Watch winders is it necessary

[mrlube1151001]

Hi guys Inhave a question for our knowledgeable forum members.I bought a couple Rolex watches from A.D this year.i have since retired and don’t go out as much. Just spending time with grand kids.when I go out may be once a week I just wind the watch set the date and time and go.Is that safe for the watch or I need buy a winder. Any thoughts.Thanks

[Benzsiam]

No need to buy a winder, you did it right.

[Tools]

Originally Posted by mrlube1151001

. . . I just wind the watch set the date and time and go.Is that safe for the watch or I need buy a winder. Any thoughts.Thanks

Contrary to a popular myth, a wristwatch does not need to be running all of the time for its health.

[hutch300]

Yes it is safe. You do whatever you prefer. If you had a perpetual calendar you might want a winder. That's not a concern here.

[arcampado]

Originally Posted by hutch300

Yes it is safe. You do whatever you prefer. If you had a perpetual calendar you might want a winder. That's not a concern here.

This. I would only buy a watch winder for a perpetual calendar, and only for convenience not out of necessity.

[Calatrava r]

When you want to wear one, just set, wind and wear. And it's easier to safety stash your watches somewhere safe and hidden when they are not on a winder.

[mrlube1151001]

Thanks guys.good to know

[Belinus]

I have a watch winder but find that I don’t use it. The only complication I have is a date function and I’ve found that I enjoy picking a watch to wear and setting and winding it.

[cotignola]

Originally Posted by mrlube1151001

Hi guys Inhave a question for our knowledgeable forum members.I bought a couple Rolex watches from A.D this year.i have since retired and don’t go out as much. Just spending time with grand kids.when I go out may be once a week I just wind the watch set the date and time and go.Is that safe for the watch or I need buy a winder. Any thoughts.Thanks

I always enjoyed having one and keeping my watches on time.
I purchased a new one last year from JQueen. So far is working pretty well.




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[Clon3]

The reason why I use a winder is because I don't want to be constantly screwing/unscrewing the crown every week. Feel like it's just a matter of time before the threads get messed up on either normal wear & tear or by mistake.

[alphadweller]

Not only is it not a necessity, but it's detrimental to your watches, unless they have complications for which the manufacturer recommends the use of a watchwinder.

The winding system of a watch is designed to be in action 8 to 10 hours a day, not the 24h. A winder doesn't give the mainspring a time to relax, as opposed to letting the watch rest at night after a day wearing it. The watch should wind down during the night and be wind up again throughout the day when wearing it. A watch is not designed to sit the full time on full power.

https://youtu.be/N5Gnj1rBAPo

[Andad]

I have sold a lot of watch winders over the years and still have a few in stock.

I did try one for a few days and that was it.

[ZOOK]

You don’t need a watch winder, you have Grand kids.

[Mystro]

Originally Posted by alphadweller

Not only is it not a necessity, but it's detrimental to your watches, unless they have complications for which the manufacturer recommends the use of a watchwinder.

The winding system of a watch is designed to be in action 8 to 10 hours a day, not the 24h. A winder doesn't give the mainspring a time to relax, as opposed to letting the watch rest at night after a day wearing it. The watch should wind down during the night and be wind up again throughout the day when wearing it. A watch is not designed to sit the full time on full power.

https://youtu.be/N5Gnj1rBAPo

What??? This isn’t remotely correct. A mainspring doesn’t “need” time to relax. That is not how it works. A automatic, especially a Rolex single barrel mainspring holds its optimal performance at the top 25% of its mainspring. Keeping the watch topped off is not only recommended but it is optimal for accuracy.
Not that you can overwind a Rolex but a programmable watch-winder won’t over wind a automatic anyway as it is designed to hold the mainspring where it was when you took the watch off and placed it on the winder. Typically 650 turns per day in a bi directional setting. 800 turns per day with a chronograph.

