Självinkande

Självinkande is a Swedish term that translates directly to "self-winding" or "self-inking" in English. It is most commonly used in the context of mechanical watches, referring to an automatic movement. A self-winding watch has a rotor, a weighted pendulum-like component, that swings with the natural motion of the wearer's wrist. This movement of the rotor winds the mainspring, which powers the watch, eliminating the need for manual winding.

The concept of self-winding mechanisms for watches dates back to the 18th century, but modern automatic movements became more prevalent in the early 20th century. The convenience of not having to manually wind a watch daily made self-winding timepieces very popular. A key advantage is that as long as the watch is worn regularly, it will continue to run without intervention. If a self-winding watch is not worn for a period, it will eventually stop and will need to be wound manually or placed on a watch winder to restart.

Beyond watches, the term "självinkande" can also be applied to other devices that have an automatic mechanism for replenishing or applying a substance, such as self-inking stamps. In this context, the stamp pad is integrated into the device and automatically re-inks the stamp surface after each use. However, its primary association remains with horology.