Here is what sold me on watch winders 10 years ago. I didn't know if it was good or bad but I bought one and left my watch on it when I was not wearing it. It as a ETA movement. Basically, I never had to set the watch and it run perpetually. After 5 years, my watch was still accurate but I decided to send it to AD for preventive maintenance. When I got it back, the watchmaker said to me: "I guess you wear that watch everyday since 5 years, yes?" I asked why and he said that the watch movement was perfect and accurate. He said that he is used to deal with watches that are less worn and he as to replace more parts while servicing. So I just continued to use watch winders for all my watches since 10 years and I never had a bad comment from one of the watchmakers servicing them. Conclusion to me: It's not bad. I don't know if it's good but, it's not bad!
I built my own winder using a 5rpm motor from amazon and some 3d printer parts. I plugged it into a wifi smart socket set to turn the winder on 30mins twice a day. Entire setup fits 3 watches and cost me like 30 bux.
Hey guys, I didnt really document it too well but afaik the motor is a 5rpm dc motor branded as uxcell on amazon and the pulleys and belt are gt20 type which is used in 3d printers. You can eliminate the need for a belt drive if you use a larger disc of wood or something and use the motor to rotate it about its center. I suspect more than 3 watches and the disc will be too large. I went with a belt drive because of the space I had, I needed all watches to be on a horizontal plane.
I think the only real argument for a watch winder is convenience but that's enough for me. Having a few watches that can be used in rotation works for me. Before i had a winder I found I didn't bother changing watches as often as I'd like to.
Jory, I also use 8 Boxy winders with current and vintage watches. The only one I was warned about in a winder is my 1973 Rolex 1501. So far, no issues.
I think of it as putting mileage on your car. Do you really want a robot driving your car around 24/7? The car will have 100k miles before you really get to drive it... or in the case of the watch you’re decreasing the service interval for no particular reason at all. First of all: wear the watches. But if you’re not wearing them- just give it 10 winds once a month and put it away. That will keep everything lubed up and extend the service interval. I see the interaction of picking up the watch, winding and setting it as part of the fun. It’s the most interaction you’ll have with the watch; not some annoying task, but one of the most engaging parts of the hobby 🤷🏻♂️. As far as non quickset dates: yes they’re a pain and it can be annoying if you’re off by 29 days... but you could just wait 2 days. Also- a watch like that is likely vintage- I’d especially avoid running a vintage watch all the time because of the service interval issue. Cheaper winders can magnetize the watch or overwork it. Shouldn’t be an issue with a quality one. Some of the cheap ones do things like put magnets on the closing mechanism 🤦🏻♂️
I agree with all this, i personally enjoy knowing the wear and tear of my watch is my own and LOVE winding my watches. But, i do understand that if you have a lot of grand complications (w/ a master calendar, moonphase, etc), there is appeal for a watch winder.
Ahhh the ol’ “car mileage” comparison. While I see what you mean, the issue with this analogy is that the type of mileage and use experienced by a car’s drivetrain is much less consistent, controlled, or contained than the type of “mileage” a watch’s movement experiences in a winder. Just some food for thought. 💭
Allow me to elaborate: A properly maintained watch on a winder is more akin to a robot leaving your car idling in a controlled setting while maintaining service intervals- not “driving it around.” There’s a big difference.
The Time Teller ...true, it’s not a perfect analogy- just generally making the point about adding “mileage”. But to your point: a better analogy might be a well programmed Robot that does more than drive the car 24/7, which could be good for the car- especially if the car sits around. However, on the personal level: I don’t want that robot. I don’t care if it’s good for the car or not- I want to put every single mile on it myself...if the robot wants to change the oil and brakes it can go ahead, but it can’t do that, can it? It just wants to drive. ...I may be getting carried away with the analogy, lol. 🤖
Think one element of this that's being overlooked is that you don't have to have the winder on a high setting. Depending on the model, you can have it set to only do a low number of turns per day, possibly less than it would receive from actually being worn depending on your personal level of activity, so it doesn't necessarily have to wear anything out any quicker as, even on the higher settings, the winder spends majority of the day not moving.
I use winders. Three orbita rotorwinds and a wolf 2.7. I’ve never had any issues at all. One of the most respected watch makers on WUS said you do more damage winding via the stem than using a winder.
