Watch Winder - - worth it or hassle?

[stevew]

I got my first automatic over Christmas (the super cheap seiko - I want to decide if I like the automatics on an entry level before splurging)... the only other post i see here about winders seems to suggest letting them just wind down when not in use. I've had trouble accurately setting the day/date (it skips a day ahead at noon, goes to spanish, etc) and thought a winder would solve it.

Two questions:

1 - do you use a winder? why or why not?
2 - would one of the $40ish models on amazon get the job done (vs. something fancy $150+)?

thanks!

[BillN]

. I've had trouble accurately setting the day/date (it skips a day ahead at noon, goes to spanish, etc) and thought a winder would solve it.

I don't have any feedback on the winder, but to correctly set the day/date on this Seiko (I also own this watch), all you do is set it to the day and date before today's date and then wind the time until it flips to today's date and then set the correct time (being sure to go past noon if it is in fact past noon). This will get the day/date turning over properly going forward. I generally wear mine 4-5 days a week right now, and if I'm wearing on consecutive days, the power reserve keeps the watch running constantly with no trouble.

[Creature]

Sounds like a hassle to me. I don't worry about the date being correct, and by the time I've gotten ready in the morning the watch has enough charge and I set it on my way out the door. Not sure what you're talking about with Spanish, my watch numbers don't change.... If you wear the same watch day in and day out, you should have enough power to make it overnight without dying (depending on the watch).

I'd be interested to hear if anyone has a take on letting the watches wind down causing any harm.

[idvsego]

I don't have any feedback on the winder, but to correctly set the day/date on this Seiko (I also own this watch), all you do is set it to the day and date before today's date and then wind the time until it flips to today's date and then set the correct time (being sure to go past noon if it is in fact past noon). This will get the day/date turning over properly going forward. I generally wear mine 4-5 days a week right now, and if I'm wearing on consecutive days, the power reserve keeps the watch running constantly with no trouble.

yeah, thats always the best way for me to set an auto if you want the date to turn correctly at the right time. There are times when I say F it and roll with the wrong date.

Sounds like a hassle to me. I don't worry about the date being correct, and by the time I've gotten ready in the morning the watch has enough charge and I set it on my way out the door. Not sure what you're talking about with Spanish, my watch numbers don't change.... If you wear the same watch day in and day out, you should have enough power to make it overnight without dying (depending on the watch).

I'd be interested to hear if anyone has a take on letting the watches wind down causing any harm.

a lot of people will say that it does more "harm" to keep it on a winder. The theory is this...automatic watches have to be serviced at some point. usually after xxx hours of use. I think it ranges from 5-10 years of normal wear, depending on the watch. If you keep it on a winder it is constantly in use. If you let it die in between wearings you are reducing the hours of use, thus lengthening the interval between maintenance. This makes some sense to me. Some hard core people pull the stem on their quartz watches to save battery and make them last 200 years instead of the typical 175 years. <--- hyperbole.

[Rawfull]

As others have pointed out, the date issue you are having is simply because it is 12 hours off. So when it's midday for you it thinks it is actually midnight. Simply winding it forward 12 hours will fix that. The day issue is just as simple a fix. A lot of entry level Seiko models have a bilingual day dial, just pop the crown out to the point where you can select the days. If you leave it selected on a day in English it will always advance forward to the next day in English.

Don't bother with a winder, especially a cheap $40 one. My collection needs some trimming down and I don't use one. The only instance in which I would consider having a watch winder is if I won the powerball and amassed a dream collection of watches and needed some extra security for said watches. I would buy a safe from Stockinger which would both wind and keep my watches locked away in a safe place.

[DocDave]

When I had my first automatic watch I went out and purchased a winder off Amazon and I proceeded to never used it. I ended up selling the box about 2 years later on Craigslist for a loss. I'm with others who have posted on the thread saying not to bother with a winder. I own several automatic watches now and haven't seen the need to purchase another winder. Besides, if I did I'm sure I'd end up selling it again anyway.

[hornsup84]

The only watches that I'd consider getting a winder for would be annual or perpetual calendar watches, maaaybe a moonphase if I really cared about it being right (but probably not). And if I'm having those types of watches, that means I'll probably be fine spending a decent bit of cash on a winder/safe without any worry.

While you're finding setting the date annoying on your watch now, you'll get better at it and it'll be pretty simple to do when you switch from one watch to the next and set time/date. Admittedly the Seiko that I had with a day and date function was a bit annoying with the built in Spanish days, but just needed to learn how to do it. The manual is actually pretty helpful in that respect.

[Me27]

It looks like others have already touched on setting the date properly, and I agree that if this is your only automatic watch there is really no reason to get a winder.

However, I will play devils advocate here and say that if you end up enjoying the automatic and decide to buy more I feel a winder can be a worthwhile investment. I have three automatics and a winder that holds two watches, so typically I wear one and keep the other two in the winder. While it is not a huge deal to set the time and date whenever you put a watch on, I do enjoy being able to wake up in the morning, grab whatever one I want to wear for the day, and know the time and date are all set.

a lot of people will say that it does more "harm" to keep it on a winder. The theory is this...automatic watches have to be serviced at some point. usually after xxx hours of use. I think it ranges from 5-10 years of normal wear, depending on the watch. If you keep it on a winder it is constantly in use. If you let it die in between wearings you are reducing the hours of use, thus lengthening the interval between maintenance.

This does make sense to me to an extent, and I am somewhat ignorant on the details of how an automatic watch works, so I might be way off base here, but.......wouldn't having to pull out the crown on a frequent basis and manually make adjustment to the watch be harder on it than just letting it constantly run the way it was made to run? Especially if the watch has a screw down or locking crown with water proof seals? I seem to remember reading in several owners/maintenance manuals to be extra careful when making adjustments with the crown, only make adjustments in the direction the features normally move, and that these adjustments can put a lot of stress on the watches movement. Maybe I am putting too much emphasis on how delicate these watches are though......Also, for one of my automatics the manufacturer recommends that if the watch dies you manually wind it before resetting the time, the reason they give is that it is best for the watch to run with a fully (but not overly) wound spring. This would also so seem to contradict the idea that letting a watch die between wears prolongs its life.

Anyway, not trying to be argumentative, but I have heard contradicting information, so I am very curious to hear more peoples thoughts/opinions on the subject.

[evanparker]

i had some really cheap automatics that didn't stay wound for more than a n extra day after I wore them. That was a bother. now everything is just quartz. As much as it is unexciting maybe, i really just need my watch to work.

[Token]

If you only have one or two automatics, then a winder isn't necessary. I don't have any autos that are a huge pain to reset such as a perpetual calendar or anything, but I do have a watch winder that holds 4 watches, and it does save me the trouble of having to wind a watch if I don't wear it for a week.

I also haven't found any conclusive evidence showing that running a watch continuously wears it out faster significantly. I think the most probable potentially harmful aspect of a watch winder is if you get one that only rotates in one direction.