Winder or not?

[Warnsboy]

I just wear mine from dusk to dawn each day and it never needs winding. To me, winders present themselves as calculated, mechanical abuse for something that feels so good on the wrist!!

[jjbodean1970]

i love my orbita winder, works well for my autos

[kyle L]

Originally Posted by avekat

Am i the only one to finds it odd to spend thousand of dollars on a mechanical masterpiece only to leave it in a "cheap" piece of electronics for most of the time. If you are using electronic equipment to wind your mechanical watch, imo you might as well get a quartz.

That's JJ's argument against the NATO...

[Ranfni]

Originally Posted by crazycarlitos

x 2

destroy the fake.

wear the real one on the wrist.

problem solved ! =)

AGREED

[crazycarlitos]

Originally Posted by avekat

Am i the only one to finds it odd to spend thousand of dollars on a mechanical masterpiece only to leave it in a "cheap" piece of electronics for most of the time. If you are using electronic equipment to wind your mechanical watch, imo you might as well get a quartz.

u assume most people have only one "mechanical masterpiece"..

if u had more than one, WHAT would u do? WHERE would u put the watches u r not wearing?

would u BUY a safe? perhaps PURCHASE a jewelry case or even a pedestal (thx Tools ! ) ?


a winder serves several purpose for me.

1- it allows me to alternate between various mechanical watches without the hassle of re-setting the time or date
besides, the Rolex movement beats like heartbeats when u put it next to ur ear.. i sorta dont want the beats to stop..

2- it acts as a display case
i dont like to put my watches in the safe. its not like my watches are rare or limited edition.. however, i DO enjoy looking at them in my Wolf winder with maple wood and black leather (also beautiful to look at)

3- it acts as a jewelry case.
i put my watch in the top case of the winder when i am not wearing it, rather than putting it directly on top of a nightstand or a table.

side notes:

if i could wear all three of my Rolex at the same time without looking ridiculous, i probably would..

and

i do have several quartz, including a RADO !

[SDDS]

why the hell u need to have a replica rolex watch to wear it for work..just buy any other watch for work Timex,Swatch,Casio etc there are so many good watches there in the market where u can wear it for work

[Sonny Crockett]

winder we don't need no stinking winder

[Ageing Orphan]

Originally Posted by SDDS

why the hell u need to have a replica rolex watch to wear it for work..just buy any other watch for work Timex,Swatch,Casio etc there are so many good watches there in the market where u can wear it for work

Mentioning the word replica has caused quite a stir on here. I didn't mean to offend anyone, just thought I'd mention it.

I collect my new GMT IIc in the morning and know that the rep will not compare by it's side, so rather than just throwing it away, I'm going to take it apart as much as I can to see how a movement works and how it's all put together. I know I'll forget how all the small parts fit so will probably bin it then and wear my new watch with pride. I can't wear it every day as I don't sit behind a desk when running my business so it may get damaged. I fancy a Casio!!!

I'll be posting wrist shots of the new GMT and I may post a picture of the rep in as many bits as I can get it into!!

[avekat]

Originally Posted by rpryan55

Two problems with your post: A good winder is hardly "cheap", and for a truly vintage piece (one that relies on oils rather than today's lubricants) they are a necessity. And saying that one can never use electronic equipment on mechanical marvels would mean that you wouldn't use modern polishing equipment on it either. Sorry, but it's just silly to say that.

The fact that most good winders are not cheap is only an argument not to get one. Some of the beauty of a mechanical watch (to me) is that in a world filled with (needless) electronics it does not have to rely on electronics to maintain its functioning once produced (of course you need electricity to produce a proper watch efficiently) besides maybe setting the time occasionally. Of course it is better to put a vintage piece in a winder than let it deteriorate, but from my point of view it is silly to have a mechanical watch you do not wear enough for it to function properly without electronical aid (vintage or not).

Originally Posted by crazycarlitos

u assume most people have only one "mechanical masterpiece"..

if u had more than one, WHAT would u do? WHERE would u put the watches u r not wearing?

would u BUY a safe? perhaps PURCHASE a jewelry case or even a pedestal (thx Tools ! ) ?


a winder serves several purpose for me.

1- it allows me to alternate between various mechanical watches without the hassle of re-setting the time or date
besides, the Rolex movement beats like heartbeats when u put it next to ur ear.. i sorta dont want the beats to stop..

2- it acts as a display case
i dont like to put my watches in the safe. its not like my watches are rare or limited edition.. however, i DO enjoy looking at them in my Wolf winder with maple wood and black leather (also beautiful to look at)

3- it acts as a jewelry case.
i put my watch in the top case of the winder when i am not wearing it, rather than putting it directly on top of a nightstand or a table.

side notes:

if i could wear all three of my Rolex at the same time without looking ridiculous, i probably would..

and

i do have several quartz, including a RADO !

Yes, my post was somewhat directed at the situation at hand, but modern mechanical watches at least have no need for a winder. I am sure you can find beautiful displays for your watches that does not rotate (alternatively i would think that you are still able to look at your watches in the winder if you turn it off). And if you desperately need a place to put your watch, why not the box it came in?

The hassle of setting time/date of your watch when picking it up after some "down time" should not be a problem (use it to "bond" with your watch as someone nicely put it).

The bottom line for me is that if you buy a mechanical watch and put it in a winder you seem not to appreciate the fine mechanics enough. Come on, an electronic winder is not in the spirit of a mechanical watch?

Regarding quartz, they are nice in their own right.

