Storing a Rolex....

[Spy]

Dear all,

I was hoping I could tap your extensive knowledge, vast experience, amazing....(I hope that is enough grovelling )

The question I have is, if you are not going to be wearing your rolex for some time, say 9-12 months, should you store it in a watch winder to keep the movement rotating or is it OK to just lay it flat in the safe and not move it ?

The reason I ask is that my Dad has a couple of Rolex that he doesn't wear, he has an Omega SMP as a daily beater. They sit in the safe, not being moved. is this bad for them ?

...yes, I know he should wear them more often but what can you do !

[mike]

Won't hurt a bit leaving it unwound. I would prefer it that way.

[James T]

i leave mine unwound months at a time.. don't see any noticeable change...

[JJ Irani]

Originally Posted by Spy

Dear all,

I was hoping I could tap your extensive knowledge, vast experience, amazing....(I hope that is enough grovelling )

The question I have is, if you are not going to be wearing your rolex for some time, say 9-12 months, should you store it in a watch winder to keep the movement rotating or is it OK to just lay it flat in the safe and not move it ?

The reason I ask is that my Dad has a couple of Rolex that he doesn't wear, he has an Omega SMP as a daily beater. They sit in the safe, not being moved. is this bad for them ?

...yes, I know he should wear them more often but what can you do !

9-12 months is probably too long a time for a mechanical movement to lie idle. You should take them out of the safe say once in 2 months and give them a full wind to get them going.

JJ

[BigHat]

Tough to let it churn on a winder for no reason.

Any way you could get it wound once a month? That would probably be the ideal situation.

[sea-dweller]

I usually have in my 'wearing rotation', my : Explorer 1, my DJ, my SS Sub Date and my GMT II.
2 of these are on the winder, 1 on my wrist and 1 is on the dresser. My other 3 are stored in my safe and I bring them into the 'wearing rotation' every once in a while (once every 2-3 months). The ones in the safe that have been sitting unwound seem to have suffered no bad effects from the storage. I have been doing this for several years now.

[Spy]

Originally Posted by JJ Irani

9-12 months is probably too long a time for a mechanical movement to lie idle. You should take them out of the safe say once in 2 months and give them a full wind to get them going.

JJ

Originally Posted by BigHat

Tough to let it churn on a winder for no reason.

Any way you could get it wound once a month? That would probably be the ideal situation.

Thanks guys, sensible suggestion and cheaper !

I'll mention it to my Dad

[Spy]

Originally Posted by sea-dweller

The ones in the safe that have been sitting unwound seem to have suffered no bad effects from the storage. I have been doing this for several years now.

That is very useful info. I was worried the oil in the movement might dry up or something.

Thanks.

[Tools]

Originally Posted by Spy

That is very useful info. I was worried the oil in the movement might dry up or something.

Thanks.

Modern lubes don't really dry up the way the old organics used to do.

The biggest problem is gravity. It pulls the flow of oil downwards and it pools up at the bottom of the pivot jewels, or at the extreme edges. Generally this would not be an issue as the oils would tend to re-disperse after the watch is started up again, although there would be erratic operation for a few days..

The problem is easily solved by simply rotating the piece 180 degrees every 6 months or so..

[buz-lh]

Excellent advice Tools. Kinda like storing wine huh?

[Spy]

Originally Posted by Tools

Modern lubes don't really dry up the way the old organics used to do.

The biggest problem is gravity. It pulls the flow of oil downwards and it pools up at the bottom of the pivot jewels, or at the extreme edges. Generally this would not be an issue as the oils would tend to re-disperse after the watch is started up again, although there would be erratic operation for a few days..

The problem is easily solved by simply rotating the piece 180 degrees every 6 months or so..

Thanks for the comprehensive explanation, makes sense

[marshallr47]

When I deploy with the military, I store mine a safe deposit box at the bank and have my wife wind them once every two months or so. Seems to be working fine for me.