I ran a Bluesy non-stop for 15 years constant on a winder or my wrist. I never let the watch stop. This is well documented on the forum.
When I had its first routine service at the 15 year mark, it did not require anything more than a standard service and in fact the watchmaker said it looked excellent inside. The watch didn’t even need serviced at the 15 year mark but did it out of caution even though it was keeping +4 seconds a day. I have used quality watch winders for over 25 years now without any issues with Rolex, Omega, Panerai, Breitling, Tag Heuer, etc….

“Do you NEED a watch winder” No.
“Can you use a watch winder?” Sure.

I display all my watches on a custom multi head winder system I had built.
Some times I don’t run all the heads for all the watches. Mostly I run maybe 3 heads at a time for the 3 watches I am typically using for rotation.

[stockae92]

I have one, I never used it.

[cts]

No

[TheVTCGuy]

And cue PADI in three…two…one….

[Slimpee]

I have one still in the box because I don’t have anywhere convenient to use it.

Once we move, I will use it for my wife’s Cartier because she doesn’t wear it every day and doesn’t wind it. I will also probably use it for my 1803 because the watch doesn’t have quickset.

That said, I don’t mind manually winding the watches and haven’t felt desperate for a winder.

My watchmaker says that with modern lubricants and servicing as needed, winders don’t hurt the watch.

[Geckobros]

Convenience, yes. Necessary, no.

[pentaquark]

I heard once that if they were strictly necessary, the watch companies would give you one or be happy to sell you one.

I have watches with complications that require resetting and that can get a bit tedious. I still have not given in and bought one but have thought about it.

[rcwatchcollector]

I use a 3 watch wolf winder. I don’t always turn them all on. I am a bit neurotic so I like my watches on the right time. But then I worry they should be rested to empty. So I turn it off. But usually they are on.


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[bogdanthegreat]

I have avoided winders because of the excess wear. Especially if not planning to wear a watch for maybe weeks at a time.

[Driver8]

I’ve had a lot of experience of using winders on and off over the years and, like most things in life, moderation is the key IMO.

Watches are designed to be worn and used, and that includes wearing them 24/7. If you wear an automatic watch constantly it will always be winding itself as you will be moving even when you sleep. This is perfectly normal and the watch it built to take that. Remember, most watch manufacturers build watches with the expectation that it will be the owners only watch, and therefore will be running constantly. Plus the manufacturer service intervals - up to 10 years on a modern Rolex - is calculated on the assumption of it being worn and used.

I also thoroughly believe that running a watch more often than not is better for it than leaving it sitting motionless for months/years at a time. I’ve had a “sticky” date wheel on my YM in the past when I didn’t use it for a long time. I manually cycled through a months worth of date changes and then wore it constantly for a few weeks - no more sticky date wheel. These things are meant to be used.

That said, of course there is absolutely no point in leaving a watch on a winder for months at a time if you aren’t ever wearing it. Plus it will be constantly in one position which means its timekeeping may not be as good as it would be when it’s worn as watches are designed to “even out” timekeeping variances when the watch is in different positions when worn.

As I say I have had periods of both using and not using winders and I’ve never found any appreciable difference in service intervals or cost. For me (as I said at the top) it’s all about moderation - personally I tend to have 2 or 3 watches in my active rotation at any one time, and I like to use a winder to keep them going between wearing them. When a watch is out of rotation for a while I let it stop and I keep it in a watch box. And if I don’t wear a watch for a long time I tend to just give it a wind every month or so to keep it healthy.

So as Mystro said - are winders a necessity? No. Can you use winders? Sure. Are they detrimental to your watch? Not at all.

If you want to use one, my advice would be to buy something decent that is programmable or mimics the natural motion of the wrist as much as possible, and absolutely has rest periods built in. I would also suggest not leaving watches just sitting on there for years on end if you aren’t actually wearing them. Other than that, winders are great convenience if used sensibly.

[EEpro]

Orbita programmable or the gentle motion rotorwind models are great and will not harm your watch or overwind it.

I actually enjoy restoring the old Orbita models found on eBay.

