Automatic Watch Winders

[Secretariat]

For those of you out there who have any experiences with Automatic Watch Winders, if I may ask, what advantages and benefits do they do for automatic watches? is it worth getting one? The reason why I am asking is because I've heard mixed reviews about Automatic Watch Winders. One of them is that they do more harm than good for watches. Is this true? What are the plus and minuses of an Automatic Watch Winder?
Thanks in advance.

[chicagowatchman]

I have had my two Rolex’s on a orbital watch winder for 21 years
Had them serviced 2 years ago and never had a problem

[gerrya]

Originally Posted by chicagowatchman

I have had my two Rolex’s on a orbital watch winder for 21 years
Had them serviced 2 years ago and never had a problem

+1
I have all my watches on one, just very convenient for me. I'm sending a watch in right now after 12 years of running on my wrist or the winder. The cost of the service is what it is, whether it was 5 years ago or 5 years from now. I was quoted a service price before they received it. I'm sure you will get the famed answer here though, "Only winder you need is your wrist"

Sent from my Pixel 3 using Tapatalk

[Tools]

Originally Posted by Secretariat

. . . . One of them is that they do more harm than good for watches. Is this true? What are the plus and minuses of an Automatic Watch Winder?
Thanks in advance.

They don't do any harm, they just keep them wound so they are continuing to operate and wear parts.

The advantage is that you can save a couple of minutes in setting a watch that isn't worn very often.

The disadvantage is that they take up space, and they keep your watch in wear-out mode (running), rather than in storage-mode (stopped).

[padi56]

Originally Posted by Secretariat

For those of you out there who have any experiences with Automatic Watch Winders, if I may ask, what advantages and benefits do they do for automatic watches? is it worth getting one? The reason why I am asking is because I've heard mixed reviews about Automatic Watch Winders. One of them is that they do more harm than good for watches. Is this true? What are the plus and minuses of an Automatic Watch Winder?
Thanks in advance.

A complete and utter waste of money with Rolex watches most guys have two of the finest winders in the world attached to your arms called wrists. And what the watch was designed for and not sat on one of these machine things.Now if you have lost the use of your fingers so you cannot wind any watch.Or you have a watch with many many complications which no Rolex has,then they could be a convenience.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 must take all of 30 seconds to do.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 on wrist just let it stop and rest.

[77T]

Originally Posted by Tools

They don't do any harm, they just keep them wound so they are continuing to operate and wear parts.



The advantage is that you can save a couple of minutes in setting a watch that isn't worn very often.



The disadvantage is that they take up space, and they keep your watch in wear-out mode (running), rather than in storage-mode (stopped).

Agree, Larry - especially with that last part about taking up space.
One additional thought, winders concentrate your watches to one spot at home. The burglar who hit our house picked off $100K in watches from 2 dual winders in 10 seconds.

Originally Posted by padi56

Now if you have lost the use of your fingers so you cannot wind any watch.

That point is well made, Peter. An additional thought:
As we all get older, the risk of arthritis increases - it can be quite painful to wind the crown. Especially those with smaller crowns.



Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

[77T]

Originally Posted by chicagowatchman

I have had my two Rolex’s on a orbital watch winder for 21 years
Had them serviced 2 years ago and never had a problem

From a wear and tear point of view a winder is not much different than wearing your Rolex 7x24. I did that with my first one for many years (almost 10 IIRC) and never had a problem.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

[cj3209]

I had four watches which I rotated and used a winder 24/7 because I didn't want to keep adjusting the correct time; so a winder was convenient. Now that I have one less watch, I don't keep my winder on all the time; just during the day. So I get the convenience of not having to constantly set the time and the assurance that my babies...err, watches get some rest at night.

[214270Explorer]

Watch winders are pretty much a choice of personal preference, just like the soft drink "pepsi vs coke" wars of old.

Personally I have always agreed with what Peter said in post #5.

[CashGap]

Skydweller inbound and I’m considering one since it will be in a five watch rotation that I hope will reach seven before retirement.

[Secretariat]

Is it true that puting a watch on a watch-winder might cause wear and tear to it?
Thanks.

