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Amount of 'movement' required for winding an automatic?

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Astraeus

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Discussion starter · #1 ·
This topic must have been addressed before, but I don't see any readily available in-house answers. So here we go:

Automatic watches are supposed to be wound by moving the body to which they are attached, right? Not wearing them, i.e. not 'charging' the mainspring, will eventually bring them to a halt, right?

This begs the question as to how much 'moving around' is actually required to wind an automatic. And what sort of 'movement' has an effect on the rotor.

We all have seen statements like, 'wear your watch at least 8 hours a day' and 'if it looses time, you're not moving enough'. But what are your experiences, theories, best guesses?
 
#2 ·
There are numerous threads on this topic. I have 2 automatic watches. I am not very active, so I will swirl the watch in the morning, like you would swirl a drink, and do it again before I go to bed. 100 swirls each time seems to work with a well-maintained automatic.

John
 
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#3 ·
It really depends on the watch. My Omega 8500 will start running by the time I've put it on my wrist, where my Grand Seiko 9S85 takes a few minutes of walking around with it on. There are a TON of factors that go into determining how long it takes to fully wind a watch from a dead stop. How much energy the mainspring holds, the kind of winding mechanism, the weight of the rotor, the activity in question, and the kind of escapement (apparently) all play a role in how long it takes to get a watch started and how long it takes to max it out.

Your watch will lose or gain time no matter how much you move, although it's better to move too much than too little. My two main watches now don't have a power reserve indicator, but some of my old ones did, and it could go from a dead stop to fully wound in maybe 5 or 6 hours of wearing it, depending on the day and activity. Some days I was flummoxed. I remember I threw my old Planet Orient on with it barely running (it has a power reserve display). And then I went hiking with some girls for a few hours. And when I got back, inexplicably, it was only maybe 33% wound. Yet on other days I'd go to a few classes, mainly sit around, walk from my apartment etc, and it would be halfway wound.

Generally, if I wear my watch for a half a day, every day, no matter the activity (assuming I'm not sleeping or something) then it can keep on running indefinitely.

Anyway, it's very watch dependent, and dependent on a number of factors within the watch.
 
Discussion starter · #4 ·
CitizenM said:
[...] it's very watch dependent, and dependent on a number of factors within the watch.
Click to expand...
... and factors external to the watch, apparently.

Fascinating!

jsw41 said:
There are numerous threads on this topic.
Click to expand...
Sorry 'bout that.

jsw41 said:
like you would swirl a drink [...] 100 swirls each time seems to work with a well-maintained automatic.
Click to expand...
I'm not 'swirling' my beer or (cheap) wine, but I get your point. 100 of those swirls... that seems a lot of work, however.
 
#7 ·
Most good auto movements don't need a great deal of motion or exaggerated arm movement to fire them up.

All of mine start right up after sitting with just a few light, limited swings of my arm.
 
#8 ·
Not much movement is required. For the one watch I have with a power reserve, I usually wind it to about 5-10 hours and it will be fully wound (40 hrs) within a coupla hours of strapping it on my wrist.

-hayday
 
Discussion starter · #9 ·
Nokie said:
Most good auto movements don't need a great deal of motion or exaggerated arm movement to fire them up. All of mine start right up after sitting with just a few light, limited swings of my arm.
Click to expand...
Starting/firing up is one thing (for me that takes just a couple of sips of strong coffee), okay; but being so 'wound-up' that you're 'accurate~reliable' throughout the day(s) (don't ask me, for have never been 'there') is another, isn't it?

Or are you saying that, all other things being equal, the (type of) 'motion' for firing up an automatic should be enough to 'adequately' fill up the power reserve and keep the watch funtioning over time?
 
#12 · (Edited)
About 20 turns of the crown, and slap it on. In the case of the Seiko 5 with no hand-winding, shake it in a circular motion for 15 seconds, put it on.

I don't have any watches with a power reserve, but by the end of the day if I take them off and don't wear them, they always runs for about 40 hours, indicating a mainspring more or less fully wound.
 
#13 ·
If I haven't worn my Orient "Vintage" in a few days, I'll sometimes just put it on my wrist just before I leave the house in the morning without any special effort to get it going. By the time I've driven 30-40 minutes to work and walked from the parking lot to my desk, the power reserve indicator will usually be up to about 10 hours. Then I just go to time.is and set it. My job doesn't require me to be particularly active, but by lunchtime it's usually up to around 20 hours, and often fully charged by the end of the day without any special effort.
 
#14 ·
So far I wore three automatic watches with more than 10 years of combined wrist time in the past without problem, the rule is to wear them as much as you can including the weekend.
 
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