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Mechanical Watch

Interactive 3D guide explaining the internal mechanics of a watch movement

From the Xiry library · Updated 10 October 2026

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An interactive, web-based visual essay by Bartosz Ciechanowski detailing how mechanical watch movements work. It breaks down every component—from the mainspring and going train to the escapement and balance wheel—using colour-coded text linked to interactive 3D simulations. It is widely considered a gold standard for explorable explanations and technical communication.

What it's for

  • Understand the mechanical engineering principles behind non-electronic timekeeping
  • Study reference-quality interactive 3D visualisations and explanatory web design
  • Inspect the physical interactions of an escapement, hairspring, and gear train under motion

Features

  • Interactive 3D models you can rotate, pan, and inspect at any angle
  • Scrubbable timeline sliders to step through physical component interactions slowly
  • Color-coded technical terminology linked directly to component highlights
  • Global pause and unpause controls for on-page animations to reduce distraction or power use
  • Step-by-step breakdown of mainspring power storage, cycloidal gear trains, pallet jewels, and shock protection

Pricing

Free to read (supported via Patreon)

Details

Type
Article or course
Category
Learning
Topic
Interactive Explanations
Open source
No
Platforms
Web
For
Engineers, web designers, watch enthusiasts, and anyone curious about physical mechanics
Tags
watches, horology, interactive, engineering, physics, 3d, webgl

Why it was saved

  • @vponamariov, 10 December 2023: Benchmark for interactive explanatory writing: animated, scrubbable diagrams of the gear train, mainspring and escapement with colour-coded part references

Related

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