[padi56]

Originally Posted by 77T

From a wear and tear point of view a winder is not much different than wearing your Rolex 7x24. I did that with my first one for many years (almost 10 IIRC) and never had a problem.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

Now most all of these so called watch winders normally just rock back to and throe on the same repetitive plain and axis. Which is not like what happens on the wrist in daily wearing. And most will only top up to whatever power the mainspring had to start with. So if anyone must use one of these machine thing winders best give watch a full manual wind before putting on the machine. In over 50 years of wearing and owning Rolex watches never felt the need for one of these machine things. Although quite a few years ago now I was bought one for a Christmas present, after unpacking put it back in the box, think it might be in the attic but its quite a long time since I looked.

[jimmytamp]

I use the watch winder one day prior to wear one of my watches, so I don't have to manually wind the crown but to set the time.

When I don't wear the watch, I let it run down to rest and keep it in the box.

I rotate my watches this way.


Cheers...


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[77T]

Originally Posted by padi56

Now most all of these so called watch winders normally just rock back to and throe on the same repetitive plain and axis. Which is not like what happens on the wrist in daily wearing. And most will only top up to whatever power the mainspring had to start with. So if anyone must use one of these machine thing winders best give watch a full manual wind before putting on the machine. In over 50 years of wearing and owning Rolex watches never felt the need for one of these machine things. Although quite a few years ago now I was bought one for a Christmas present, after unpacking put it back in the box, think it might be in the attic but its quite a long time since I looked.

Yep Peter.
And now I have a “new to me” preowned Calatrava watch that never needs a mechanical winder...nor the two natural ones on each arm.



I get to spend a little time with it every morning...giving the crown some gentle twists. All the while contemplating the day ahead.

Thanks to the watchmaker who still handcrafts a manual movement so we can have tactile tranquility.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

[Mystro]

I ran a Bluesy for 15 years constant on a Orbita winder or my wrist. The watch was never allowed to stop for that amount of time other than to set date or make time corrections. When the watch was finally serviced for its very first time at the 15 year mark it required no additional parts or excessive wear notices. The watch was keeping very good time and I felt 15 years was long enough to give it a routine service. Routine service was all that was required.
This was well documented on the form as it happened. I have a custom multi head winder for all my mechanical watches now. I generally keep 3 or 4 I intend to wear in rotation. The others I have the motors turned off but are sitting in the winder. I see no reason to not use a winder and for the very least it gives the watches a safe and handsome place to be stored. You want to buy a quality winder that does full rotations and is programmable. I obviously like the Orbita brand but there are many others like Wolf, etc... Most movements require a 650 turn per day bidirectional movement. Technology is cheap and you can find many winders that will fulfill this requirement at a very good price point.

[crazycarlitos]

Originally Posted by 77T

Agree, Larry - especially with that last part about taking up space.
One additional thought, winders concentrate your watches to one spot at home. The burglar who hit our house picked off $100K in watches from 2 dual winders in 10 seconds.

This is why I stopped using mine. Seemed silly to keep it in display.

Unless u put ur winder in the safe/vault, u r risking someone swiping it in few seconds.
Do u leave $10k cash on top of the bedroom/office table everyday?

I rotate watches weekly.
I don’t mind re-setting time or winding a watch. It’s enjoyable.

[padi56]

Originally Posted by Mystro

I ran a Bluesy for 15 years constant on a Orbita winder or my wrist. The watch was never allowed to stop for that amount of time other than to set date or make time corrections. When the watch was finally serviced for its very first time at the 15 year mark it required no additional parts or excessive wear notices. The watch was keeping very good time and I felt 15 years was long enough to give it a routine service. Routine service was all that was required.
This was well documented on the form as it happened. I have a custom multi head winder for all my mechanical watches now. I generally keep 3 or 4 I intend to wear in rotation. The others I have the motors turned off but are sitting in the winder. I see no reason to not use a winder and for the very least it gives the watches a safe and handsome place to be stored. You want to buy a quality winder that does full rotations and is programmable. I obviously like the Orbita brand but there are many others like Wolf, etc... Most movements require a 650 turn per day bidirectional movement. Technology is cheap and you can find many winders that will fulfill this requirement at a very good price point.

But wrists are a lot cheaper and what watches were designed for and not sat on a machine.

[214270Explorer]

Originally Posted by padi56

But wrists are a lot cheaper and what watches were designed for and not sat on a machine.

Logic in its purest form.

[Kan-King]

I just recently retired from the utility industry and as a gift to myself I bought a 1995ish Air-King. Not ready to just sit around the house all day (I'm only 60) I went to work at the local auto parts store and did not want to wear the watch at work so I bought a winder to keep it in while at the store. In hindsight I wish I had waited to buy the watch when I could wear it day in and day out and skip the winder drama.

