Micro-rotor Magic

Why don't watchmakers embrace them more?

In many ways, micro-rotors are magical. They offer the best of both worlds: the slim profile of a manual movement with the convenience of automatic winding. As shown by the example above, they even offer a relatively unobstructed view of the movement.

For those who might be unfamiliar with rotor terminology, here's a breakdown.

Most automatic watches have a traditional winding rotor (pictured below) which sits on top of the movement.

By contrast, a micro-rotor is fully integrated and set into the movement itself. Therefore, the movement is thinner than it would be otherwise.

Of course, micro-rotors are more difficult and challenging to make, and thus more expensive. But isn't that kind of the point of luxury watches?

As Time & Tide have argued, unnecessarily thick watches are no good. Plenty of popular watches, from the Tudor GMT to the Omega Speedmaster Automatic, are marred by their excessively thick cases and movements. A micro-rotor would not only fix this, it would (in Omega's case, at least) improve the display case back experience by revealing more of the movement.

Here's to hoping more watchmakers embrace the magic of micro-rotors.

For further reading, check out the "Top 5 Best Watches With Micro-Rotors" by watchreviewblog.