Horological Meandering

If we pay so much attention to setting up watch winders with number of turns, direction of wind, rest periods etc, isn’t it dangerous to wear an automatic timepiece?!

 

A

curious to see what others think

We set those specifications on the watch winder so the watch isn't subjected to any additional wear and tear than necessary.

However, wearing the watch is necessary, along with all the movement that comes with wearing the watch.

Hi, Andrew,

On a winder, you are not in danger of walking into a wall while admiring the beauty of the watch on your wrist.



But seriously, unless you are an athlete who practices 8 hours a day, everyday, the amount of winding movement your wrist gives to the watch is far less than a constantly turning winder.

And even if an automatic watch is fully wound, there is a slipping bridle in the mainspring barrel that acts like a clutching system which allows the rotor to wind without damaging the auto winding system.
Cheers,

TM

And certainly not hundreds of times per day. This is a completely different kind of wear and tear than automatic systems experience in the "real world" and can cause significant premature wear focused in precise spots within the bearings of the oscillating weight in particular. You have to wear your watches for them to qualify for wristwatch status; you don't have to put them on winders.

_john

reducing the number of oscillation and the speed of it? does that help reduce potential wear and tear, even if watch is kept on winder 90% of the time?

Thanks John.

Actually, while my post was a little tongue-in cheek, I was reminded of a discussion on winders from a couple of years back. Not black and white, as you said, but interesting pros and cons ...

CLICK HERE

Andrew

Or "and the band played on..." Whichever seems more appropriate.

to an easy "yes, we should use winders" or "no, winders should not be used."

Both Jack Freedman and John Davis have much much more bench experience than 99% of the readers and participants on this site.

But like asking fish to describe water, or asking fish to describe air, they may be so immersed in the world of the watchmaker that secondary issues that are very real, might also be forgotten or missed.

Like the dangers of damage BY THE WATCHMAKER SUPPOSED TO DO THE ROUTINE SERVICING.

I have personally had far too many personal experiences, compounded by hearing directly from principals, with horror stories of watches that went in with no problems and for nothing more than routine maintenance, that came back with REAL problems due to slipped screwdrivers; improper torquing; bent or "crossed" hairsprings; bent bridges or plates...

I realize that my comments have more to do with "should I have my watches serviced regularly or only when they are showing a problem?" than it does with "to use watchwinders or not to use watchwinders" but the issues are related.

Specifically in regards to using watchwinders, consider the dangers of a newbie (or distracted old timer) setting a date at 11:58pm.

Or pulling a crown out too hard.

or...

The issue reminds me of whether a cancer patient should agree to chemo or not (a very real and personal consideration) - pump a body full of poisons to kill some bad cells, or let those bad cells potentially run rampant and take over enough good cells to kill the host.

Informed consent, that is the best we can hope for.

Cheers,

TM

"... should I have my watches serviced regularly ...?"

That's another question worth asking every few years as well.

But I agree with your comments. There are risks and benefits, and no single answer fits all people (or Purists).

Andrew

This is an interesting topic that has been discussed a few times...

To use them... to use them not....

Watch manufacturers will never gives us a straight yes or no...
Actually, can they? Not really as every watch, even from the same company
would require a different winding rate as per complication.....

??

Cheers

In fact, +100...

Especially this: "You have to wear your watches for them to qualify for wristwatch status".

 

No message body

I use a windmill-style winder in order to avoid concentrating wear on the watch's pivots. I have it attached to a lamp timer so that it doesn't give the watches more winding than needed. I am getting much better results than I did when I used single-plane winders.

No message body

It's made by Bergeon and is offered by the major watch equipment supply houses.

No message body

...is that winders scare me, and I'll never put my watches on 'em.  It's probably just paranoia on my part.  I've been reading the comments to this post with interest though.

Cheers,
Daos

... provided you take the watch off your wrist first.  

A

So whats the general answer?  Am i better off not using the watch winder (for the health of my new watch)?  Now im worried haha

... wearing it, and letting it rest when you are not. This will increase the service interval as well (but you can't go for too long because the lubricants will dry out eventually).

But there is no 'one answer fits all'. It depends on how many watches in your collection, and how often you rotate them.

And finally, it depends on whether you own automatic perpetual calendars and the ease of setting those watches. These are perhaps the only ones that I would personally put on a winder.

Andrew

 

... they shake and try to break your watch while you are not at home ;-).

Heinrich

No message body