THANK YOU for saying this! I've seen entirely too many forum posts hating on winders, like it ruins the watch, or that it's the equivalent of leaving your car running 24/7 in the garage. But like...HOW? Watches are DESIGNED to be worn everyday for 8-12 hours a day, that's how MOST people wear them, how does the WATCH know that it's not on a human wrist moving around but actually on a machine that's moving around? watch can't tell the difference can it? The car comparison is just bogus, cars are not even CLOSE to being manufactured for running for long periods at a time, outside of special use cases NO ONE runs a car for like 6 hours a day everyday. Besides, keeping a car running in the garage is kind dangerous. Then there's all the folks making big deal out of watch winder settings. Yes rotating it not enough will mean it won't do as good a job as you'd like but, again...you don't control your wrist movements do you? Has anyone gone like "oh crap, i'm wearing my vintage rolex today, moved my hand around 20 times, oh well can't move my hand for for another hour i guess!" The only exception perhaps is vintage watches, but again if it's a watch you wear everyday then any kind of winder is no different than wearing it for an equal period of time because no one controls their arm movements like a winder (e.g. being overwound: i can tell you for certain that most people end up rotating the thing whilst wearing it even after it is fully wound, again most people aren't keeping track of how wound their watch is and controlling their arm movements).
Recently bought a winder. Ive set on the lowest turn setting.. 10 minutes winding then 80 minutes rest.. watches have not died in a week and cant see how approx 90 mins turning every 24hrs can do any damage. What about peoplw with only ONE WATCH and never take it off!!?? Wear and tear argument makes no sense to me
The mainspring in an automatic watch is designed to slip when fully wound to prevent over winding, in normal use as the rotor moves. Using a watch winder will cause this process to occur more frequently than it was designed for. The grease in the barrel will deteriorate quicker, the parts will wear quicker as a result. Wearing one watch constantly will not cause this abnormal wear as it is how the watch was engineered to work.
@@stevewilliams5428 What he said is basically equal to going for a run with the watch once a day. Or walking around for a few hours. How come this would damage it but actually wearing wouldn't, when the stress on the movement is actually relatively constant compared to actual daily wear?
@@paapali Because using a watch winder gets the watch to a fully wound state and keeps it there. The mainspring has a tongue on it that is designed to slip when fully wound to prevent overwinding as can occur on a manual wind. The constant winding on a machine causes this tongue to be continually 'slipped' around the inner edge of the barrel. This causes wear to the tongue and the barrel inner track....as it degrades the lubricant has to work harder. This lubricant picks up the metal particles as it wears and creates a paste that will accelerate the wear. If the tongue wears to the point where it snaps whilst the mainspring is fully wound... the force exerted through the train wheels and the shock can cause a lot of damage. As the lubricant in the barrel degrades it can get onto the barrel arbour. The arbour can wear because the lube has metal in it, the arbour can then tilt in its pivot hole. This can stop the watch and need repair.. usually a new arbour and sometimes a jewel setting. Basically some people leave a watch on a winder for months. All this does is wear the watch. After some months.. the mainspring itself can become 'set' as it is kept in a fully wound position for months, so you will lose accuracy and need a new mainspring. You can buy expensive watch winders that you can program to try and avoid what I've said above. But how could you tell the watch isn't being kept in the way I've described above? Just put it in a safe place, pick it up, give it a wind and set it. That way the watch won't get damaged or need serving for 15-20 years.
@@stevewilliams5428 but...did you read that original comment at all? He literally said the watch gets wound for 10 minutes and then runs for like 80 before getting wound again. That is less movement and winding than what it experiences when you walk with your arms swinging at your sides. If you aren't completely immobile, most auto watches will be efficient enough that they will stay fully wound on your wrist throughout the day. They won't just magically stop winding, they will slip just the same as when on a winder. Now, granted, during the night the watch does get to tick down amd release tension but likewise it can do that when on a winder that isn't spinning all the time but instead for a little while at predefined intervals
@@paapali So why does the watch need to go on a winder? Anyway, a watch left on a winder will constantly remain fully wound and suffer wear as I detailed. What is the actual point of having a watch constantly running when you are not using it, instead of going to the trouble of winding and setting it WHEN you use it. Do you start your car when you go to bed and leave it running all night in case you might want to drive it in the morning? A watch winder is just laziness fuelled by the internet and a desire to own something that's trendy. They have been around for years when their only purpose was to keep very expensive perpetual calendar watches in synch. as they are difficult to reset when they have been stopped. People with one watch who never take it off are using the watch as it was designed and intended, with a relevant service interval for the design and oils used. A winder exceeds that design parameter and merely wears it out quicker.
