1855 of 1855 are automatic. 1117 are stocked by more than one retailer, giving 3298 offers in total. Longines lists more references here than any other brand. Prices are checked nightly against the retailers’ own feeds.