Yes, sort of.

 

Maybe Quartz is your answer 🤔

 

Yeah they don't need any winding. I just like automatics though.

 

A few turns on the crown will not damage it, but winding it fully every day will wear down certain parts and cause problems, yes.

 

I always wondered this myself. I've heard that hand winding the SW200 will wear down the gears, but doesn't screwing down the crown wind the watch a few turns each time anyway?

 

When you push in the crown to engage the case threads, the stem disengages from the winding gear.

 

If the watch has manual winding feature (not all automatics do) then it does not damage anything.
However it will trigger one's ocd or personality disorder.

 

If the watch has manual winding feature (not all automatics do) then it does not damage anything.
However it will trigger one's ocd or personality disorder.

As much as I want to agree with this, lots of manufacturers have dispersed half bakes ideas into the wild before. I suspect the majority are just fine to be wound. But I can promise there are a few movements out there that are somehow junk.

 

With care, no.

 

Like one crown turn per minute?

 

Agree. Maybe a quartz would work better for you?

 

Yeah it would. I just like mechanicals though.

 

If you use, wind, set the time, or adjust the date a watch will incur wear.

That said, if properly maintained it will most likely outlive you and probably your kids

 

It's called the "Seiko shake" for a reason. No need to wind it further, just give it a few shakes and wear it happily. As long as you don't spend your whole time completely torpid, it'll keep wound just fine.

Edit: missed the part about not wearing it all day. Winding it by hand definitely doesn't help anything, but it probably won't do a huge amount of harm. Expect a shorter overall life time for the watch, though.

 

Like a baby rattle?

 

I have a lot of automatic watches and fortunately, no issues with winding them (so far), even with the “hard to wind” movements, eg ETA 2824 and clones.

That said, respect for the mechanisms involved goes a long way toward avoiding issues. I’ll usually shake my watches until the second hand lines up with the 12 o’clock position, hack it, set the time and date (ensuring that the watch is at least +/- 6 hours from the midnight hour when doing so), then SLOWLY wind the movement 5-10 turns.

If it’s a screwdown crown, I take the time to turn ensure that the crown engages correctly (like tightening the lid of a jar) before tightening, and that’s it.

Of course, being a mechanical device, it’s probably going to wear out over time, but that’s no reason to be careless and shorten the service interval.

 

I continuously find this argument perplexing. There are some automatic movements that don't have a manual wind function. Older Seiko's are a perfect example. My dad had an old Seiko that he would pick up, and give a little rotational whirl with his hand each day before putting it on. Even if it was still running, he would do that out of habit.

Problem is that if you don't wear it everyday, you have to do this and set the time/date each time you put it back on. It didn't seem to bother my dad, or anyone who had bought SKXs and keep them unmodified...which must be in the millions by now.

Some automatics have a manual wind capability, and this is where the argument usually goes south. Yes, all mechanical devices experience wear and tear, and they eventually need servicing and possibly replacement of parts. But this doesn't mean that watch is so fragile that it will completely wear out sooner if you manually wind the watch everyday. I just don't see how watchmakers would have not given that consideration when they designed a watch with a manual wind feature. This must be taken into account when deciding service intervals or designing parts of the crown and winding functions.

Now do you have to wind literally everyday? I don't think so. I can't think of an automatic movement with just a 24-hour power reserve. Maybe every other day, or every 3 days or more for more modern watches. So, I don't get the everyday frequency.

Manual wind watches have no other option except manually winding, so watchmakers have to take that into account.

Anyway, my two cents. As testy as a mechanical watch may be, auto or not, they're not THAT testy. Unless you are wearing a vintage piece from the 1920's, I just don't understand to over protection of mechanical watches.

All of the above is caveated by movements that have known design issues, like the brass gears on certain levels of SW-200s and ETA movements. That's an engineering/materials issue these movement manufacturers have refused to tackle.

 

I used to think I had to keep my automatics running even when I'm not using it, which wasn't a big deal since a few winds every day or every other day wasn't a hassle to me. But then I read that there's nothing wrong either to leave them unwound and not running, cause arguably, that reduces the wear and tear from regular use. So now I leave them alone until it's their turn in the rotation.

When I notice it may have been awhile since I last wore a watch, I'd give it a few winds after every few weeks or so. I fully intend to have my watches properly serviced regardless of their use anyway.

I should add that winding watches and/or having to set their time/dates when it's time to use them has never been a hassle. In fact, I look forward to doing them cause it's just part of what's endearing about owning mechanical watches.

It's as endearing as driving MT compared to AT.

 

I agree. The process of going through your watches and giving them a wind or two is, for me, a satisfying process. It actually feels like I'm giving my watches attention even if I'm not wearing them everyday.

If I were literally going to leave a watch alone that long without winding, I think it would be time to sell that watch.

My philosophy is this. Unless your timekeeping device needs a battery or needs to the plugged in, your timekeeping devices is actual designed and meant to be wound, one way or another. It's almost definitional.

 

I have not yet damaged a watch movement by winding it, and I frequently wound a humble Seiko 4s36 every other day for a number of years. i like the 'with care' comment. don't force anything or wind like you're trying to beat someone up. in theory, winding a watch can cause some wear and tear. so can wearing an automatic, because they have a bunch of moving parts.

before ETA improved the 2824 (it's now 2824-2 for a reason), there was a known issue where hand-winding the 2824 would start feeling sticky, and if you forced it, you could damage teeth on the ratchet wheel (wheel with teeth that tightens the mainspring when you wind). Never owned one that wasn't a 2824-2 and haven't had that issue with any of them. they can develop some 'rotor spin' when you wind them - same deal, don't force anything, get it looked at if winding starts feeling too tight to safely wind it. Lubrication usually solves that.

