watch winder

[Reggie Rolex]

Hi everybody having just bought my first Rolex submariner two weeks ago I
was wondering what the general thoughts are about buying a watch winder.

I wont be wearing it to work during the day only evenings and all over the weekend when not working.

Do you think it will be wise to put it on a winder ? or the couple of hours week day use will keep it working ok ?

Sorry if this is a bit of a newbie question but I am new to automatic watches and just want to keep my pride and joy in top working order

[WatchinMD]

Welcome to the forum

It is a matter of personal preference. Some like to see them on the winder. Some like to wind them and some don't care and let them stop between wearings.

Wearing it a couple of hours per week will not keep it going, though.

[Daytona88]

I bought a Wolf Viceroy winder on overstock for a great price. I love that whatever I am not wearing is on display and I appreciate them even more. Never had one until recently and love it. Highly recommended. Be sure whatever you get has adjustable turns per day rate and bi-directional option. I use 650 TPD bi-directional.

[Reggie Rolex]

Hi guys thanks for your replies I will look into getting a winder

[ltmgeller]

Congrats on the sub and welcome to the forum. I stopped using a winder because I preferred the manual setting of the watches in my rotation. It's a prsonal choice.

[MATCH1969]

Originally Posted by ltmgeller

Congrats on the sub and welcome to the forum. I stopped using a winder because I preferred the manual setting of the watches in my rotation. It's a prsonal choice.

+1

[Lightforce1911]

I use winders. Cheap ones by they get the job done

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[PatekSF]

Save your money. If/When you purchase a complication, then buy one.

[Andad]

I recommend this make.

No settings required.

[Secretariat]

Originally Posted by directioneng

I recommend this make.

No settings required.

Forgive for the off topic but if I may ask, is your Rolex Day-Date in the picture above, 36 MM or 40MM?
Thanks.

[padi56]

Originally Posted by Reggie Rolex

Hi everybody having just bought my first Rolex submariner two weeks ago I
was wondering what the general thoughts are about buying a watch winder.

I wont be wearing it to work during the day only evenings and all over the weekend when not working.

Do you think it will be wise to put it on a winder ? or the couple of hours week day use will keep it working ok ?

Sorry if this is a bit of a newbie question but I am new to automatic watches and just want to keep my pride and joy in top working order

As long as you have two perfectly functional arms wrists and finger you do not need a machine winder for you watch.Most Rolex only have a simple date complication some have none.Now with watches that have many complication then a machine winder could be purely a convenience.But before wearing watch should be fully manually wound first, that's 40 full crown turns clockwise only you cannot over wind.Then if worn for 8 hours plus a day, watch should keep running over night when off wrist.Now the power reserve in the mainspring after a full manual wind is approx 39-48 hours while of wrist.

Below is a direct quote from Vanessa a Rolex watch service watchmaker.

Okay I'm here to give my 2 cents since I was asked to give an opinion.
I haven't read the responses given, since it's late and I plan on going to bed soon!

I don't like winders.
I don't like them for several reasons:
1) Most people assume they actually wind the watch... No, they keep the watch wound, which means it should still have a good amount of power reserve in order to maintain the power. I get plenty of customers complaining that their power reserve is too short "even though the watch was on the winder all day 3 days prior".
2) Cheap winders MAGNETIZE watches! The motors aren't insulated and cause the watches to start running erratically! I just had one two weeks ago, with a 2 y.o. DJII. A complete service of the movement was required.
3) Unless you're too old, or have some kind of medical condition that prevents you from having the feeling in your fingertips to wind the crown, I don't see a reason to need a winder.
4) I don't like the unnecessary wear it causes the movement. Unnecessary because you're putting wear on the watch while you're not even enjoying it.

In the end, it's all up to you and I'm pretty sure all you TRF'ers know what to expect. I'm mostly having a hard time explaining to people who have absolutely no clue about the inner workings of a watch.

Member# 5731
Instagram: @vanessa.cw21

Watch my Rolex repair video: https://youtu.be/jDnaotCTpTA

American Watchmakers-Clockmakers Institute
Certified Watchmaker of the 21st Century

[fskywalker]

I do recommend winders, have a couple of single Wolf programmable units. (2.7, 4.0 & 4.1) At least Wolf units are claimed to be magnetically shielded.

