[gelocks]

  Here is my most recent acquisition along with my #1 hobby in the background:
 
 

 
Holy grail!
One of these days... ... (I may have to sell some headphones! LOL)

 

[Astropin]

   
Holy grail!
One of these days... ... (I may have to sell some headphones! LOL)

 
It was my "grail" watch as well.......and a long time coming.
 
I have about 7 other watches that I wear but none in the same ballpark. The next best is my Ball Engineer Master II DLC and the rest are a mix of automatic dive watches like the Steinhart Vintage Military and XW Tsunami and several Seiko Monster / White Knight variants.  

 

[gelocks]

Have you guys used (or are using) Watch Winders for your automatic watches?

 

[nazrin313]

 
Part of my collection...well, the watches I use the most that is..
 
Back: Luminox Seals 6100/6200, Sony Smartwatch, Retro Casio F-91W  (Luv this)
Front: Omega Seamaster (Olympic Ed), Cartier Chronograph 21, Tag Heuer (Cant remember the model)

 

[Astropin]

  Have you guys used (or are using) Watch Winders for your automatic watches?

I don't. I really don't mind winding them up and setting them. Plus I figure why add any additional wear on a mechanical watch you're not actually wearing? There is no harm it letting them repeatedly stop.
 
The "Speedy" is a manual wind watch anyway.

 

[AxelCloris]

  Have you guys used (or are using) Watch Winders for your automatic watches?

 
I have this auto winder but since I currently own only one automatic watch it doesn't get used often. My EDC watch is a Fossil ME3021.
 

 
So at the moment I have two watches staying in the case are more of a display than anything else. But when I don't wear the watch for more than a day I'll pop it in the winder and turn it on just so it's ready to go the next time I need it.

 

[gelocks]

  I don't. I really don't mind winding them up and setting them. Plus I figure why add any additional wear on a mechanical watch you're not actually wearing? There is no harm it letting them repeatedly stop.
 
The "Speedy" is a manual wind watch anyway.

 
Is that true though? I actually heard the opposite (i.e. it's better to have the watch constantly moving so that the oils inside don't get messed up?!?)
 

   
I have this auto winder but since I currently own only one automatic watch it doesn't get used often. My EDC watch is a Fossil ME3021.
 
So at the moment I have two watches staying in the case are more of a display than anything else. But when I don't wear the watch for more than a day I'll pop it in the winder and turn it on just so it's ready to go the next time I need it.

 
That's the one I actually ordered this week... I have like 4 auto watches right now and I'm pretty sure that's only going to be increasing by a few...

 

[PalJoey]

I don't know much about watches, but I'd assume that keeping them gently in motion when they're not actually being worn seems to make sense to me. I'd be interested to hear the various theories.

 

 

[bigfatpaulie]

I am going to chime in about winders.  I don't mean to sound arrogant about the issue but I am a reasonably serious collector of mechanical watches, a very active member on many watch forms, have been to countless watch get togethers, and have met many of the pivotal people in the industry.  Watch collecting is my passion and has been for more than 25 years.
 
I’m not saying I am an expert or anything of the sorts, what I am saying is that I have taken part and have been witness to this very discussion more times than I would like to remember.  It has been discussed ad nauseam and I hope to offer clarification.
 
I also want to preface this with that ultimately, like any hobby, watch collecting should be for fun and at the end of the day, you do what you want to do regardless of what some guy on a web form said.
 
I’ll start with the watchmaker’s opinion; universally the ones I’ve talked to share the same opinion, whether they are the service center variety or the bespoke creationists, watch winders have only one practical purpose:  prevention of having to reset the watch. 
 
What that means:  Certain special creations from various houses actually ship with their own winders.  The JLC Hybris Mechanica Grand Sonnerie, for example, is offered with a winder.  But that watch has 26 complications, 1300 parts and costs about $2.5 million.  Having 26 complications means it is a real pain to set.  Heck, have you every tired setting a moon phase watch?  Or a perpetual calendar?  Or, even worse, a watch with an equation of time (solar mean time)?  This things take time to set… a lot of time.  If a regular watch is set in a few sections, these can take minutes and can require charts to reference, pins to depress small pushers and a fine sense of touch to not go past certain points with the crown.  In addition, certain complications can only be set at specific times of day and moving this around other times can damage the mechanisms.  Is 10 minutes too much to set a watch?  Maybe, maybe not.  But if time is money and you are buying a watch in the millions, then it is probably a very valuable 10 minutes.
 
The myth that a watch not used will have the oils settle stems from a very specific problem.  Modern watches use synthetic oils that remains viscous and do not coagulate.  Watches made in the early 1900’s and earlier often used natural oils which did fall victim to this problem.  This was magnified with cases that easily allowed dust and other particles in that would stick to the oils.  As the watch aged, and the oils thickened and became polluted, it could change the rate of the watch (making it less accurate) and can increase the rate at which parts wore out.  I would like to reiterate that this is the case on very old watches…  Not something like a modern Speedy Pro with its dust proof case and modern lubricants.
 