Thanks for another great video, Jory. I agree with your use of the watch winders. I use them myself for the convenience factor. My Santos does not have a quickset date, and it is a pain to cycle through several days to set it. I’ll admit that if I had to set my watches every time I wear them, then I would probably just wear my Apple Watch. (Gasp!)
Ya know.. I have a bunch of old wind up and auto watches that I rarely ever wear. A day or two a year maybe? One of my favorites is my 49 Omega Jumbo wind up... It has no day/date... easy to set and/or wind. Does nothing but tell time. I got to thinking... when was the last time I even consulted any watch for the day or date? And if I did? There was a good chance I had not kept up with setting those functions. People say they don't need a watch cause they carry a phone. but they always ask me the time instead of digging out their phone... The phone gives the day/date too tho. And at the most you only need to see what day/date it is once a day. My bedside clock has day/date... I look at it every morning I probly use my phone two maybe three times a day. Till I get senile that is probly enough to remember for a whole day what day it is. And... anyone else notice? it seems like it is always a quarter after the hour when I do look for the date on my watch..
When I was 14, I bought a Seiko 7025-8099 diver. I wore it almost every day from 1980 to 2001, when I bought an SKX009. The 7025 became my beater, that I wore when mountain biking and working around the house. During the winter, it pretty much sits there, and even in the summer, it could sit for a few days. So, this 40 year old watch has experienced both kinds of wear. In the 90s, I had to take the back off and do some amateur regulating. It's worked perfectly ever since. Never been cleaned or serviced. Once spent a night submerged in a glass of beer. If your watch is under $500, it's basically worthless. Wear it and enjoy it, get that steel pole out of your keester, and get on with life.
I originally got a winder for my Seiko divers as I weren't wearing them as much as my newer watches (like my brand new Glycine Airman Purist, for instance) yet like being able to switch watches on the fly and the lack of manual wind was causing erratic time keeping while a winder keeps a good power reserve level. Have only two on deck, so to speak, so my collection rotate in and out the winder periodically depending on what I feel like I'm more likely to wear and then some never go on the winder as they lack a date or don't show any power reserve issues. I generally keep my GMT in there the most, however, as while it's not hard to set, it does add another step to setting the time and the winder allows me to simply grab & go as if it was a quartz watch. Oh, and similarly, I have a Russian handwind watch that I keep wound daily partly due to the slow date set, so I don't mind keeping a mechanical watch running, though I don't go out my way to do it with all my watches and merely wind the lesser used ones every few months to make sure they don't lockup.
I have a watch winder. I can’t remember his name but he also makes my breakfast and irons my shirts. I’ve not experienced any mechanical issues linked to his duties.
The stresses encountered in mechanical watch movements are mostly contained in the spring and its movements. The gears are under infinitesimal loads. The jewels reduce friction and wear to levels that virtually prevent any effect. Temperature extremes and shock do more damage than a constant running movement will see in 100 years. It’s a matter of degree, folks. The world is awash in properly running antique watches.
If it's your watch, fill your boots. Don't let anyone ever tell you what to do with your own property. However, I have yet to hear a watchmaker (in person or online) recommend using a winder, because it induces premature wear and there is no benefit to keeping a movement running constantly. 'Lubricating oils gunking up' is simply not how modern lubricants work. If you're looking for information on this aspect, I would advise getting a professional's opinion rather than a hobbyist's. If the movement gets wet, dirty or is extremely old this can happen but then you need a service, not a winder. The exception could be for a watch with a complication that is difficult/'wear inducing' to set, if you let it run down e.g. A Perpetual Calendar. Old watches with non quickset dates could also fall into this category, as this chap mentions. But both of these scenarios would be for wearing convenience, not movement health.
