Automatic watches do not require a battery. They use a mainspring for energy storage. The rotor inside the watch spins with the wearer's movements, winding the mainspring.
The answer to that question is no. Automatic watches do not have batteries. And the reason for that is that they don't need them. Let's go through the technicality of automatic watches in detail. Automatic movements feature a rotor that is attached to the movement. When the wearer moves his or her wrist, the rotor can rotate freely.
How do automatic watches work?
As a result of ingenious design, automatic watches are powered by the movement of the wearer's body as they move. The natural movement of the arm when the wearer is walking or doing other activities causes a weighted piece inside the watch to fall back and forth, utilizing that kinetic energy to wind the gear train.
What is an automatic watch?
Now, let's start from the very beginning – what is an automatic watch in the simplest explanations? An automatic watch is a mechanical watch that uses energy from the wearer to power itself instead of needing to be manually wound. It has a metal weight called a rotor that spins when you move your hand, and this way winds the watch.
They also require more of your attention. On the other hand, the advantages of self-winding watches often outweigh the negatives. Therefore, it's no wonder they are highly sought-after and appreciated in the watch community. However, not all automatic watches are the same – there are low-quality watches, and there are durable and reliable watches.
Simply explained, quartz watches are watches that are powered by a battery. A battery powers the watch and gets it to tick. Then we also have automatic watches. Automatic watches are completely mechanical timepieces that have mechanical movements. This brings us to the question: do automatic watches have batteries?
Are battery-powered watches better than automatic watches?
Also, battery-powered watches are more accurate, overall. They will lose or gain a few seconds a month, as any clock is bound to do, though some will lose as little as five seconds a year. By comparison, most automatic watches lose a few seconds every day. After a few weeks, that will result in a noticeable divergence.