At best watch winders are neat and save you from setting the time (and possibly accidentally damaging the watch while setting it).  At worse they increase the wear and tear on the watch, prevent the main spring from ever fully unwinding (which, debatably, can be good) and never let the oils to set.
 
Imagine a stick sitting snuggly in a tube.  Now spin that stick rapidly.  Oil between the stick and the bottom of the tube can be pushed away over time and with the high speeds and never have the chance to resettle – Think juice in a blender, the part under the blades doesn’t touch the juice until you turn it off.  Letting the watch stop occasionally gives the oils a chance to return to where they have a hard time staying when the watch is ticking.
 
I guess what I’m saying is that winders do nothing for the longevity or health of your watch, but can be neat and a huge convenience.  

 

[SpudHarris]

I am going to chime in about winders.  I don't mean to sound arrogant about the issue but I am a reasonably serious collector of mechanical watches, a very active member on many watch forms, have been to countless watch get togethers, and have met many of the pivotal people in the industry.  Watch collecting is my passion and has been for more than 25 years.

I’m not saying I am an expert or anything of the sorts, what I am saying is that I have taken part and have been witness to this very discussion more times than I would like to remember.  It has been discussed ad nauseam and I hope to offer clarification.

I also want to preface this with that ultimately, like any hobby, watch collecting should be for fun and at the end of the day, you do what you want to do regardless of what some guy on a web form said.

I’ll start with the watchmaker’s opinion; universally the ones I’ve talked to share the same opinion, whether they are the service center variety or the bespoke creationists, watch winders have only one practical purpose:  prevention of having to reset the watch. 

What that means:  Certain special creations from various houses actually ship with their own winders.  The JLC Hybris Mechanica Grand Sonnerie, for example, is offered with a winder.  But that watch has 26 complications, 1300 parts and costs about $2.5 million.  Having 26 complications means it is a real pain to set.  Heck, have you every tired setting a moon phase watch?  Or a perpetual calendar?  Or, even worse, a watch with an equation of time (solar mean time)?  This things take time to set… a lot of time.  If a regular watch is set in a few sections, these can take minutes and can require charts to reference, pins to depress small pushers and a fine sense of touch to not go past certain points with the crown.  In addition, certain complications can only be set at specific times of day and moving this around other times can damage the mechanisms.  Is 10 minutes too much to set a watch?  Maybe, maybe not.  But if time is money and you are buying a watch in the millions, then it is probably a very valuable 10 minutes.

The myth that a watch not used will have the oils settle stems from a very specific problem.  Modern watches use synthetic oils that remains viscous and do not coagulate.  Watches made in the early 1900’s and earlier often used natural oils which did fall victim to this problem.  This was magnified with cases that easily allowed dust and other particles in that would stick to the oils.  As the watch aged, and the oils thickened and became polluted, it could change the rate of the watch (making it less accurate) and can increase the rate at which parts wore out.  I would like to reiterate that this is the case on very old watches…  Not something like a modern Speedy Pro with its dust proof case and modern lubricants.

At best watch winders are neat and save you from setting the time (and possibly accidentally damaging the watch while setting it).  At worse they increase the wear and tear on the watch, prevent the main spring from ever fully unwinding (which, debatably, can be good) and never let the oils to set.

Imagine a stick sitting snuggly in a tube.  Now spin that stick rapidly.  Oil between the stick and the bottom of the tube can be pushed away over time and with the high speeds and never have the chance to resettle – Think juice in a blender, the part under the blades doesn’t touch the juice until you turn it off.  Letting the watch stop occasionally gives the oils a chance to return to where they have a hard time staying when the watch is ticking.

I guess what I’m saying is that winders do nothing for the longevity or health of your watch, but can be neat and a huge convenience.  

Very interesting read Paulie, I have been considering winders as most of my newer purchases are autos but your explanation makes sense. More money towards another Christopher Ward

 

[bigfatpaulie]

Very interesting read Paulie, I have been considering winders as most of my newer purchases are autos but your explanation makes sense. More money towards another Christopher Ward

 
That's what I'd do!  

 

[PalJoey]

Many thanks to BFP for his extremely informative post.
 

 

[SpudHarris]

Wrist shot of my latest Seiko Velatura Chrono/diver.

It's a beautiful watch Blurr I've had one for a few years now, pictured on this thread a while back. It's actually one of my most commented watches, quite striking in the flesh and until recently my go to daily casual.

Enjoy!

 

[gelocks]

Thanks for the info Paulie!
(now I know that I wont need to buy any more winders!!)
 
Also, since it seems you know the craft, can you share part of your collection or your favorites and mention why you like 'em or any interesting tidbits or stories?
 
 
Thanks!

 

[PalJoey]

In the watch world, as in so many others, there's always someone with more money than taste...