What would be the difference between wearing the watch non stop and using a winder? Should we be afraid of wearing our automatics because we might be overusing them and wearing it out. It’s damned if you do, damned if you don’t kind of thing I guess. If I could afford it, I would definitely go with winders. Besides, they make your watches look even more “GLORIUS”!!!🤩🤩🤩🤩🤩🤩🤩🤩🤩🤩🤩🤩
At least when you wear the watch you're enjoying it and not having some robot spinning it around. Somebody else made the analogy of the car, if I put miles on my car I got to enjoy the driving experience. I didn't let some robot make my cars old and beat up.
Wind em up once a month and you're fine. Other than convenience, I don't know that what you said about leaving them dead and the oils drying up is true. Maybe if you leave them dead for months, sure. But if you wind them on occasion I think 48 hours or whatever the power reserve is, is enough to get the oils moving.
I don't think the grease will gunk up unless you leave your watch unworn for very long time(new watches you pick up from AD has been sitting around for most of its time at the AD, but nobody even blinks an eye), and watch winder adds the daily wear and tear in the movement without the enjoyment of having worn the watch. But with that said if the watch is in regular rotation and it is hard to set, as it is in this case, watch winder makes complete sense.
I think it's funny how many people are anti-winder. I don't care to persuade anybody but my watches have never had problems on my winders. From $300 to $5k, they all still keep perfect time!
I love my watch winder box I just bought a dual and it works great I have one Quartz watch in the drawer of my watch box so I can check time and date it’s a trust worthy Cartier
Here's what I don't understand about watch winders. If you wear the automatic watch everyday aren't you putting the exact same "wear and tear" on the watch because after all the watch is running 24/7. So then what's the difference using a winder to keep the watches you occasionally wear at least partially wound? I'm Pro Winder and I approved this message. 😄
@@PeteMcConvill So why not set the TPD at a lower number to keep the watch not fully wound but also not completely powerless? Seems like a nice compromise to me. Also, I'm surprised no one has a conclusive answer to this dilemma. One would think this issue would have been put to bed years ago. I look forward to your reply. ☺
I purchased a Rolex Sea Dweller that sat in the safe for 10 years. I set the date and time. Low and behold.....it runs fine. That gunking up business I don't buy. I do agree with the below post about watch winders. They are very expensive for something so simple. Also does Rolex have an opinion on watch winders?
I have a Versa double and a Wolf single winder. I use them. I like them. If I can’t afford to repair or replace a watch, I can’t afford the watch to start with.
I think people take too much offense on watch winders. As long as people know they will shorten the period between the need to service and get a quality one that you can customize the number of rotations per day, i think theyre safe.
I get the no quick date set function... And I definitely get the seiko 6139 day/date set... Setting the date on that thing is like playing the slot machine. Seriously.
You are absolutely right, I let my father wear my kinetic Seiko so he does the job for me, my daily automatic is always on me, and my others just get like 15 winds each in about every month or so.
A watch winder is useful when you own a watch with several complications. It could take a long time to set a watch like that. A Bovet or a PF grand complication could take half an hour to set....
If you only have one automatic that you wear everyday, "... you're better off putting your watch in the garbage disposal!!!" Watch winders are fine. All my automatics are on winders.
Hey Jory, I also have a seiko 6139, and a winder, do you run the chrono while the watch is on the winder?, I known it sounds unusual, but some time ago, somewhere, I read that on that movement it's better to run the seconds hand than have it stopped.
I use winders for the autos I own...set for close to the 50% revolution required...no dead watch....no over wound either...simple and convenient...many years in use
A problem I see with letting your watch sit and run down on a regular basis is you will have to rewind it eventually. Seiko recommendation is to wind their SD Tunas with the crown, not by wearing and winding the mainspring by moving the wrist, this puts wear and tear on the mechanism if you do this a lot.
I am honestly getting one soon for myself. I have a seiko cocktail time sary079 that is very sentimental to me that I dont wear unless it's a special occasion. It does have a power indicator and does have hand winding capability which is great. However, if I'm going out of town for a few days to a week it will go dead because I leave it at home do one of these will be great go when I go out of tim...