Wolf are also good and programmable.

This Orbita Siena was "inoperable" and $300 on eBay. Original retail $2,000. Its motors are common Swiss ones available for $20 new. A roll of tape to clean the felt, $30 for new pillows and thin coat of lacquer and it's looking good enough to go in the top shelf of my small closet safe.

[padi56]

Originally Posted by mrlube1151001

Hi guys Inhave a question for our knowledgeable forum members.I bought a couple Rolex watches from A.D this year.i have since retired and don’t go out as much. Just spending time with grand kids.when I go out may be once a week I just wind the watch set the date and time and go.Is that safe for the watch or I need buy a winder. Any thoughts.Thanks

In over 50 years of owning and wearing Rolex watches never felt the need for these machine winder things. I sometime wonder how the millions of Rolex watch owners managed before these watch winders, timegraphers etc, perhaps back then they just bought there watches to wear and enjoy. Now the best winders are wrist thats for sure,IMHO automatic watches are designed to be worn by people only. And not on a expensive box machine winder, NOW while on a machine its in the same position for hours,days or even weeks, perhaps months .Now today most people move in a huge diversity of manners, causing a fairly even distribution of motion of the watches winding mechanism and escapement positions. Now because a watch winder is normally limited to a very small number of directions and types of movement normally just back and throe.


IMHO a badly designed winder could in theory damage a watch and cause wear from excessive and repetitive movement on the same plane and axis to the escapement wheel pinions. And today because the oils used in most modern watches including Rolex, and when properly serviced are not very prone to clotting or coagulating like the old mineral oils. So its not a problem to just rest a watch for a month or longer then just wind reset and go, must take all of 30 seconds to do.

But if stored for longer than a few month or so I would recommend to just give them a small wind to keep the tiny amount of oil around the movement.Think of it this way if you had a choice of two watches one thats been on a winder for a few years. Or a watch that was new old stock unused unworn which one would you choose.

While there is no significant evidence that a good watch winder will either save or harm your watch. Over the many years of dealing with RSC Bexly UK and talking to the various watchmakers there, who did not recommend watch-winders for any of the Rolex line up. Its quite funny now that Rolex brought out a Rolex branded winder but made by a third party, its simple today many watch winders = big £££$$$€€ and huge profits.IMHO many watch-winders today have a high quality finish on the outside (to justify the extremely high price),but hiding some very cheaply mass-produced insides.

Myself been learning about the history of the RWC for well over 50 years,and wearing and enjoying wearing Rolex watches almost daily over those years.And all information supplied from my own 79 year old brain power, without the aid of loupes,nicknames,machine winders, timegraphers, alignment points, protective film,AD relationship building, investment £$€ stuff, special cleaning cloths, phone apps, and the rest of todays Rolex watch toys.

[Ruhiger]

I have continuously been using winders for multiple watches for 20 plus years with no detrimental side effect ever noted. (Rolex, Breitling, Muhle). Maybe I have been extremely fortunate but I keep them going on the winder and have never had a movement service required in less than 15 years.

Do whatever makes you happy, my opinion is that it most likely neither helps or hurts a well made timepiece.

[travisb]

Sold all of mine years ago. There are some very nice ones out there but I prefer to just wind and wear when I need to.

[brandrea]

Originally Posted by Tools

Contrary to a popular myth, a wristwatch does not need to be running all of the time for its health.

,

[aniconic]

Originally Posted by alphadweller

The winding system of a watch is designed to be in action 8 to 10 hours a day, not the 24h.

Good watch winders don't wind the watch 24 hours a day. Mine is programmable depending on the watch. For example, you can set it to wind with motion in one direction for 4 hours, then motion in the opposite direction for 4 hours, then rest for 16 hours. Or whatever. There's a booklet that has suggestions for the specific watch model.

Having said that, I don't use it (it was a gift) for winding, just for dust-proof storage.

[Harry-57]

Not necessary but perfectly OK if you want to use one. Your choice.