Winder: Do I really need it?
Hi,
I've been wondering whether using a winder will be beneficial or not. My concern in not from a practical point of view, as I love to pick up a stopped watch, wind it and adjst the time before use it. My question is related to the "health of the mechanism" and the reduction of interventions.
In my total ignorance I think: on one hand, a watch stopped for a long time can lead to the "stagnation" of lubricants which can lose quality and deteriorate the parts. On the other hand, being in constant operation leads to greater friction between parts and, consequently, faster wear. So far, what I've been doing is a compromise solution: I keep rotating the watches, with the concern that they won't spend more than a month without working.
What do you think?
Watch enthusiast for about 10 years. Preference for divers and sports watches in general.
A winder isn't necessary. Wearing the watch every month or two to keep it moving is a good policy.
I recently picked up an Omega that hadn't been wound in 50 years. It started first time. I'm going to have it serviced to replace oils etc, since the amplitude was a bit low, but otherwise there are no problems.
Agree, unless it's a perpetual calendar all your doing is wearing it out
I don't leave my bike running so it's warmed up when I want to use it....
Static lubricants used to be a problem, but the new lubricants are synthetic & last muuuuuuuch longer. If you've had the watch serviced in the last 20 or so years, you're good to let it sit.
The only reason I would ever need a winder myself is for a watch that was very complicated to set like a perpetual calendar or moonphase.
Some people just like using a winder for a simple 3 hander.
If you want one, get one; but it's not necessary.
a winder isn't necessary but they make great display cases. I used one and enjoyed the look. Just be sure your watches don't constantly wind.
Thank you all,
Can I assume that a watch used once a week needs a longer servicing interval than a watch used daily?
a winder isn't necessary but they make great display cases. I used one and enjoyed the look. Just be sure your watches don't constantly wind.
Unfortunately they make for a great box for someone to walk out of your house with your precious watches. For me, a safe is a better idea
Thank you all,
Can I assume that a watch used once a week needs a longer servicing interval than a watch used daily?
No. Use really has no impact on the service interval. Modern lubricants actually evaporate over time. This occurs if the watch is in motion or not. That being said the manufacturers service intervals are waaaaaay conservative (although that is changing - several are at 10 years now). So, do you need to get them serviced every 5 years? Probably not.
On the topic of winders, keep in mind that a watch was designed from the beginning to run 24-7 for its entire life.
Be sure to purchase a good winder with TPD settings and direction. Set it up correctly for the movement in question with the lowest TPD you can get away with. The way I think about it is when I wear a watch and take it off at the end of the day the PR should be full. Then when I put it on the winder it should KEEP the watch wound so that is at full PR when I pick it up the next morning. There is a misconception that a winder should wind a watch from 0 PR but that isn't really how they should work.
It's all looks unless you have a perpetual calendar then I would consider one.
The only watch that tempts me to get a winder is my triple calendar moonphase, because it's a pain to set rather than being fun. The solution? Wear it every other day, which isn't that hard as it's my favourite watch.
As has been said already, wear or wind it once a month to keep the lubricants moving and save your money. If you really want to buy a box to put a watch in, buy a safe.
Does a NH35 movement need service? I’ve had my watch for 10 years and never serviced it. I scuba dive, work the yard do lots of things and that NH35 doesn’t give up. It has to be made by GShock
I'm not worried about it. They're insured. Maybe my winder is in a safe?
I stopped using mine as I realised I was just using it for convenience. Stopped using it for a bit to see how inconvenient it would be to set watches. Turns out not very.
No
I used to own a quadruple retrograde with moonphase and am/pm indicator that I kept on a winder. But after I sold it in favor of simple three handers I’ve never used it since.
Fwiw I have two winders of different styles and the regulation on the watches I have apparently doesn’t like vertical positioning so the benefit of having them wound is not worth losing a lot of time over the course of a week 🤷♂️