Are you active enough for a self-winding watch

cadfael_tex · Post by **cadfael_tex** » Wed Aug 18, 2010 3:42 pm

In searching for something else on the forum, I found a few threads on watches. This made me think of a frustration I had recently - it's a watch question.

I generally wear one of those Citizen eco-drive watches for everyday. I wanted something a little dressier for a recent trip to Chicago so I dug a watch I inherited from my dad. It is a Seiko auto-winding mechanical. It looks nice but has one major flaw - it won't make it through a day without stopping. I'm not particularly inert but I don't move enough to keep the fool thing wound up. My dad had the same problem.

Anybody else have this problem? (BTW I know their are winding machines for these things but that just seems too much for me).

I also have an old Omega Seamaster I inherited from him but I don't where it unless I'm sure I won't put it at risk of any damage.

Post by **drmoss_ca** » Wed Aug 18, 2010 4:02 pm

Every self-winder I have had has also allowed me to wind it manually. If all else fails you could wind your watch before climbing into bed as generations have before you. My current self-winding watch has given no trouble over the last 19 years, except when I was constructing a tree-house and accidentally hit it with a 7lb mallet. The new crystal cost 12 times more than the lumber for the tree house!

Chris

marsos52 · Post by **marsos52** » Wed Aug 18, 2010 4:48 pm

many of the seiko's and new type watches that are auto winders do not have the ability of manuel winding..

i have two seiko monsters that are auto winding and i move enough to get it fully wound... just a swing or two does start the movement into motion

one idea that many use for auto winding watch movements is a 'watch winder'.. you put the watch in the watch winder when you are not wearing the watch.. and the winder keeps your watch fully wound...watch winders vary in price and start in 60 dollar area and go up from there..

they run on batteries or wall adaptors.. and give motion to the watch every few hours to keep it wound.. hence your watch is ready when you are.. most auto winding watches have a power reserve of a couple days with no motion..

also, since your watch hasn't been worn in a long time...it's probably ready for a jewler to clean and lube the watch and that may just be the problem ...is mechanical.. they should get serviced every 4 or 5 years

and if you dont want the seamaster let me know...i so want one

marc

KAV · Post by **KAV** » Wed Aug 18, 2010 5:15 pm

I strap my vintage bulova auto to Piewacket for 15 minutres every morning.

Julius_Rodman · Post by **Julius_Rodman** » Wed Aug 18, 2010 5:37 pm

marsos52 wrote:many of the seiko's and new type watches that are auto winders do not have the ability of manuel winding..

i have two seiko monsters that are auto winding and i move enough to get it fully wound... just a swing or two does start the movement into motion

one idea that many use for auto winding watch movements is a 'watch winder'.. you put the watch in the watch winder when you are not wearing the watch.. and the winder keeps your watch fully wound...watch winders vary in price and start in 60 dollar area and go up from there..

they run on batteries or wall adaptors.. and give motion to the watch every few hours to keep it wound.. hence your watch is ready when you are.. most auto winding watches have a power reserve of a couple days with no motion..

also, since your watch hasn't been worn in a long time...it's probably ready for a jewler to clean and lube the watch and that may just be the problem ...is mechanical.. they should get serviced every 4 or 5 years

and if you dont want the seamaster let me know...i so want one

marc

I fell to the floor after reading Seiko and Omega in the same post.

I'll be alright...

----------------------------

Kent

druphus · Post by **druphus** » Wed Aug 18, 2010 5:56 pm

I love the citizen eco-drives and have not purchased anything but for the last 10 years or so. They have decent looking "dress watches". Here is the link to my latest purchase:

http://www.nywatchstore.com/bl604450e.html

cadfael_tex · Post by **cadfael_tex** » Wed Aug 18, 2010 9:03 pm

Nope, like the seamaster and wear it. Just don't wear it often because of the sentimental meaning to me and not wanting to damage it.

notthesharpest · Post by **notthesharpest** » Thu Aug 19, 2010 12:02 am

I am not particularly active, probably average or below average. I have a newer Seiko automatic and have absolutely no problem with the watch stopping (provided I wear it, of course). I think Seiko may have significantly improved their design at some point in the relatively recent past.

If I don't wear the watch in a twenty-four-hour period, with any luck it's usually still running the next morning; if I leave it for two full days I can expect it to stop.

(My watch is not manually windable.)

aircraft_electrician · Thu Aug 19, 2010 3:37 am

I have a Montblanc Star automatic that has no provision to wind it manually, but if I wear it for more than 4 or 5 hours it will still be running well into the next day.

I think the old Seiko probably needs cleaned and will most likely work as advertised afterwards.

