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Old 13 June 2021, 11:20 PM   #1
Yobrooks
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Winder vs no winder.. That is the question

I'd love to get some opinions. Certainly, for annual calendars and perpetual calendars Im certain we all would use a watch winder, however, what about less complicated pieces. For date only, or 2 handers, would you say more of us use winders, or just store in a watch case and hand wind when needed. Just curious. I have kept mine on a winder but perhaps there is no need.
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Old 14 June 2021, 12:54 AM   #2
Hub6152
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Please use the forum search tool as this subject has been debated to death, over and over already!
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Old 14 June 2021, 12:56 AM   #3
llngoc
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I use a programmable winder for my daily rotation. For some of the watches which I don’t wear often enough, even though they are in the winder, I have the “head” turned off. I want to minimize the wear and tear of the movement, even though it should not matter for most modern watches. However, I want to keep my daily rotation with screw down crown winded since the wear on the crown threads is a real issue IMHO and unscrewing and screwing every few days may not be good for the screw threads. I came to this conclusion since the crown tube is the part that gets replaced for most of my watches being sent to service.


Just make sure to get a high quality winder which can be programmed to match the movement if you decide to get a winder.
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Old 14 June 2021, 11:22 AM   #4
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Please use the forum search tool as this subject has been debated to death, over and over already!
Give the guy a break - seems like a reasonable question.

Maybe someone should start a thread on the value of a 5711/1A - we've NEVER seen one of those.
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Old 14 June 2021, 11:25 AM   #5
Ichiran
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I don't use winders for my AC and PC, let alone the 3 handers.

It's hardly a chore to wind up these watches. I enjoy the connection with my watches.
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Old 14 June 2021, 11:26 AM   #6
Yobrooks
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Thanks, I like hearing differing opinions on this topic. I think it's interesting and there are lots of new members on line. It never hurts to rehash some old topics. Too much 5711 talk, I agree.
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Old 14 June 2021, 11:37 AM   #7
Hub6152
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Winder vs no winder.. That is the question

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Originally Posted by Yobrooks View Post
Thanks, I like hearing differing opinions on this topic. I think it's interesting and there are lots of new members on line. It never hurts to rehash some old topics. Too much 5711 talk, I agree.

Apologies for my earlier comment, in fact it was over on WUS where this was asked many times already and I was mixing up the two.

Here’s my take, as someone who actually sells winders as part of my job. Winders are a choice, and so long as some simple rules are observed they are a perfectly reasonable choice since a watch is not a car engine, and if you only owned one watch that would be running 24/7/365!!

Don’t buy the cheapest winder, it’s a false economy. Pay more for a fully programmable device (my personal preference is SwissKubiK Masterbox series).

Don’t leave a watch on a winder for months on end without ever wearing it - that’s not so good as the winder only turns in one plane which can put some stress on the rotor bearings particularly with vintage watches such as Rolex that don’t use bearings.

Do let the watch run down overnight before putting it on the winder so that the mainspring isn’t already at, and then kept at, full charge.

Do make sure you are having some sort of maintenance carried out at least every 10 years.

This is what I tell all my customers.
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Old 14 June 2021, 11:54 AM   #8
fsprow
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I agree 100%, including the recommendation on SwissKubik winders.
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Old 14 June 2021, 12:11 PM   #9
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I like the Orbita Sparta for $250. I have 3. It won't top off or over-wind.

I only use the winder for watches in active rotation every 1-3 day or so. If it's going to be more than a week I let them stop.

In theory a good winder is no worse than gently wearing the timepiece. A bad winder could be devastating.
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Old 14 June 2021, 10:25 PM   #10
Yobrooks
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I've been using a wolf winder for years. I'm not sure what makes a bad winder and why it could be so bad for a watch.. Forgive my ignorance, but if the watch is staying on time, doesn't that mean the winder is good?
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Old 14 June 2021, 10:28 PM   #11
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I've been using a wolf winder for years. I'm not sure what makes a bad winder and why it could be so bad for a watch.. Forgive my ignorance, but if the watch is staying on time, doesn't that mean the winder is good?

A bad winder is one that’s not properly shielded magnetically and one that isn’t programmable for more precise rotations that suit a given movement. The watch staying on time is only an indication that it’s not running down, and accuracy has nothing to do with it either.
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Old 14 June 2021, 10:39 PM   #12
EEpro
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Winder vs no winder.. That is the question

Quote:
Originally Posted by Yobrooks View Post
I've been using a wolf winder for years. I'm not sure what makes a bad winder and why it could be so bad for a watch.. Forgive my ignorance, but if the watch is staying on time, doesn't that mean the winder is good?

If you have your Wolf set to 300 tpd bidirectional you'll get 600 tpd which is just right for keeping most Rolex powered up. Wolf is a good winder.
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Old 14 June 2021, 10:40 PM   #13
EEpro
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Winder vs no winder.. That is the question

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Originally Posted by cantdrive55 View Post
Give the guy a break - seems like a reasonable question.

Maybe someone should start a thread on the value of a 5711/1A - we've NEVER seen one of those.

For sure. I'm happy to answer technical questions on topics that interest me.

How should I spend my giant pile of money is another contrarian indicator topic thread.
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Old 16 June 2021, 12:38 AM   #14
llngoc
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I like the Orbita Sparta for $250. I have 3. It won't top off or over-wind.

I only use the winder for watches in active rotation every 1-3 day or so. If it's going to be more than a week I let them stop.

In theory a good winder is no worse than gently wearing the timepiece. A bad winder could be devastating.
Same here. I have enough winder “capacity “ to wind about 24 watches but only 3-4 are on active. I don’t mind setting the watches when I put them back into active rotation but just don’t want to put too much wear on the crown tube with screw down everyday.

I also think that if I follow the service schedule, it should not matter either way as as any worn out parts will be replaced at service anyway.
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Old 16 June 2021, 12:47 AM   #15
brandrea
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I don't use winders for my AC and PC, let alone the 3 handers.

It's hardly a chore to wind up these watches. I enjoy the connection with my watches.
Well said Michael. It’s a bonding experience
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