To wind or not to wind?

[GMT2BATMAN]

Is it better for the long term life of your watch to keep them on a winder or let them stop. I wear my watches for a month at a time. So some of my watches will not be used for a several months.
Would it be excessive wear and tear to keep them on the winder?
Will the oil dry out if they sit there for months with out moving?

[Andad]

I just let mine run down.

When I wear one next I just give it a few turns of the crown and set it.

The oils used are pretty good.

[schoolboy]

Why not just give them a wind every now and then as you unwind? (As you relax after a hard days work)

[teck21]

I wore a $200 Seiko kinetic daily for 20 years and it ran smoothly till the day I broke it.

I would expect Rolex to be able to able to withstand that at the very least, albeit with the necessary servicing.

It is on that basis I use a winder. Then again I rotate in and out every couple of days, rather than weeks.


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[Seibei]

Give it a rest.

[Tools]

Originally Posted by GMT2BATMAN

. . .
Would it be excessive wear and tear to keep them on the winder?
Will the oil dry out if they sit there for months with out moving?

Interesting questions...

A watch that is running is incurring continuous wear; a watch that is stopped is incurring zero wear.

As to oil; oil wears out, and is rated by it's shear ability. When it is being smashed and pushed between gears and moving parts, it incurs shear forces. After enough time, it no longer lubricates because the viscosity (size of lubricating drops) is sheared and reduced too small to do the job. No gear movement, no shear on the oil.

This will happen to a modern synthetic long before it ever dries out.

How you want to handle your watches health is up to you.

[SearChart]

Just let it run down.

[crazymcmichael]

For me thanx to the technical known members here no winder it looks cool though

[DanMdR]

Personal choice probably. I wear my OP 36 every day and probably fall asleep with it on half the nights. If you give them a rest in between wearing there’s probably a guy wearing it every day so it really doesn’t matter. All of us are probably going to service at the recommended intervals anyways regardless of how much wrist time so I’d say it’s really personal choice. Some people like winding and strong the time and some of us don’t. Personally I’d keep my watch on a winder for convenience.

[Seibei]

Originally Posted by DanMdR

Personally I’d keep my watch on a wonder for convenience.

Where can I get one of them wonders?

[DanMdR]

Originally Posted by Seibei

Where can I get one of them wonders?

Hahahahahahahahaha. Good catch! I’m wondering too!!

[Motik]

Wear from a winder will be the same as if you were continuously wearing the watch. Would you think that your Rolex cannot stand being worn 24/7?

[GMT2BATMAN]

Originally Posted by Tools

Interesting questions...

A watch that is running is incurring continuous wear; a watch that is stopped is incurring zero wear.

As to oil; oil wears out, and is rated by it's shear ability. When it is being smashed and pushed between gears and moving parts, it incurs shear forces. After enough time, it no longer lubricates because the viscosity (size of lubricating drops) is sheared and reduced too small to do the job. No gear movement, no shear on the oil.

This will happen to a modern synthetic long before it ever dries out.

How you want to handle your watches health is up to you.

Great answer! Thank you!

[fsprow]

As a materials scientist, this answer is quite incorrect. The shear forces in a watch are minuscule compared to those in most rotating equipment. There should be virtually no difference in the oil viscosity or other parameters in a watch left alone or subject to the very small forces in a watch movement. At one time petroleum oils were subject to becoming gummy, but now with modern synthetic lubricants and additives that is no longer an issue.


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[sirish19]

I keep all of my automatic watches on a wonder and used to wind my manual wind watches every morning (it was the thing that woke me up with a cup of coffee in the morning). Since neither of my manual wind watches have a date, I have since stopped winding every day and pretty much wind just before wearing. I generally rotate all of my watches every day and wear each one at least once a week. As such, I do want the watches to be ready to go on any given day so keep them on the winder. I figure that I will probably get them serviced at regular intervals anyway so it probably won’t matter whether they are on a winder and incurring wear or just sitting. I do have a birth-year watch that I will give to my son in a few years that I take out of the safe about once a month and give a good wind to try to keep it lubricated. Of course, I will service before I give it to him at 18.


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[brandrea]

Originally Posted by SearChart

Just let it run down.

[HogwldFLTR]

Very few watches have features which make them require winders. My DD36 1803 was one such. With it's lack of any quickset it was a real pain to set. Great watch for a one watch person but not so useful as a seldom worn watch. Now all my watches are dormant when not worn. These aren't automotive engines which can collect corrosives in the oil when not run. Nothing about them demands being continually run.

[123Blueface]

I use winders for all my watches and my wife’s.
I wear them at whim, whatever suits me for that day.
The convenience is awesome, specially for my Navitimer that is a pain to wind and for GMTs, and as to any extra wear and tear? I guess being 60 puts it in better perspective for me. I care more about my personal wear and tear than what will happen to my watches in whatever time God has left for me.

[Mr.Rolex1]

Only if alternating between several pieces

[SeaAndSky]

Well, as a mechanical engineer by education, I can confidently say that wear only happens when parts are moving. I think giving a watch a manual wind every blue moon when not wearing it is more than enough to move lubrication around and keep parts from seizing. The lubricants won't disappear they just move by gravity to a new location. Do you leave your car running at night? I think winders are silly.

[214270Explorer]

This is a debate that will likely never expire.

Do what you wish as far as long term usage and do not let it be a bother.