[crazycarlitos]

Originally Posted by avekat

Yes, my post was somewhat directed at the situation at hand, but modern mechanical watches at least have no need for a winder. I am sure you can find beautiful displays for your watches that does not rotate (alternatively i would think that you are still able to look at your watches in the winder if you turn it off). And if you desperately need a place to put your watch, why not the box it came in?

The hassle of setting time/date of your watch when picking it up after some "down time" should not be a problem (use it to "bond" with your watch as someone nicely put it).

The bottom line for me is that if you buy a mechanical watch and put it in a winder you seem not to appreciate the fine mechanics enough. Come on, an electronic winder is not in the spirit of a mechanical watch?

my point was that rather than spending the money to buy a display or jewelry case, i chose to use that money to buy a winder - which serves multi-purpose.

the reason i dont use the rolex boxes the watches came in is that i wanna keep them in as pristine condition as possible, in case i want to sell the watches in the future.

and i am not clear on how using a winder shows 'no appreciation for a fine mechanical watch' since i dont just keep it in the winders for 'storage'...

[rpryan55]

Originally Posted by avekat

The fact that most good winders are not cheap is only an argument not to get one. Some of the beauty of a mechanical watch (to me) is that in a world filled with (needless) electronics it does not have to rely on electronics to maintain its functioning once produced (of course you need electricity to produce a proper watch efficiently) besides maybe setting the time occasionally. Of course it is better to put a vintage piece in a winder than let it deteriorate, but from my point of view it is silly to have a mechanical watch you do not wear enough for it to function properly without electronical aid (vintage or not).

The bottom line for me is that if you buy a mechanical watch and put it in a winder you seem not to appreciate the fine mechanics enough. Come on, an electronic winder is not in the spirit of a mechanical watch?

Regarding quartz, they are nice in their own right.

On the contrary, I appreciate the fine mechanics of my two Patek Philippes, my Cartier, my Franck Muller, my Panerai, my three Rolexes, my Hamilton, my wife's Franck Muller, her three Rolexes and her Cartier. I appreciate them so much I continue to buy fine examples of mechanical watches. And I put them on my winders so that I or my wife may wear them without delay any time I want.

Your point just doesn't seem to make sense to me, unless, of course, you own a single watch and cannot see the need to have a winder. With just one watch I suppose I'd do without the winder as well.

[avekat]

That is certainly more fine watches than i own! But none of those should need the winder (if i am right about modern lubrication). It is a matter of convenience if i understand you correctly. To me it is not in the spirit of a fine mechanical watch. I was not questioning your appreciation of your fine collection, but only describing how I feel about winders. If i made it sound the other way around, i am sorry.

[rpryan55]

Originally Posted by avekat

That is certainly more fine watches than i own! But none of those should need the winder (if i am right about modern lubrication). It is a matter of convenience if i understand you correctly. To me it is not in the spirit of a fine mechanical watch. I was not questioning your appreciation of your fine collection, but only describing how I feel about winders. If i made it sound the other way around, i am sorry.

No offense, I just don't see how a winder (which are used by men I know who own far more watches, and far more expensive watches than I) is at odds with "the spirit" of mechanical watches. If anything, if you have been to the homes of real watch collectors - men with a real appreciation of timepieces - all you see are watches in winders. So I guess I just cannot understand how they interfere with what a watch is for.

[Cristell]

Originally Posted by rpryan55

No offense, I just don't see how a winder (which are used by men I know who own far more watches, and far more expensive watches than I) is at odds with "the spirit" of mechanical watches. If anything, if you have been to the homes of real watch collectors - men with a real appreciation of timepieces - all you see are watches in winders. So I guess I just cannot understand how they interfere with what a watch is for.

You're spot on my friend! Well said.

[rpryan55]

Originally Posted by Cristell

You're spot on my friend! Well said.

Thanks, friend. I can't understand Avekat's point, but I'm not the sharpest knife in the drawer sometimes.

[avekat]

I know many serious collectors use winders, and i do not doubt their appreciation of the watches that are in them. To me some of the beauty of a mechanical watch is that it is a ingenious piece of mechanics, and my fascination comes from the fact that the precision is achieved without electricity. And looking at the world today, the absence of electricity is for me a quality in it self. In that perspective it detracts from my appreciation of a mechanical watch to put it in a winder. The real watch collectors you now may appreciate their watches for slightly different reasons than i appreciate mine (however real their appreciation may be). I may understand why you would not agree with me not liking winders, but it beats me if you can not see my point by now.

[rpryan55]

Originally Posted by avekat

I know many serious collectors use winders, and i do not doubt their appreciation of the watches that are in them. To me some of the beauty of a mechanical watch is that it is a ingenious piece of mechanics, and my fascination comes from the fact that the precision is achieved without electricity. And looking at the world today, the absence of electricity is for me a quality in it self. In that perspective it detracts from my appreciation of a mechanical watch to put it in a winder. The real watch collectors you now may appreciate their watches for slightly different reasons than i appreciate mine (however real their appreciation may be). I may understand why you would not agree with me not liking winders, but it beats me if you can not see my point by now.

Okay, but by that reasoning it must detract from your appreciation of a mechanical watch that it was largely made by electric machines, no? The Rolex factory - which puts out 500,000 or more watches a year (at least) - is a marvel of electronic automation. Everything from the stamping of the metal pieces of the movement, the assembly of much of the movement, the stamping and polishing of the case is done by electric motors. Even the testing of a Rolex is done by equipment powered by electricity - and all of this must, by your logic, detract from your enjoyment of your mechanical watch.

Simply put, there is no "absence of electricity" in any of the watches we own. And that precision that you say is achieved without electricity is in fact achieved with more electricity than powers a small town. Sorry that it beats you, but, no, your point continues to make no sense to me. That said, to each his own.