How much should you wind a watch? - Watch Basics 

Literally the only video I found that answered my questions, just got my first automatic yesterday! Thank you!

The 7s26 in many Seiko 5 watches needs about 900 revolutions of the rotor to be fully wound. I'm wearing my watches only when I leave the house, and I have a couple, so most watches end up sitting on a shelf most of the day. For the 7s26 that doesn't have hand winding, the following method has proven to work for me: I hold the watch horizontally using its strap folded, so I can swing the watch horizontally but in a curve. I hold the watch in my hand and near my ear, so I can hear the rotor weigth revolving. With a little practise I find the swinging "frequency" that keeps the weigth spinning with every movement, then I count about ten revolutions, then counting the "times ten" I have already wound it, until reaching about 300 revolutions. Since the watch usually had some spring tension left, this makes the watch keep running for about twenty hours when sitting on a shelf in face-up position. When the watch is worn, the movement is slowed down about 90% of the time. Whilst the 7s26 in mine has a deviation of about +10 seconds per day (sitting on a shelf face-up) when wound at least 50% down to maybe 20%, wearing it slows it down to anywhere between +/- zero to -20 seconds per day. When the watch is sitting on the shelf, I check the deviation about two times a day, and when I find it to be on the negative side, it's time to wind it 200 to 300 revolutions again - going slow for more than some hours usually means the spring has lost all tension within the next few hours.

Very very useful n informative. Thanks a lot. I recently bought my first automatic watch, a basic one. I'm from India n it's an Indian brand I bought - Titan Grandmaster. It has this Miyota 8n24 movement. It says in the manual it should last at least 36 hrs on full wind, but hasn't mentioned what a full wind is. It also said, 'give it 15-20 winds'. I don't wear it in the night n found the watch stopping in the middle of the night. So i give it about 10 winds every night. With this video, now that I have a better idea of winding.. I'll give it a try and check how long it lasts. Thanks again.

Very professional made video and meaningful content. Highly appreciated. Thank you.

Excellent video! Very useful information that I was totally unaware of. Thanks so much for taking the time to make this video. Very much appreciated!

This was a very helpful video! Thank you so much. I thought that my automatic pocket watch got broken because the crown never got tight when I wound up the watch.

Very interesting. Thanks for taking the "time" to do this little test. 👍

Useful video, appreciated- cheers 👍👍

I'm coming to this way later on, but still, solid video. Nicely done, sir

Very use full i already knew this but you taught me some more ! Now I know not to wind it too much

Interesting and enlightening review!! Thanks for sharing!!

Excellent video. Very helpful. You thought of everything. Thanks man.

Good video. I bought my first automatic watch Victorinox Airboss Mechanical . That orient watch is really nice to.

Great video, answered my question on winding exactly!

No great video Dave, thanks for doing the work...

This is a cool video, you deserve more views my friend.

Fantastic video

Many thanks for this video I am just craze about watch winding being when ever I have free time I will wind my watch . It's like my break time and what not but yeah the sound of the crown being wind just music's to my ears well didn't realized am actually damaging the coil or movement so to speak. I didn't wear it for the whole day max around 5 to 6 hours before I change to a different watch but still base on this video I think I did overwind me watch to a certain extend.

I didn't even KNOW you could manually wind an automatic watch until today. I kept wondering why my Citizen automatic watch kept quitting when I didn't wear it for more than 24 hours. Now I know, thank you. You just saved me from buying an automatic watch winder....

Hi @JustTheWatch I love your videos! Could you do a video on how to properly (or, how you wound wind and set an automatic watch)? There are so many videos out there that seem so easy to understand but then confuses me.

own two Rolex and 1 Grand Seiko high end models and I'm always anxious about how much to keep em wound... I feel like winders and constant winding to max can't be good for the main spring..

Power reserve can be a problem for me. I've learned that some movements can work better than others. I have an office job, I put on a watch Monday morning and wear it through Friday. I take it off at night then the next morning about 8 hours later I want it to be still running. Sometimes the cheap Miyotas and Seikos can have a problem, the Seiko 6R15 and the ETA 2824 and 2893 usually don't have a problem. I still have one Seiko 7S26 that normally runs fine for me, and now have a Miyota 9XXX that works well, but now my ETA 2824 and 2893 won't stay running. With them I will hand wind them Monday morning then by Friday night it is barely able to run through the night. So 16 hours of wear barely gains me 8 hours run time, on average. I've also noticed that the 2824 give good feedback while you are winding it, the 2893 I can't tell if I'm even doing anything. I detest the power reserve indicator on the dial because universally they seem to be very ugly, but it would be a complication that would be of benefit to me.

