Does a manual wind watch require more frequent gasket replacement?

[jlovda]

Do the gaskets wear faster?

[MikeyV]

I've wondered this also..similarly, does the crown and tube need replacement due to wear on threads, etc from unscrewing it every day.

I have this unnatural fear about opening the crown on my watch too much...worried about the threads.
Luckily, it runs very well, so I really never unscrew the crown.

[Beckster]

I’m no expert but I believe quite often the manual winding watches do not have a screw down crown. So you just have to wind it without having to unscrew the crown.

[kwcsports]

I've got a dozen or more vintage handwinds and none have screw down crowns. They were designed to wind each day so I would not expect any extra wear and tear. Just my opinion though.

[watchmaker]

Originally Posted by jlovda

Do the gaskets wear faster?

I have to qualify my answer by saying that for the vast majority of watches out there the recommended servicing interval is five years.

With that in mind: no, there is no appreciable acceleration of wear on a manual wind watch (to the point of failure).

On the other hand, if you are an 'if it aint broke don't fix it' type of person, a manual wind watch of otherwise identical construction to an automatic watch would require servicing sooner.

[tamiya]

Originally Posted by jlovda

Do the gaskets wear faster?

Originally Posted by MikeyV

I've wondered this also..similarly, does the crown and tube need replacement due to wear on threads, etc from unscrewing it every day.

Yes, yes and yes.

Everything eventually wears out the more you work it.

Crown is softer than case tube, so that wears out faster... probably get several new crowns before tube threads start looking tired.



Bit like cars, once upon a time (like decades or half a century ago ) most cars were Manual Transmission (stick shift) and only luxobarges got automatic slush boxes. If you learnt to drive, you learnt to shift - simples.

Most watches then were thin "dress watches" not really suited for being worn doing heavy labour. Movements didn't have Automatic winding as that added thickness and cost. People were ok with winding their watches every morning by routine.

But the badly sealed cases made for unreliable timekeeping. As the need for more accuracy by some professions rose (Railmaster & Seamaster ring a bell? ) a properly sealed case would be required to protect the insides... which is where the Oyster case made its mark.

Many of the early Oyster cased watches were manual... ergo you had to unscrew the crown to wind everyday.

Few years later there were automatic versions if you were rich enough to pay extra, but also the bubble back made it thicker.

Even up until the 1950s, 60s, 70s... you'll find many examples of Oyster Date (not DateJust), Oyster Prince etc which as only manual no rotor.



If you're wearing a manual Oyster daily... they'd usually last 36-45hrs on a full wind... so I'd reduce crown wear by only winding it every 2nd day. Leave crown unsealed over weekend when I wasn't wearing it.

Biggest pro with a manual is you know it's fully wound because you just wound it yourself. There's always uncertainty whenever strapping on anything Auto... does it have enough charge to keep ticking thru a sluggish desk bound day. No way to check!

[douglasf13]

Originally Posted by jlovda

Do the gaskets wear faster?

Yeah, this is partly why swimming with a Moonwatch is risky. When new, it’s fine to swim with it, but having to manually wind it everyday or two means the gaskets are likely going to break down sooner than an auto.

[MR.SEBS]

In short the crown and tube will need to be replaced (assuming its a screw down type) because of the more frequent opening and closing. The gaskets dont get much wear and tare and get replaced with service.