Ask a master watchmaker.. and the answer is no.. don't use one. Constantly winding an automatic causes the mainspring to constantly slip in the barrel. It's designed to do this... but using a winder will cause this to happen much more than normal use. The grease in the barrel assembly will lose it's efficiency and you will need new parts... mainspring and barrel. If the barrel arbour wears as well it can 'tilt' the barrel in it's pivots, causing wear to the bottom plate and bridge through contact. Modern oils in watches don't deteriorate like the old oils used to just by exposure to air, so they stay efficient even when the watch isn't used for months. This is why service intervals have lengthened.. the modern oils do however deteriorate with use on a constantly used watch. The service interval is based on constant use..... Therefore if you are wearing modern watches in rotation without keeping them constantly running you are effectively lengthening their service intervals. Saves wear and money. As you stated the only practical use for a winder is with a perpetual calendar. You will likely have to reset the calendar on a non perpetual anyway when you pick up the watch from the winder if the month has changed. Another reason I'd never use them... you are putting your valuable watches on a valuable winder... easy for a burglar/thief. I also have a collection of around 200 watches of various vintages up to modern. I never sell any... and have never had one serviced as I don't care about the resale value. The only reason I would have to pay for a service would be to enhance it's value for selling. Some of these are 20 years old now and run like new... because I rotate them and don't use a winder. Show me a certified watchmaker who says any differently.. as you say in this video.
Hey The Time Teller, I am just beginning my journey into watches and love the your channel! Keep up the good work! I am wondering about the Thomas Earnshaw watches: are they worth it?
I built my own winder with a bi-directional motor from amazon for like $8 and a lamp cord. After an afternoon in the basement I built a four watch winder. Maybe I'll send you a quick few second for of it doing its thing.
People need watch winders as much as fishes need beards ..... then again , what you say makes a lot of sense . I don't care what you say , I just enjoy your channel and those wind watches are cool .
The thing I have heard is that they keep the watches wound 100% which is hard on the mainspring? But... I wear my Omega 24/7 and rarely ever wear my other watches. I am a toss and turn sleeper and all my hobbies are with a lot of arm movement. So basically I am keeping my watch over wound? I mean it doesn't get any rest. It is starting to sound like autos are not such a great idea? I would maybe go back to my 1949 Omega Jumbo ( I do really like that watch) but it has no lume for one thing and for another is is barely water resistant... I shower with my Seamaster.. In fact.. LOL... i was wearing one of my old watches to see how it ran wearing it a few days.... Was in the shower and half way through noticed I was wearing the watch. No harm done that time..
I do not use a watch winder because if a thief breaks into my home, every watch is on display for the taking. I am not sure what happens to the lubricant if left to sit for years, but I suppose it might be a good idea to wind it up now and then if you are worried about that. Watches have a lot of moving parts, so my guess is that if you have a watch move constantly without rest, the parts will wear out eventually. My 1968 Omega Seamaster and 1985 Rolex Submariner are still working great and I have never "serviced" them once yet.
The thing is though, the watches are being constantly wound, you wind them just enough to keep them barely going each day, (manufacturers have the number of rotations calculated) and it’s as if you wear them daily, not issues. If anything, you’re more likely to damage the watch by wearing it every day because human error and no way to calculate rotations could cause over winding
For vintage watches, I would suggest you do not use the winder. Though your reason for using the winder is valid but a vintage watch is similar to a vintage car. If you run them all days, the parts will eventually wear down and need servicing which can be costly with parts replacement. What I do is to only wind up all my watches once every quarter. It will take awhile as I own more than hundred pieces but I take it as a personal time with my collection. The quarterly wind up will ensure the oil and grease will not gum up or sticky. This work very well and I have vintages running perfectly fine without servicing for more than a decade. So far, I only sent about 5pcs from my collection for servicing.
@@j.s.3414 Dont see myself an expert just to share my experiences with this passionate hobby we have. Perhaps some may find it useful and clear some doubts.
I put my watches on the watch Winder and everything has been fine you should do what I do and turn off the watch Winder at night before you go to bed and turn it back on during the day when I wake up that solves everything
Why not turn it of for more then 48 hours? Watches still look great in the winder, last longer and don't make any noise. So use it to run the watches for a bit. All the watches on a different time , who cares?
Random question, but those aren't 4 magnets on the top that let them stack, are they? I know Jory said he never magnetized one, but it would seem bad/odd to have 4 rare earth magnets on the top of each one.
I think Jory has talked about this before, but the older Seiko mechanical chronographs are apparently supposed to be run regularly. The argument can made for keeping the parts fully lubricated on any chronograph.
Many watchmakers will tell you winders are bad because you’re keeping the watch fully wound and you’re not allowing it to do what it wants to which is unwind. So long story short you are decreasing its service life in between services.
