Do you keep your collection running?

[klenboy]

I have a small collection (4) so I rotate all my watches and they all run. I wind them every time I put them down for the day. If they are not running I just simply wind them and set. They're all very easy to set (even the Sky Dweller).

[Harry-57]

I have them all in winders.

[HideMyWalletPlease]

Originally Posted by SAlNlDllvllAlNl

I'm with the majority. Only run it while wearing. If one has been out of rotation for over a month+ I'll usually give it a wind and just let it run until it dies again if its still not in rotation, just to get the lubricants moving.

^this

[Miexpeman]

No winders here. Just a regular rotation.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Dirt]

Mine are usually left idle if not in frequent use but perhaps every 4-6 weeks I'll just fully wind the manual winds and throw on an Automatic for a day after setting the time and let them wind up of their own accord throughout the day.
Other than that I don't think about it.

[JEAJ]

At this time I have five watches in my rotation. Two automatics, a Rolex and Fortis, two that need winding, Omega Flightmaster and a Prisma and a G-Shock. I use a winder for the Rolex and Fortis, and I wind the others on the days I wear them. However, if I’m not going to wear a watch for a prolonged period of time, I would not keep them on a winder. This works very well for me, since I wear all my watches in a week. The G-Shock is not an issue, it runs constantly by design.

[rmagoo57]

I have 4 in regular rotation so they don't stop for very long. Put on my DJ this morning - it had stopped for a couple hours. I'll swap once or twice per day depending on what I'm doing or where I'm going. After a shower, I'll put on a dry one! I didn't buy these for the safe or dresser drawers!!

[padi56]

Originally Posted by isgrb

I’ve always kept every watch in my collection running as i like to see how they perform month over month, even if a few of them only see minimal wrist time per month. I don’t use a winder for the automatics, I have a system where I just wind them every 36 hours (or as close to it as possible). I wind my manuals every morning.

Is there a downside to doing this? Am I better off letting them run out of power and then just winding a couple of times per month or when I pick one to wear? I don’t want them to sit idle for long periods of time but am I actually putting unnecessary strain on the movements by keeping them running at all times?

Curious what others do. I don’t have a massive collection, just 10 watches so the routine is actually something I quite enjoy.

Just cannot see any point in keeping any watch running if its not needed on the wrist to tell the time. Same for these so called machine winder things, for any non perpetual calendar watch, a watch winder is totally unnecessary.
If you have a choice of watches and do not wear it every day, it is not real chore to reset it and wind it by hand. If you don't wear it every day you also reduce wear to the movement components, why waste that benefit by having it wound when it is not required to tell the time?. Now with any watch not used for a month or so just a small wind now and then just to start the movement is fine.

[RoscoPico]

i'll bust out the box every few months and give a wind to all my watches.
just to keep parts moving on watches that haven't been worn

[Trailboss516]

I only have 1 watch. Submariner date every day.

[GST15]

Originally Posted by Harry-57

I have them all in winders.

Same

[donas]

Originally Posted by EEpro

This is an interesting study in anthropomorphism. Either way every 10 years you completely disassemble and replace these low mass gears riding on a film of oil... so the correct answer is it doesn't matter but but but excessive wear!

To each their own, but I operate on the principle of if it isn't broken it isn't getting service and if it isn't worn it isn't getting wound.

[Big Sexy]

I rotate almost daily so no. Over winding concerns me as services are very expensive on them these days

[Big Sexy]

Holy GMT! This is a man that knows what he likes!

Great watches btw

[IamJacky]

I currently have 4 in my collection, I rotate two during work days and put on one during the weekends; the last one I only wear for special occasions.

[ClarenceY]

Only when in use...


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[fishingbear]

Originally Posted by kieselguhr

For me personally, they only run while in use.

Same fore me.

[garyk]

Originally Posted by kieselguhr

For me personally, they only run while in use.

This is the smartest way. Over 40 years of owning Rolex watches, this will keep them from needing service in shorter intervals.

[Dan Pierce]

My collection keeps me running, not the other way around.
dP

[darius359]

Originally Posted by SAlNlDllvllAlNl

I'm with the majority. Only run it while wearing. If one has been out of rotation for over a month+ I'll usually give it a wind and just let it run until it dies again if its still not in rotation, just to get the lubricants moving.

Agreed. Wind your watch at least once a month to keep the gears/lubrication in motion. With the types of synthetic lubricants in use today, it should not matter if the watch remains constant or infrequent use but minimal winding is preferential. Worst case, you put additional strain on your mainspring if the watch remains constantly in motion in a winder, as most winders are often not set to the correct parameters. Normal everyday wear or winding will not be detrimental. Do not keep vintage watches on winders. They often do not use the same lubricants found in modern watches.

