Are the Seiko Kinetic / Autoquartz therefore Automatics?
Not quite, but close. The Seiko Kinetic and ETA Autoquartz movements are quartz movements. However, they use a rotor system similar to those used by automatics. The difference is that the rotor’s motion is converted to electricity, which is then used to charge a capacitor. The quartz movement then draws current from the capacitor as if it were a battery. It should be noted that the latest generation of autoquartz movements can store enough power to run the watch for several months (or even years in the case of the Seiko Auto-Relay); a mechanical automatic can only store as much power as contained in the mainspring – which is usually only 40 hours or so for most automatics.
