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Watch Winders? (how should I keep this baby running?)


matthias

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Hello Friends,

Once the drawers and closets start to fill up with automatic watches we're all faced with the question, "should I keep them running, and if so what is the best way to do so?" I'm surprised at how little debate I can find on the merits of watch winders vs. hand winding each watch daily. Which puts more wear and tear on the watch parts, which is healthier for the watch? The general consensus seams to be that keeping watches running is a good idea. What do you do? I'd love to hear your anecdotal feedback, and appreciate anyone who actually works on watch movements chiming in.

How do I keep this guy running? Gen. Armand Nicolet Perpetual Calendar with Moonphase

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Auto-winding (via the internal rotor or external winder) an automatic watch is preferable to daily manual-winding because the latter prematurely wears the auto-wind components. If you search the subject on most watch forums, you are likely to find many threads discussing this.

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Hand-winding an automatic watch spins the reducing gear at fantastic speeds. This can and does strip off it's teeth, especially in the 7750 and 7753 Swiss and Asian copy.

Many people here with lots of watches simply allow them to run down and then wear them to get them running again when you want to use it.

Some people pull the crown to hack (stop) the movement in their 7750s between uses.

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I would be interested to know an informed opinion on this to ;) mine are kept in a winder and (touch wood) no worries so far, but I mainly do that because I hate to have to set the time/date every time I change watch I prefer to pick one up and its ready to wear.

I generally find that once a month I need to reset a few of them to the correct time so I do it on or after the 1st so if I need I can reset the date too, from a mechanical point of view I would think having the movements

working would have more benefits than having them not :g:

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Personally speaking, I let mine run down. I wouldn't keep a car on a rolling road in the garage just to keep the engine running, so I don't view a watch as any different, in that it's a mechanical device with moving parts, so really can't see the point in keeping them running if they're not being worn, it's but a moment's work to restart and reset them when needed :pardon:

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I have a nice winder I bought a few years ago. I used it faithfully for three or four months.

Since I had to adjust my watches anyway I lost interest in it and finally quit using my winder.

I have never read anything solid one way or the other as to winders being good or bad.

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Just using common sense if your watches are always running than they are continually putting wear on the bearings and will wear out at least those parts faster. This is probably especially true in the Asian movements if they have not been serviced because from what I've read they typically show up dry. I can tell you from experience of taking apart a Chrono on a A7750 that the Chrono portion has an all plastic bearing and it's not advisable to leave the Chrono's running for extended periods, for example just to see the smooth second hand.

That being said the jewels are designed to make excellent bearings and should last a long time if lubricated correctly.

I think the answer to this is likely that it is way more important to the life of your watch to have it services regularly and the decision to wind or not wind pails in comparison.

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I think the answer to this is likely that it is way more important to the life of your watch to have it services regularly and the decision to wind or not wind pails in comparison.

You have spoken the truth. A watch ticks billions of times .. No exaggeration. It's about maintaining the oil in the jewels first and foremost.

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Great words guys. From what I've gleaned here and around the internet it appears that:

1. The most important thing is to have your watch serviced regularly. This gives life to moving parts like nothing else.

2. There's no point to keeping a watch running for months on end if you're not wearing it, but a watch winder can be helpful if you like to rotate watches regularly.

3. It is good for an automatic watch to see real life wear and not to sit for months on end without running.

4. Manually winding your watches daily will put unnecessary wear and tear on the winding mechanisms.

5. Perhaps the best way to bring a watch back to life is to put it on your wrist, allow it to charge naturally, set the time, and ENJOY the magic on your wrist.

I'm really appreciating the wealth of knowledge here. Thanks!

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