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Maybe this will help you to undestand more this type of thechnology, the article was taken from
Europastart.

BATTERY-LESS WATCHES

Seiko started the trend two years ago with the splashy and successful introduction of
its Kinetic series of watches. Last year, the Swiss watch giant SMH bought out its
own battery-less technology, called Autoquartz, in the Tissot brand. SMH brands
Omega and Longines followed this year with their own battery-less models, while
Seiko has incorporated Kinetic movements into its new Arctura line. What's gotten into
these brands? Read on.

by Norma Buchanan

What are the benefits of a battery-less watch?

How do battery-less watches work?

Who makes battery-less watches?

Automatic, or self-winding watches are also powered by rotors that turn when the
wearer moves his or her arm. Are they the same as the battery-less watches you're
talking about?

Do all battery-less watches work the same way?

Don't solar watches such as Citizen's Eco-Drive models also fall into the "battery-less"
category?

Are battery-less watches as accurate as battery-powered ones?

Since the battery-less watch is powered by the wearer's arm, won't it stop running as
soon as the watch is removed?

Can the wearer tell how long the watch will run once it is taken off?

How can the wearer get the watch running again if it runs out of power while it's not
being worn?

Will battery-less watches make battery-powered watches obsolete?

1. What are the benefits of a battery-less watch?

- The wearer need never replace the battery.

- The watch will never stop unexpectedly the way a battery-powered watch will when
the battery runs down.

- The wearer need not worry about any environmental pollution that could be caused by
disposal of used batteries.

2. How do battery-less watches work?

Battery-less watches are powered by the movement of the wearer's arm. That
movement causes a weight to move back an 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).

From this point on, the battery-less watch functions as a normal quartz watch does:
the electricity is transmitted to an integrated circuit, which keeps the quartz crystal
oscillating at 32,768 Hertz. The integrated circuit sends impulses at one-second
intervals to the stepping motor, which powers the gear train, which moves the watch's
hands.

3. Who makes battery-less watches?

The major players are Seiko and SMH. Other companies are also experimenting with
battery-less technology. Citizen makes a battery-less movement which it sells to
Festina for use in its watches, but so far hasn't introduced it into the Citizen brand.

4. Automatic, or self-winding watches are also powered by rotors that turn
when the wearer moves his or her arm. Are they the same as the battery-less
watches you're talking about?

No. The terms "automatic" and "self-winding" refer to mechanical watches powered by
a mainspring (not electricity, as in the new battery-less watches) and using an
oscillating balance wheel (rather than a vibrating quartz crystal) to measure time. The
only similarity between automatic watches and watches like Seiko's Kinetic or the
Omega-matic is the rotating weight that creates the energy to make the movement
work.

5. Do all battery-less watches work the same way?

Basically. There are, of course, some variations in the technology used by the different
companies. (Seiko, for example, filed 50 patents for its Kinetic movements). The basic
principle, thought, is the same: an oscillating weight generates electrical power which
is stored and released gradually to power the movement.

6. Don't solar watches such as Citizen's Eco-Drive models also fall into
the "battery-less" category?

Not really. It's true these watches don't need to have their batteries replaced ( they are
continuously recharged by light), but they do have batteries.

7. Are battery-less watches as accurate as battery-powered ones?

Yes. Both use a quartz crystal as an oscillator, and it is the type of oscillator used
that determines a watch's accuracy (in a mechanical watch the balance wheel serves
as the oscillator).

8. Since the battery-less watch is powered by the wearer's arm, won't it stop
running as soon as the watch is removed?

No. Battery-less watches store electricity so they can keep running when they are not
being worn. If the watch is fully charged when it is taken off, it will continue to keep
time for between three and 14 days, depending on the watch brand and model.

Companies are working on ways to increase the length of time battery-less watches
will run without being moved. Seiko has just introduced a Kinetic movement called the
1M which it claims will run for three months.

9. Can the wearer tell how long the watch will run once it is taken off?

Yes. Battery-less watches have a power reserve indicator that shows how long the
watch will run once it is removed.

The mechanisms vary from brand to brand and model to model. In Seiko Kinetic
models, the wearer pushes a button and the seconds hand moves to indicate how
much power is left. The hand will move through a 30-second arc if it is fully charged. If
it moves less than the full 180 degrees, the watch is only partially charged.

Some watches also have a warning system to alert the wearer that the power is
running low. In Seiko Kinetic models, for example, the seconds hand moves in a
jerking motion at two-second intervals to indicate that the watch has only a few hours'
worth of power remaining.

10. How can the wearer get the watch running again if it runs out of power
while it's not being worn?

You can start a battery-less watch by moving it vigorously. This action gets the rotor
spinning, generating electrical energy. Once you've done so, the ordinary motion of
your arm will be enough to keep the watch working. Manufacturers have also deviced
other ways to start the movement once it has run out of power. The Omega-matic, for
example, can be repowered by winding the crown, which generates electricity.

11. Will battery-less watches make battery-powered watches obsolete?

That a tough question, and opinions within the watch industry are clearly mixed. Seiko
is putting enormous emphasis on its Kinetic technology; placing it at the center of its
marketing campaign. SMH, which actively promoting its battery-less watches, is
making less of a fuss about them than is Seiko.

Proponents of battery-less watches cite Seiko's success with Kinetic as a reason to
expect battery-less watch to one day eclipse battery-powered ones. Skeptics point to
ever-longer battery life -- some lithium-iodine batteries last 20 years-- when they
question whether the advantages now offered by battery-less technology will one day
become negligible.