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Old 6 February 2019, 03:45 AM   #1
Gogetter
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Watch winder or not?

What is the opinion on keeping a watch wound or just leave it alone,
and wind it before you wear it.

I may only wear this watch twice per month for one day or 2.
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Old 6 February 2019, 04:07 AM   #2
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Keeping it running and turning all the time is just so much more wear than only wearing it twice a month and let it run down and sit the rest of the time.

And the twice a month is enough to keep the lubricants flowing.
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Old 6 February 2019, 05:07 AM   #3
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Keeping it running and turning all the time is just so much more wear than only wearing it twice a month and let it run down and sit the rest of the time.

And the twice a month is enough to keep the lubricants flowing.
Bas, would 1 time per month also be sufficient to keep the lubricants ''vloeibaar'' ?
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Old 6 February 2019, 05:15 AM   #4
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Bas, would 1 time per month also be sufficient to keep the lubricants ''vloeibaar'' ?
Yes.
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Rolex uses rare elves to polish the platinum. They have a union deal and make like $90 per hour and get time and half on weekends.
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Old 7 February 2019, 08:37 AM   #5
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How long does it take before letting a watch sit unused begins to hurt the watch? I have several that have gone unworn a LONG time!
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Old 14 February 2019, 04:34 PM   #6
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I buy a watch to wear daily. I have three Rolex's and wear them in rotation to suit my agenda or mood. As they have a max. power reserve of 48hrs I place them in a watch winder when not on my wrist. I am always on the go so I expect my Rolex to operate perpetually as advertised and stated on the dial. I also expect them to keep good time (+2-2sec/day) perpetually for at least 5yrs. When they cease to keep good time, I expect Rolex to service my watch and replace worn parts as required under their fixed service charge.

If my Rolex does not perform as stated above, I will consider a Rolex watch not fit for purpose as designed or as advertised.
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Old 14 February 2019, 05:18 PM   #7
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Wind them before you wear them.

I actually enjoy winding and setting my watches and unless I had some kind of grand complication I wouldn't bother with a winder but that's just me.
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Old 21 February 2019, 10:16 AM   #8
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I had my orbita since 2000
And it keeps my watches running
I had them serviced and it didn’t show any wear
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Old 21 February 2019, 12:09 PM   #9
na_panpun
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I have a watch winder and keep my watches to wound once a week when they are not used or I want to use one of them tomorrow.
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Old 21 February 2019, 12:18 PM   #10
rq3
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Gogetter View Post
What is the opinion on keeping a watch wound or just leave it alone,
and wind it before you wear it.

I may only wear this watch twice per month for one day or 2.
Do you leave your car engine gently running in the driveway when you're not using the car?
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Old 21 February 2019, 01:03 PM   #11
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As I said I had my watches on a winder for nearly 20 years and had no problem s
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Old 26 February 2019, 07:29 AM   #12
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Do you leave your car engine gently running in the driveway when you're not using the car?


Do you turn off you engine and use brakes when going downhill or you keep it running and let engine break ?


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Old 26 February 2019, 11:24 PM   #13
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Been wearing my Date Just for the past 25 years daily. I work physically and ride a bike often. It seems to be fine for me. I would imagine letting it sit would be okay as well, but these watches aren't junk. They can be worn daily. Had it serviced once and the watchmaker said it was fine other than a few minor things. All has been fine since.
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Old 26 February 2019, 11:44 PM   #14
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I wear each of my higher end watches maybe once a week at most, I just let them wind down in between, no reason to keep them all running all the time.

I tried a winder for a while, but just decided it wasn't for me, may as well let those movements take a little break now and then, lol.

Neither is right or wrong, just personal preference.
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Old 26 February 2019, 11:59 PM   #15
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Do you leave your car engine gently running in the driveway when you're not using the car?
I've been on the fence with this decision myself, (actually have one still in its shipping box since last week) and this is the best reason I've heard for returning it.
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Old 27 February 2019, 12:24 AM   #16
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Watch winder or not?

Quote:
Originally Posted by Wizardly View Post
Quote:
Originally Posted by rq3 View Post
Do you leave your car engine gently running in the driveway when you're not using the car?
I've been on the fence with this decision myself, (actually have one still in its shipping box since last week) and this is the best reason I've heard for returning it.
If you won’t use a winder then I agree with returning it. But the reason you quoted is a false comparison.

An internal combustion engine produces internal carbon deposits that foul valve seats and ring seals as well as degrading the lubricants in the upper and lower ends of the engine. That’s why operating hours is an important measure of service requirements.

A watch movement is a totally different mechanism that is designed for continuous operation for many years. The recommended service intervals are the same for a movement regardless of the number of hours the movement was operating.

Theoretically a watch in continuous operation would have different wear in the going train than one which spent its life sleeping. However, the design is executed in the expectation that owners 1) wear the watch, and 2) keep it running. I see no problems for modern Rolex movements operating 7x24x365 for years either on your wrist or on a winder.



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Old 27 February 2019, 02:27 AM   #17
Wizardly
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Originally Posted by 77T View Post
If you won’t use a winder then I agree with returning it. But the reason you quoted is a false comparison.

An internal combustion engine produces internal carbon deposits that foul valve seats and ring seals as well as degrading the lubricants in the upper and lower ends of the engine. That’s why operating hours is an important measure of service requirements.

A watch movement is a totally different mechanism that is designed for continuous operation for many years. The recommended service intervals are the same for a movement regardless of the number of hours the movement was operating.

Theoretically a watch in continuous operation would have different wear in the going train than one which spent its life sleeping. However, the design is executed in the expectation that owners 1) wear the watch, and 2) keep it running. I see no problems for modern Rolex movements operating 7x24x365 for years either on your wrist or on a winder.



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What about the theory behind letting the watch run out, (letting the mainspring wind down) as opposed to being fully wound by daily operation?
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Old 27 February 2019, 02:59 AM   #18
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What about the theory behind letting the watch run out, (letting the mainspring wind down) as opposed to being fully wound by daily operation?

Modern alloy mainsprings are up to the task. In a Rolex for example the expectation is the mainspring will be replaced during every service.

I’m sure naysayers will comment that at a subatomic level the electrons and quarks will escape.

But seriously, any analysis of the stresses and displacements in a mainspring is difficult. That’s because the effect of friction between coils is difficult to calculate due to the properties of the lubricant used, and this changes as the lubricant deteriorates. A mainspring does not wind and unwind evenly if it is not correctly lubricated. So an idle mainspring is just as susceptible to this as one that is exercised daily. My 2¢ is to keep the spring working it’s magic because that’ll keep the lube moving.

In a real stress analysis, displacements and the shape of the free coils vs. those kept in tension has to be determined. Anyone wanting to tackle that is invited to try...



Just keep wearing your watch and don’t worry.


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