The math is so simple, wind your automatics every month or so and they will be good for many years. Put them on a winder and they will need to be serviced much sooner than the first option.
Services have just become a way to make money off you once you’ve already paid then because it’s harder to get new customers than it is to charge existing ones again
Here’s what happen when you keep a watch on a winder, you are keeping that main spring constantly under working conditions, like anything when you keep a mechanical part constantly running, something will give over. I tend to listen to guys who not only are watch makers, but who service and work on watches for a living. They are your watches to do so, but to say it’s better to keep them going all the time versus letting them sit is not necessarily 100 percent true or accurate.
My girlfriend has it all worked out. She has two quartz watches in Londen, one on summer time one on winter time. Her other house is in Madrid, again two quarz watches, one for summer one for winter. She never sets anything and always has the right time.
Great topic.I think it's a split point.If you run a machine for no purpose it is wearing itself for arguably no purpose.The other hand says a machine is built to use and runs better for it .? The number of times it gets unwound then gets rewound is not good?That's all I can bring to the table sorry.
Safer to just make your own with a motor and an arduino, plus you can make it look how u want rather than the cookie cutter bullshit box and motor you’ll get at a cheap (reasonable) price
I usually don’t bother with one. Most of my watches don’t need a winder. And when they die, it’s no biggy. Winding and setting the time is part of the fun. Except for my Longines Master collection Moonphase. If that watch stops, it’s a bitch to re setup properly.
Technically not because if it runs everyday, the margin of error is realized more often, so really you’d get out of accuracy over a few weeks or maybe a few months depending on the watch, but really it doesn’t matter that much
I like the concept but don’t dig the product design. If they’re stacked, you can’t see that the boxes have different colors. The front should also be colored
So to spare the quick set date you keep it running all the time. So after a couple of years this watch is suddenly not on a winder with a new owner and the first thing he does is using the quick set function that hasn't been used for years....ok that will surely hurt the watch, or will not function at all. Right? I think watch winders are convenient and smart looking, but that's it. There isn't a discussion if it is better for a car to keep it running all the time in the garage, so there should not be a discussion about watch winders and longevity of watches.
With a screw-down crown, every time you need to manually wind or set the watch, you have to unscrew and screw the crown, causing wear on the threads. A watch on a proper winder needs a lot less of that. A watch you don't ever wear rarely needs that. But why own a watch (vintage and heirlooms excepted) you don't wear?
I don’t think you will find a single watchmaker that will argue that storing watches on a winder is the best way to store them. It’s not necessarily a bad thing, but it’s not better than just letting them run down. The only benefit is convenience
That’s why confuses me about the argument, if it’s not harmful, and it’s only real benefit is convenience, why can’t we just leave the debate up to a matter of opinions rather than trying to prove or justify why one sided opinions is “factually” supported. No side gives any facts either, they just say things as if the reality they believe about watch winders is obvious fact with absolutely no justification
You can find the daily rotations based on the movement serial code on their website somewhere, I just googled Seiko automatic daily rotations and found a list
@@thetimeteller I think he means to keep the movement lubricated you can won't it once a month. I'm pro wonder myself. I have four autos and all stay on a winder. I have mine set to run once every 8 hrs.
Unless I really need the convenience of having it wound (which I don't), it feels very much like letting my car idle in the driveway while sleep. Seems a bit unnecessary.
Having one or two backups each day for a mid-day change keeps most of the watches in my regular rotation wound but I like the ritual of setting a watch and (including the day and date if present) from full stop. It does get annoying with watches that are not quickset and semi-quickset dates are a pain to set when it is more than 20 days off. At that point, I just surrender and either not set it or won't put it on for another 10 or so days. Because of this, I cannot own a perpetual or annual calendar unless I purge most of my collection.
I'm not expert on the watches and just started to read more about them recently. Just my toughts. Mechanical watch all movements having friction, so anything runs constantly having wear and tear. We are not running our car engines constantly even we not driving. As I was reading in some articles before oils for watches wer natural and organic, nowadays is synthetic, so I think is also makes difference. If I would have such I nice watches like you I probably would wind them once a Month or something. But yes maybe if it's almost everyday use maybe it is worth to have winder, but for collecting piece I don't think is worth it. Just my green opinion :)
