Having watch-related dilemmas? I’m sure a quick internet search would render you with all kinds of watch winder ( watchboxco.com/Watch-Winder ) solutions, about how it helps maintain high-end watches when they’re not being used. But there is little truth to this.
The principle behind it is that watches tend to stop functioning when they’re not worn often. A moving weight inside the watch would enable them to wind themselves, help to keep them running. When watches are worn, the weight rotates on its own: this takes care of the winding mechanism. However, when a watch isn’t worn, what then? This is where a watch winder comes into play for most people, but how much of that is true?
Watch Winder: Does It Truly “Save The Day”?
A watch winder is essentially a tabletop box that rotates the automatic winding watch to keep the mainspring wound. This is to ensure the watch is maintained by keeping it up and running. But the real question you should be asking yourself is: is it worth it? Keep in mind that watch winders are very overpriced, are gaudy in appearance and if you really think about it, certainly unnecessary! People who are into watch collecting may deem it as a necessary device, but at best, a watch winder offers minimal convenience.
Watch Winders May Cause More Harm Than Good
People claim watch winders are used as maintenance precautions in most cases when the watch is not actually on your wrist. The principle is that the lubricants inside your watch dry up or become coagulate when the watch is not in motion or left dormant. These lubricants are essential to reduce friction between the moving parts of the watch. So, essentially, to ensure that the lubricants don’t dry up, you need to keep the watch in motion, and therefore need to watch winders.
BUT!
The truth is that many factors affect the drying up of lubricants: external factors such as age and temperature. Additionally, long gone are the days when the watch oils would coagulate; this was when watches were made of animal-based counterparts, but that is hardly the case with today’s modern synthetic watch oils. Keep up with the regular service intervals and you should be fine, whether you’re watching is in your dresser or spinning on a watch winder.
Watch Winder: Understanding The Real Damage
Additionally, the cause for concern is justified: let’s understand this with an example. Let’s say your watch is about 4-5 years old and needs servicing, but instead, you put it on a watch winder. The gears and pivots of your watch are being wound and this leads to wear and tear. If you forget about the watch for a few months, this could be the cause for your watch eventually dying out. This would not be the case if you would’ve just let it be on your dressing table.
The Convenient Factor in Watch Winders: Bogus!
Most watch winder ( https://www.watchboxco.com/blogs/news ) owners boast that watch winders are all about convenience. Sure, they will automatically reset your watch and present it in wearable condition at any given point of time, but how long does it take to wind your own watch? All of one minute. Is spending hundreds of dollars really worth it? Besides, shouldn’t watch enthusiasts be happy spending more time admiring and adjusting their watches?
Convenience and maintenance are excuses used to glorify the image of a watch winder as important, but it is definitely unnecessary.