Hi, again, hopefully you get to see my question. I have a pretty new Aristo running with ETA 2824-2 , I dont wind it too much and I wear it the whole day. I started to see that, sometimes the second hand, when i,it passes over 8 and 10, starts shaking then it goes smoothly , this patterns repeats , I actually have a video of it. Then in the course of the day it disappears . Question Does that has to do winding it? if not, What do you think it is? Thank you . Question: does that

All the manufacturer recommendations I've seen have also been for 30 turns. I was surprised it was so dead on in this case. How long seiko shuffle for roughly 10 hours?

This is why a power reserve indicator is so useful .

Interesting!

I have a Seiko 5 4R36 movement, and I'm really confused... When it says manual hand wind does that mean I can do the Seiko shake or wind it with the crown? I've had my watch since my birthday and love it, but hear these crazy stories... I just don't want to break it Thanks

When an automatic watch is being serviced, braking grease is smeared inside the mainspring barrel prior to the installation of the spring, allowing the unattached end of the spring to slip inside the barrel. This prevents it from being overwound..

New to the channel definitely subscribing! I have a SARB017 Alpinist, it has a 6R15 automatic movement. I really enjoy winding (20 turns) every morning before I put it on for the day. Is that okay?

I put my Yacht-master in with my washing , the full spin does the trick

I have over-wound my Gen. 2, Ver. 2 Orient Bambino for like 5-8 times already and it got me worried. I hope I have not damaged the mechanism.

Awesome! Thanks for info. Very Useful But is it ok to wind your watch daily?

I fully wind my automatic watch and set a stopwatch to see how long it’s run time is 😎

I got a Seiko SARB035 on Sunday, wore it for three days and its been working great. I have hand wound it a few times a day (no more than thirty turns) just cause I think its fun but today as I wind the watch there is a noticeable difference in how winding it feels. It feels harder to wind and there is a bump every other click. Could the watch movement be damaged or is the main spring just fully wound? Im new to watches and this is my first automatic so any info would definitely help.

Thank you at least we now have a solid ball park amount of turns.

The hand wind watches are the best

I know this is an old video but what was that blue dialed watch in the middel! Looks really nice.

If I take my Seiko 5 out of the box, manipulate it to adjust the time and put it on wrist, that's enough movement to get it going and it doesn't stop as long as I wear it. YMMV, but I've never really needed to shake it.

Man, loved the orient. Whch model is that?

So you have to set the watch to right time everytime you use it? New concept to me never had a winding watch and why?

At 2:00: never do this ! You can damage the Rotor ! If it is a automatic movement, just wind the watch normaly till the watch goes on. If the crown is screwed, wear the watch for some minutes till she ticks and then put the time.

Hello, im worried im over winding my Orient Kamasu because after i hand wind it i screw it back but sometimes it wont bite when screwing it back and sometimes i feel like im winding it instead on screwing it back.

If I want to just wind an automatic watch and not wear it how do I get it to full charge?

What happened to my watch? It ticks when I wind it. The kind of a tick which you hear when you change the date. It ticks kind of once per each round of winding. It’s an automatic watch.

There are some automatic watches that you can not just keep winding without damaging them so I wouldn't say that's a hard and fast rule

My watch only has a 24hr. power reserve so I have to wind it every day.

Hold it vertical and turn it 360° circle, about 30 circles to fully wind. Shaking it is not that convenient, it takes forever.

Basically all automatic watches can happily be wound except movements based on the ETA 2824, Sellita 200, PT5000. The ETA 2824 has a weakness that if overwound the Cogs on winding mechanisms ware out / teeth on cogs break if repeatedly wound . With 2824 just slowly wind about 6 turns to start then wear it. The ETA 2892 winds like a dream , Seiko movements are fine to wind.

so automatic watches never reach a point where the crown stops turning?

TLDR: 7 twists on an automatic watch should get you through a couple of days without wearing. A few twists at night before putting on your nightstand is fine.

So basically if you wear your automatic mechanical watch during the day, everyday, you shouldn’t need to ever wind it?

Great video. Get a spell check though.

Believe it or not, your watch is heavier when it is fully wound.

Great videos, but, it’s spelled “mechanical”

its really too ling, automatic watches you cant over wind it, he says with 7 turns + using it should be enough.

I think all watches should be windable because the main purpose is a status symbol of excellence nobody wants to fiddle with a stupid battery with tiny screws that get lost.