[mapalfa]

I can live with the slight added wear as it's not going to be any more than if you wore it all day anyway. If the watch has been worn I don't put it on the winder overnight but if I'm not going to be wearing it for a few days then I do. For me it's not a case of have to, it's a question of laziness, as I just can't be bothered to adjust a non-quick-set date by more than 3 days unless I really have to.

BUT, now I'm wondering about the magnetic shielding issue after reading the post above. I'm using a cheap 2-way automatic winder and I guess it's all pretty basic inside. I may well add stripping it down and checking for shielding (and adding more if required) to my to-do list.

[fskywalker]

Originally Posted by mapalfa

BUT, now I'm wondering about the magnetic shielding issue after reading the post above. I'm using a cheap 2-way automatic winder and I guess it's all pretty basic inside. I may well add stripping it down and checking for shielding (and adding more if required) to my to-do list.

Rather than stripping it, suggest you buy a magnetic meter (Amazon, Ebay etc.) to measure the electromagnetic readings of the winder. The meter is also useful at home to check your microwave and some other appliances as well.

Here is mine:

[mapalfa]

Originally Posted by fskywalker

Rather than stripping it, suggest you buy a magnetic meter (Amazon, Ebay etc.) to measure the electromagnetic readings of the winder. The meter is also useful at home to check your microwave and some other appliances as well.

Cheers, I'll look into them

[NeoAnderson]

Wear it around the house.

[travisb]

I sold all of my winders years ago. Unnecessary in my opinion.

[wildaxlrose]

Just like a car if you keep the engine on most of the time there will be wear and tear I guess it's the same for the watch Engine . Give it rest and warm it up once a while


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[stil]

My watch winder is used to hold my nato straps, extra pins, etc.

Watches go in the safe when not worn.

[Racerdj]

Welcome to the forum! You will need a winder as a couple hours of wear per day is not enough. A winder is for your convenience however if you don't mind winding your Rolex, that would also work.

[T. Ferguson]

The winder question basically boils down to convenience as opposed to unnecessary wear and tear. In your case it will be worn daily in the evenings so it basically will always be running whether it's on a winder or not, so extra wear and tear is not the issue.

In your case a winder makes sense if you find winding your watches to be too much of a pain, although you probably would only need to wind it every other day and not have to set it so how big an inconvenience is it to wind a watch? I enjoy playtime with my watches but others hate it.

I would do without at first to see if a) the watch stops running and, b) if I find winding it to be too inconvenient. If you're wearing it when you get home evenings it's not like you're in a hurry to get to work.

[007M86T007]

Went in the last two weeks to two different high end watch retailers in the area of Toronto that I live/work,received two completely different opinions.Only consensus was that cheap ones will only hurt a good quality timepiece.

[tmehanna]

I have been using "cheap" winders for many years and never had an issue with a Rolex or any other watch movement for that matter. Not sure if any manufacturer is stupid enough to build a watch winder that would defy its purpose by magnetizing the watch but I always buy quality (but still cheap) winders. They are all shielded so the residual magnetic fields are not strong enough to mess up the movement, specially a Rolex movement. Remember the milgauss can withstand a 1000 gauss field. Someone suggested the winders don't actually wind the watch but it keeps it wound which is inaccurate as it depends on the number of turns per day your winder is set to. If a movement needs 1000 turns to be fully wound and the power reserve is 48 hours, setting the winder to anything over 500 TPD will wind it more than it needs to keep running. 1000 TPD would fully wind it from empty in 2 days. The motors in all winders, even exorbitantly expensive ones cost very little to make. What you are pay for is usually materials and worksmanship that go into the enclosure.

[CLTRolex]

Somewhat related...but a lot of us are surrounded by computers and "devices" all day.
Does anyone know the magnetic field # where it would begin to affect a watch (millagauss/gauss/tesla)?

Here's a magnetic level chart for things around the house FWIW:
http://www-ehs.ucsd.edu/LBCI/LIPA_Ma...ound_Homes.pdf