Additionally, do not expect to see the same timing results on a watch that is wound daily and left motionless in a watch box versus on your wrist. Remember, these watches are tested in 5 positions, not just the one. And unless you're comatose, you're probably going to move around while wearing it.

[jvb.nc]

whatever is in heavy rotation, i wind daily. usually about four or five watches. currently, DD40, BLROm, PAM0779, daytonaC.

i find that since all the above watches have at least 70 hours power reserve, they’re always wound. the panerai is my savior with the 8-day movement if i’m having a bad week.

some pieces i can’t keep wound no matter what. my seamaster pro planet ocean maybe has 24 hours of reserve, max. it’s been to omega for that and they stole my original handset. my montblanc world timer (heritage spirit) is almost as bad.

[pickettt]

I keep my 116710LN running as if it's going to explode if it stops...because it might, when I go to turn that jump hour hand to re-set it.

[EEpro]

Originally Posted by pickettt

I keep my 116710LN running as if it's going to explode if it stops...because it might, when I go to turn that jump hour hand to re-set it.

My 116713 did on vacation. What a bummer to have a $12K paperweight on my wrist. Embarrassing really. Could only tell the time within 20 min or so using 24 hr hand.

[pickettt]

Originally Posted by EEpro

My 116713 did on vacation. What a bummer to have a $12K paperweight on my wrist. Embarrassing really. Could only tell the time within 20 min or so using 24 hr hand.

So you see what I’m sayin’ then. 3186 strikes again!

[GMT Aviator]

I mostly only rotate two or three watches out of a much larger collection.

They spend most their time locked in a safe, but I try to wind them fully maybe once every month or two, sometimes it could be longer.

Once a year I try and rotate them all on a winder for one day each.

My thoughts on this are that a mechanical device won’t wear if it’s not in motion, but agree that oils etc can stagnate in this state. By winding them one a month or so, it helps prevent too much stagnation but still the watch remains static once it’s wound and placed back in the safe. So I use the winder once a year because it makes me feel better that oils may spread better to those areas they wouldn’t normally reach by being in a static position for lengthy periods. Maybe I’m totally wrong, but to my mind it seems the best compromise for watches left in storage for extended periods.

After many years of doing this, they all still run beautifully. A couple are over 20 years old. Never serviced, seen little real world wear and for the little time I use them when I do wear them, they operate just fine and are as accurate as they were before extended storage. Eventually they will all be rotated through service, some already have been and then been returned to the safe, unworn.

I enjoy my collection immensely, and try not to fret too much about owning references I rarely wear, but I wouldn’t be winding these things on a winder needlessly. For me a watch winder is nothing more than a lubrication spreading device for the movement.

[enjoythemusic]

ALWAYS... when it's on my wrist.

[Texex]

Originally Posted by Miexpeman

No winders here. Just a regular rotation.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Like GMTs much? Me too

[blue lion]

Before the virus and working at home I wore a different watch each week. Let the ones I wasn't wearing run out of reserve.

[Sinanamus]

It is not recommended to regularly wind an automatic watch. They aren't meant to be manually wound that regularly. Sure if you want once a month I guess, but doing it daily is an unnecessary strain and risk.

Sent from my Pixel 2 using Tapatalk

[wesdaniel]

People often compare a watch to a car and say that you wouldn't leave a car running when not driving it, so why do it with a watch.

I think it's a pretty flawed analogy. A car doesn't run based on how much non-fueled, non-electrical energy it stores when it's running. It requires some type of fuel in order to operate.

But, if we want to compare a watch to a car, the way I see it is that a car requires service every X months or X,000 miles, whichever comes first. So, if you don't drive it at all, it still requires service at regular intervals.

A watch is going to require service similarly. A watch that is would once a month but otherwise sits idle is going to require service at probably a similar or only slightly longer interval as a watch that is worn on the wrist daily. And, plenty of people have one automatic watch that they wear all day (and sometimes all night) every day for a dozen or more years.

I'm hard pressed to see how a watch in a winder that's worn maybe once a week is in any worse of a situation than a watch that's worn daily or a watch that's wound once a month. To me, it's six of one, half dozen of the other. They're all going to require service at a probably very similar intervals. Perhaps some parts will wear more than others, but, that's what service is for IMO. And, different parts are going to wear differently based on the three scenarios with some wearing more than others in each circumstance.

So, in the end, do what makes you happy. If you like watch winders and like to track your watch's performance over longer periods of time, have at it. If you enjoy the tactile sensation of winding and setting watches every week or month or whatever, go for it.