The short time I have been on this forum I have come to the conclusion that along with the winder/no winder camp and the various others there is another subgroup that for lack of a better term will call fiddle/no fiddle. I selected the Air-King for many reasons including the fact that it has no date to fiddle with, my feet are firmly planted in the "I would rather go to the dentist than unscrew the crown on my watch" group. I like to thing the watch sitting there on the winder is in a safer state then it would be with me unscrewing the crown every couple days when I want to wear it. The winder frees me from that stress.

During the 80s when I was in my 20s I wore a Pepsi GMT-Master 24/7 when I was working shift work at the local power plant. I was young, the watch was a tool, and was treated as such, but even then I hated messing with the crown so much that during DST I just made the correction on the dial. The Air-King is my "to the grave" watch and will be babied at bit...

[Mystro]

Originally Posted by padi56

But wrists are a lot cheaper and what watches were designed for and not sat on a machine.

Dont be introducing logic or common sense in a Rolex theme topic. You will only confuse and scare off our commodity traders.

[Andad]

No winding required today thanks Peter.

I let the automatics run down and set them when I wear them.

This takes a minute or so.

[padi56]

Originally Posted by Kan-King

I just recently retired from the utility industry and as a gift to myself I bought a 1995ish Air-King. Not ready to just sit around the house all day (I'm only 60) I went to work at the local auto parts store and did not want to wear the watch at work so I bought a winder to keep it in while at the store. In hindsight I wish I had waited to buy the watch when I could wear it day in and day out and skip the winder drama.

The short time I have been on this forum I have come to the conclusion that along with the winder/no winder camp and the various others there is another subgroup that for lack of a better term will call fiddle/no fiddle. I selected the Air-King for many reasons including the fact that it has no date to fiddle with, my feet are firmly planted in the "I would rather go to the dentist than unscrew the crown on my watch" group. I like to thing the watch sitting there on the winder is in a safer state then it would be with me unscrewing the crown every couple days when I want to wear it. The winder frees me from that stress.

During the 80s when I was in my 20s I wore a Pepsi GMT-Master 24/7 when I was working shift work at the local power plant. I was young, the watch was a tool, and was treated as such, but even then I hated messing with the crown so much that during DST I just made the correction on the dial. The Air-King is my "to the grave" watch and will be babied at bit...

A plain and simple fact thousands of manual watches with dates and screw down crowns including Rolex got wound up daily for years without any problem. And today many crown related problems are down to the winding crown not being used enough, its a winding crown thats meant to be used to wind and set the watch.

[gerrya]

Originally Posted by Mystro

Dont be introducing logic or common sense in a Rolex theme topic. You will only confuse and scare off our commodity traders.

Since my post, #3 I have learned so much. (Hopefully you all can laugh a little)

1. I have completely and utterly wasted my money on my winder.
2. I learned that I am a commodity trader, so bullet point 1 doesn't matter to me
3. It is completely fashionable to wear a watch on both wrists, or any other extremity that will hold one to keep them wound.
4. I dont have the space for one
5. Your winder is bidirectional so when you send the watch in for service it will be opened and the metal shavings will need to be vacuumed up.
6. If you dont have a winder, or a safe, the burglar can't carry all your watches. Therefore they will only rob houses with winders.
7. I will no longer hit the snooze button in the am. 30 seconds to the safe, 30 to open it, 30 to wind it. I'm good. Maybe Ill just grab the one that's running instead.
8. I am not logical
9. I have no common sense
10. The crown threads can not be stripped, but the rotor will wear out
11. In the last sentence of my post #3, I predicted this, holy cow I can see the future.

[Tools]

Originally Posted by Secretariat

Is it true that puting a watch on a watch-winder might cause wear and tear to it?
Thanks.

Wear and tear is caused by the watch running under it's own power. The winder does not add to, nor subtract from that wear.

If the watch is not on a winder and is stopped, it is incurring zero wear.

[Kan-King]

Originally Posted by padi56

A plain and simple fact thousands of manual watches with dates and screw down crowns including Rolex got wound up daily for years without any problem. And today many crown related problems are down to the winding crown not being used enough, its a winding crown thats meant to be used to wind and set the watch.

Excellent point! For me personally I choose the winder route not because I believe it is the best option, but because it is currently the better option. When I am fully retired I will throw the winder away and gleefully wind it via wrist until that winder stops moving.