Tom

Edited to correct the name...not a Starwalker, just a Star.

jww · Post by **jww** » Thu Aug 19, 2010 4:38 am

Why not invest in a watch winder? It wouldn't matter how active or not you are then.

cadfael_tex · Post by **cadfael_tex** » Thu Aug 19, 2010 9:20 am

@JWW, because the truth is that I don't care for the watch that much. It looks nice but it's not that comfortable. The most comfortable watch I have is probably the Omega with the Citizen being the close second. It's funny the Omega fits so comfortably because it has a metal band and I usually prefer leather. The Citizen actually has a canvas band and both watch and band have help up well to the Soldier's environment.

I have a Casio g-shock that I took to Iraq last time - big clunky uncomfotable and still running even though relatively still clumped up with Iragi sand.

When this Citizen dies I'll have to see what I can find - another one of those or I've been thinking about getting something older.

To hijack my own thread - I really would love to find a decent keywound alarm clock without the fire-station wake-up the whole neighborhood bell from hades.

Blue As A Jewel · Post by **Blue As A Jewel** » Thu Aug 19, 2010 9:27 am

jww wrote:Why not invest in a watch winder? It wouldn't matter how active or not you are then.

Do these work? I have an automatic winder, which loses a couple of minutes a week, and I wear the watch all day/night - just removing it to shower...

Janus · Post by **Janus** » Thu Aug 19, 2010 10:10 am

My 15-year-old Eterna-matic has not given me any problems. I don't know about these eco-drive, kinetic et al types. More accurate than traditional mechanical movement watches for sure but maybe not as reliable.

KAV · Post by **KAV** » Thu Aug 19, 2010 10:37 am

I am going to paraphrase an old post I made on another forum. If people wear watches at all; It is some 5 lb cadillac hubcap, multi function chronograph with a date window, lunar phase, international time ( In Cracou the time is 7: 34 and 2 seconds GMT) an alarm and tritium illumination all run with some super accurate electronic, battery powered computer chip nano unit.
They wear this bling bling wristwatch ( often with a faux waistchain) out of synch with every other timepiece not set by YAHOO or the NAVY atomic clock in San Diego.
And what do they do with it? insult mechanical watch lovers with less inherent accuracy while standing in lines for beer or to see a movie; never appreciating men with those timepieces explored and largely reinvented the world they muck about in finding false heroics in activities forgotten within a year.
A gentleman's watch deserves a morning ritual of mechanical rewinding or at least a shake of the wrist while prepping the badger brush's water volume. We have the whole day left to fill with manly man adventures.

Blue As A Jewel · Post by **Blue As A Jewel** » Thu Aug 19, 2010 10:46 am

KAV wrote:I am going to paraphrase an old post I made on another forum. If people wear watches at all; It is some cadillac hubcap, multi function chronograph with a date window, lunar phase, 5 lb international time ( In Cracou the time is 7: 34 and 2 seconds GMT) an alarm and tritium illumination all run with some super accurate electronic, battery powered computer chip nano unit.
They wear this bling bling wristwatch ( often with a faux waistchain) out of synch with every other timepiece not set by YAHOO or the NAVY atomic clock in San Diego.
And what do they do with it? insult mechanical watch lovers with less inherent accuracy while standing in lines for beer or to see a movie; never appreciating men with those timepieces explored and largely reinvented the world they muck about in finding false heroics in activities forgotten within a year.
A gentleman's watch deserves a morning ritual of mechanical rewinding or at least a shake of the wrist while prepping the badger brush's water volume. We have the whole day left to fill with manly man adventures.

Yes, but my watch is waterproof to 5000ft... although if I'm at that depth, I'm in all liklihood dead...

KAV · Post by **KAV** » Thu Aug 19, 2010 10:54 am

Yeah, I was in the old full dress, crackerjack uniform in San Francisco on SP duty getting my gifted soviet chronometer cleaned at this very elegant jewelry store near the infamous Oil Can Harry's.
The young gay clerk handed it to me from the elderly belgian watchmaker's hands with the warning " try not to get it wet."

Watchmaker was visibly trying not to throw something at him

scruffy · Post by **scruffy** » Thu Aug 19, 2010 11:38 am

Does any watch maker sell self-winding watches anymore?

Changing batteries is such a pain.

Dale · Post by **Dale** » Thu Aug 19, 2010 11:57 am

scruffy wrote:Does any watch maker sell self-winding watches anymore?

Changing batteries is such a pain.

Rolex.

DEF · Post by **DEF** » Thu Aug 19, 2010 12:47 pm

I'm not familiar with self winders, but I have to say one of my better recent purchases was a case back wrench. Low end, but it does the job.

notthesharpest · Post by **notthesharpest** » Thu Aug 19, 2010 12:53 pm

scruffy wrote:Does any watch maker sell self-winding watches anymore?

Changing batteries is such a pain.

Isn't that what we were just discussing, or is self-winding different from automatic winding?

You can get a good & reliable (but not glamorous) automatic-wind "Seiko 5" for less than a hundred dollars. Or you can get a Rolex that costs more than my car.

Or just about anything in between.