 

The second gen never fixed the problem.

 

Winding an automatic watch will do no more damage than winding a manual wind watch.

The only differences between the two are the automatic works (rotor and associated gears) and the type of mainspring (automatic watch mainsprings slip in the barrel when they’re fully wound vs. some type of catch system on a manual wind watch mainspring)

When you move your wrist with an automatic watch, it winds and winds and winds the mainspring, fully wound or not.

Winding it manually won’t hurt it one bit.

 

I was wondering when someone would bring this up.



































Again.

 

Hmmmm, about every three weeks.

 

Firstly, OP, why are you winding the Automatic every day? If you wind it once, and then have a reasonably active lifestyle it should hold enough reserve to get through the night without stopping and then rebuild reserve the next day to be back to full before you take it off again.

In any case, I maybe wind my watch once a week (when I rotate through watches) and I have yet to bugger a watch by winding it.

 

When I'm going to school, it's not a problem but during holidays I work at a farm so I don't wear the automatic the whole day.

 

I believe (would have to go check the paperwork to be 100% sure) the owners manual for my automatic Hanhart Chronograph says to give it around 40 winds if you haven't work it for awhile. Paul at Farer gave me the same advice for my Farer Eldridge. If I don't wind these watches after they've been dormant, they run slow (when I'm not super-active).

 

This is the case with many manufacturers. This is why the discussion baffles me. I've seen from 12 - 40 winds suggested in various manuals. None seem to warn against winding.

 

Watches are like humans: death begins at birth. Everything you do to, and with your watch slowly but surely damages it. Over the years, it all builds up until: “poof!” it’s dead.
Enjoy it while you have it.

 

Watches are like humans: death begins at birth. Everything you do to, and with your watch slowly but surely damages it. Over the years, it all builds up until: “poof!” it’s dead.
Enjoy it while you have it.

That happens when cells die faster than being reproduced, study was done by UCLA, about 50 years ago; average was about 24 or so.

 

Reach out to Seiko directly. Very few people base anything off of fact on forums. Then report back with their advice. Very few people also follow back up on their threads.

 

So I reached out to Seiko and this was their (translated) response "It could be that if the watch is not being worn all day, the usage is higher than the yield. In order to make sure that the watch does keep time, you can just wind it manual and modern watches have a security mechanism so it cannot be overwound. In order to wind the watch, you can just simply wind the crown which winds the spring in the movement."

 

No it will not damage the watch. That’s why there’s a way to manually wind them.
I mean, sure, maybe in 3-5 years you’ll wear down the crown a bit - but for generations, watches were manual wind. Hell, even autos are (usually) nothing more than a manual wind with an automatic winding works attached.

I say wind away!

 

Wear it a couple days like you normally do without winding it.
If it stops within a day or so then you don't wear it enough and should wind it (or better wear it more)
If it doesn't stop with your normal wear there is no need to wind it.

 

Honestly the only time I mind winding and setting watches is if they’re shake and wake watches like 7s26 or many orient models - you have to shake to wind them or put them on a watch wonder (or wear them) - not stem winding.
I have a pair of watches like that, and I find them a bit tedious… but still love them.

 

I'm wearing my 4R35 Presage today. On days I don't wear it (most days) I'll wind it a few (20ish?) turns. I mean, it is designed for it...

 

can do - if it's still running when you pick it up, don't wind it. If it's not, justa few turns to get it going and strap it on.

 

winding automatics are fine... says so on the tin. automatic with manual wind. as its been said, theres a slipper clutch to prevent damage. Theres no need to wind unless the watch has stopped.. which should take more than a day if fully wound. (who says power reserve indicators are useless on automatics.. lol. i appreciate the one on my Orient star seeker GMT... )

Ive had watches that state in the instructions (Sinn comes to mind) that to give it 30 to 40 winds from zero if the watch has stopped before using it.

Othere dont say anything.

All automatics will start up after giving it a few shakes/whirls and will continue to wind up as it is being used.


as to the OPs quandry, there was a period of time when i couldnt wear a watch and my autos used to stop from not having enough wrist time throughout the day... and i got annoyed at having to have to wind and set the time. i could have just been regimented and wind it up to full every morning.. but its an auto and i never got into the habit so thats when i got myself a quartz for the duration.

 

All automatics will start up after giving it a few shakes/whirls and will continue to wind up as it is being used.

It depends what a person does all day long. Digging ditches by hand or sitting at a desk making occasional wrist movements once in a while. Movement is what winds an auto watch, not just being on a wrist. Shaking an auto for a few seconds means that an auto is about 1% wound from zero. A Seiko movement requires about 800 spins (or significant motion swings) of the winding rotor to fully wind the mainspring. Swiss movements need motion of the rotor similar to Seiko for similar results.

Accuracy claims for most movements are based on them being at least 30% wound from "dead". (300 significant rotor movements just to obtain basic accuracy from "full-dead"). Most autos are running around horribly under-wound because people think that they can be shaken a few times and a person can take a nap on the sofa for the afternoon and wonder why their watch stopped or doesn't keep time.