A complete course in mechanical horology

Learn Every Component
of a Mechanical Watch

Eleven step-by-step modules take you from "what's a movement?" to tracing the full energy path through a manual-wind or automatic watch — with animated diagrams, real macro photography, and quizzes. Grounded in the classic bench manuals of Donald de Carle, Harold Kelly, and Henry Fried.

11modules
~2.5htotal time
40+components covered
Freeno sign-up
Start the course
Open pocket watch showing its mechanical movement
A mechanical movement, opened. By the end of this course you will know what every visible part does. Photo: Wikimedia Commons (Isabelle Grosjean, CC BY-SA 3.0)

🧭 Not sure where something is taught?

Click the Ask the Watchmaker button in the corner and ask anything — "why does my watch tick?", "what is the rotor?", "my watch runs fast" — and the tutor will point you to the exact module and section.

How this course works

  1. Go in order. Each module builds on the previous one — the escapement makes no sense before the gear train.
  2. Watch the animations. Every moving system has an animated diagram; play with the controls.
  3. Pass each quiz. Score 70% or better to mark a module complete. Progress is saved in your browser.
  4. Finish the capstone. Module 11 has an interactive map of the whole watch and the final exam.