# Mechanical Watch

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

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.

Website: https://ciechanow.ski/mechanical-watch

## What it is 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](https://xiry.app/topics/learning.md)
- 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](https://x.com/vponamariov/status/1733826137455730890): Benchmark for interactive explanatory writing: animated, scrubbable diagrams of the gear train, mainspring and escapement with colour-coded part references

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Updated 10 October 2026. Page: https://xiry.app/resources/mechanical-watch

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