# Watch winder vs in the box?



## NJG (Jan 3, 2016)

Hi there,

I recently bought a couple of lovely automatic watches, a Tag Heuer Carrera as a dress watch and a Tissot Le Locle as an everyday watch. I have the tag in the box and wear it at weekends which means it needs winding up each time I wear it. 

I've asked a few people/retailers about whether it's better to keep an automatic watch in a winder to increase longevity between servies vs keeping it in the box and the feedback I'm getting suggests it doesn't really matter.

Surely there is a difference when it comes to maintainance between leaving an automatic watch in a box or on a watch winder. Does anyone have any info/thoughts on this?


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## MrWatchologist (Jan 28, 2017)

Personally, I like to just leave my watches alone. Since I randomly rotate daily with about 8 automatics and 3 quartz/digital, cost plays a huge factor with winders not being cheap. I would rather save that money towards a new timepiece. Now concerning the longevity of a watch, I believe continuously keeping it running will only increase the wear and tear on the teeth and gears exposed to air inside the case.

People like to use car analogies such as how an engine experiences the most strain when it is being started, therefore watches should be kept continuous to bypass that startup. I really think these two shouldn't be compared at all for the obvious reasons! Watches don't experience that same amount of stress as engines do. As long as your watch isn't some cheap movement with tin foil gears, I'm sure they'll properly handle the force required to start. Now if they're always running, I can see factors like constant friction and corrosion against the air being a problem.

Some would argue keeping a watch on a winder prevents the lubrication from settling. Maybe a few decades ago this was true, however the prevalence of high quality synthetic oils in modern watches should decrease that time of settling. These synthetic oil nowadays isn't going to magically evaporate or harden just because it was left to sit for a few weeks. Look at watches waiting to be sold. I don't see them continuously winded.

Convenience is really the only reason one should buy a winder. It can be a pain having to wait for the watch to the start by the rotors alone. If you're impatient like me sometimes, you can always hand wind it, but that's a different story when it comes to the longevity of the stem/crown and certain movements. Now, if you have some really complicated watch such as a perpetual calendar or even a moonphase, I would definitely buy a winder for it.

I might have missed some other arguments for pro-winder in regards to a watch's health. Also, I'm not an expert. This is just my own belief I've formulated after reading multiple threads over this subject with my sparse knowledge of physics. If only there were actual research articles and data over this to prove which is actually better


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## drawman623 (May 30, 2015)

The builder of the watches I collect suggests storage in the box rather than a winder. I decided to keep the watches I wear in rotation on winders and have experienced no issues with that approach. I have an Orbita rotorwind and 2 Wolf winders. The winders are attractive and I enjoy seeing my watches on display. Beyond that, I have not seen much value for winder over the box though. If I were wearing something with great complication, setting day, date, moon phase or whatever, it might have me looking at the question differently.


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## THE_BARCODE_GUY (Nov 15, 2016)

I've considered a winder because I like to wear something different nearly every day but they're so large it hardly seems worth it. For the ~5 minutes it takes to set the date and time I'll stick with my regular box


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## danicycle (Dec 20, 2016)

I'm tempted on the winder as well... once my collection gets to 3 or 4 watches


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## tar6 (Jun 20, 2016)

Winders seem to make a lot of sense but i don't think i can wind all 10 of my watches at same time.


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## RT13 (Jan 26, 2016)

I had a 4 watch winder a few months ago and I sold it.
Now I keep my watches in watch boxes.

The watch dealer who also services watches whom I bought a Reverso from told me that the only advantage of keeping watches winded is so you don't need to wind and set the time/date/any other complications if you don't wear them everyday.

You'd probably need a watch winder if your watch has complications like perpetual date or moonphase since they can be a pain in the ass to set.

He also told me that keeping watches in winders means that you will probably need to follow the manufacturer's recommended servicing intervals due to higher rate of wear and tear.


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## Mayhem421 (Mar 16, 2014)

Thanks for the all information! Great to get different people's perspective. 

Now, does anyone's answer change if we're talking about timeframes of a couple years vs a couple weeks? I bought a few nice pieces to hand down to my children as they get older and I've considered putting them back in the boxes and storing them for a few years. Will storing a watch for a few years at a time reduce longevity or functionality? I see vintage pieces still running like new, but I'm not sure how much service they've received or any new parts.

Thanks!


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## SlowhandBuzz (Jun 15, 2017)

Mayhem421 said:


> Thanks for the all information! Great to get different people's perspective.
> 
> Now, does anyone's answer change if we're talking about timeframes of a couple years vs a couple weeks? I bought a few nice pieces to hand down to my children as they get older and I've considered putting them back in the boxes and storing them for a few years. Will storing a watch for a few years at a time reduce longevity or functionality? I see vintage pieces still running like new, but I'm not sure how much service they've received or any new parts.
> 
> Thanks!


I've always heard that you should pull them out and let them run a little bit every so often, you don't want to let it sit idle for too long, or it is possible for the lubricants and seals to dry out and the watch to seize up.


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## timeguy123 (Jan 5, 2016)

My two cent: real collectors don't have a watch winder.


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## Gepetto82 (Dec 21, 2016)

I have a winder for the three watches in my main rotation. Part of the reason is they all have a screw down crown and, I think, constantly unscrewing and pulling and setting time will eventually cause wear to that (and to the gaskets that seal the watch) over time. The ones I wear only once or twice every few months I leave alone, maybe winding them up and letting them run every two or three weeks.

But since automatic watches were made to be, well, automatic and always running with daily use, I dont think there's any appreciable wear and tear on them by leaving the ones you wear often on a winder.


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## mrcopps (Feb 27, 2017)

Lots of opinions on this but it seems there is very little hard evidence that one way is better than another. I have tons of auto's that I set each time I wear, and 1 that has 3 separate mechanical movements all with a date window, no quick set on 2 of them; he stays on a winder!!


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## bigclive2011 (Mar 17, 2013)

Over the past 40 years 99% of the problems I have encountered with my watches have involved the crown stem.

Therefore my theory is that my watches on winders will not involve me constantly undoing and adjusting this most troublesome part of the mechanism.

My winders are all adjustable for number of rotations per day and I will set them at the minimum required to keep the watch running.

The wind or not to wind debate continues.......


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## vesterm (Aug 10, 2017)

I keep most of my watches in in 20-watch storage boxes. I put the ones with lume on top so they get light exposure through the glass top. Hand wind and quartz with no lume go on the bottom. I've got two of these boxes. The other 10 or so watches stay in watch boxes in the drawer. I recently bought a used 4 watch winder. I load it with the 4 autos that I have next in the rotation and then set the date and time when convenient prior to wearing. I've never tried a winder before but the price was right, and some of my watches I absolutely hate having to crank around to the correct date, so it might prove useful for that. Still working on a preferred system. Isn't it funny how we can find ways to create busywork for ourselves?


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## Perseverence (Dec 12, 2016)

The watch winder debate in the watch community is like the K&N filter in the automotive community: passionate, logical, well thought out and seemingly "backed by science / data / some expert" views on both sides.

I don't really understand the "a winder will wear them out" mentality. This is what the watches are made for. They aren't car engines. If you're THAT worried about them, just don't wear them at all.

If you don't leave them on the winder, then you're constantly pulling out the stem to reset the complications - THAT I can believe may cause some wear and tear, though again, that's what they're there for.


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## triumphrox (Nov 22, 2014)

timeguy123 said:


> My two cent: real collectors don't have a watch winder.


Got proof to back that up?


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