How do Wind Up Watches Work?

On self-winding (automatic) watches, a rotor is attached to the watches movement so that when you move your wrist, the rotor spins and winds the watch back up again by tightening the mainspring. A hand-wound watch has no rotor and therefore needs to be wound by hand in order for it to work.

1. How long do wind up watches last?
2. Are wind up watches accurate?
3. What happens if you overwind a watch?
4. Can you Overwind a vintage watch?
5. Can you Overwind an automatic watch?
6. What happens if you don't service an automatic watch?
7. Why are mechanical watches so inaccurate?
8. Why do automatic watches run fast?
9. What does regulating a watch mean?
10. How do you tell if an automatic watch is fully wound?
11. Can a Rolex be overwound?
12. Can you fix an overwound watch?
13. Can all automatic watches be manually wound?
14. How many times should I wind a vintage watch?

How long do wind up watches last?

For an average automatic watch, you're looking at between 40-50 hours of life. There are some that last longer, but this is typical. And for most people, that's plenty of time. If this is a watch that you are going to wear every day, you only need about 30 hours of wound up energy.

Are wind up watches accurate?

Mechanical watches are, in a word, outdated. They're less accurate than a battery-powered quartz watch. The best mechanical watches are within a few seconds of accuracy, but still may lose 5-10 seconds a day. Quartz watches, on the other hand, are perfect by design, and may only lose about 4 seconds a month.

What happens if you overwind a watch?

Can you overwind a watch? You can't over-wind modern automatic watches. The winding mechanism will simply decouple from the mainspring when it is fully wound, winding into infinity. This is when you should stop winding your watch.

Can you Overwind a vintage watch?

Don't Overwind

Vintage watches produced before 1969 are all mechanical watches, since quartz watches weren't invented until that year. If you do have a mechanical watch, no matter when it was made, it will probably need to be wound regularly.

Can you Overwind an automatic watch?

In most cases, no, you cannot overwind a modern automatic watch. The smart design on these winding mechanisms allow for any excess tension to be released as the spring slips inside of the barrel. Despite that, some wearers choose to store their watches in a watch roll to prevent excess wear on the movement.

What happens if you don't service an automatic watch?

Not using an automatic watch for long periods of time can cause the lubricants to coagulate. This causes inaccuracy or it will bring the watch to a standstill completely. There's no need to wear one watch too often but find a way to rotate your collection evenly.

Why are mechanical watches so inaccurate?

Mechanical watch parts are metal and slightly expand and contract with changes in temperature, and this influences accuracy. Normally, under high temperatures, a watch tends to lose time, and under low temperatures, it tends to gain time.

Why do automatic watches run fast?

If a watch suddenly begins running extremely fast (20+ seconds per day to hours fast per day) it is usually an indication that the hairspring coils are magnetized, causing the coils to stick together. ... Magnetism can also cause a watch to stop or run slow; however, generally the watch will run fast.

What does regulating a watch mean?

Watch regulation is the process of adjusting the tension on the hairspring, which speeds up or slows down the reciprocating rotation of the balance wheel (like speeding up or slowing down the pendulum on a grandfather clock or a metronome).

How do you tell if an automatic watch is fully wound?

Most watches will reach maximum power by winding the crown 30 to 40 times but this can vary. The minute you feel resistance, the watch is fully wound. If your watch is new and you're feeling unsure, aim to wind the crown 30 times to start with and work your way up from there.

Can a Rolex be overwound?

You cannot overwind a modern Rolex watch when manually winding it. Today, Rolex designs its watches so that you cannot overwind them no matter how much you wind. The winder simply disengages once it reaches max wind.

Can you fix an overwound watch?

You can't actually stop a watch by “over winding” it, although if you keep trying to turn the crown when the watch is fully wound this can cause the balance to swing too far and might cause damage. ... All mechanical watches need a service every few years to clean out old gummed up oil and replace it with fresh.

Can all automatic watches be manually wound?

Do automatic watches need to be manually wound? Yes, they do. ... Once the mainspring has been fully wound, and the watch is worn on an active wrist, the rotor will do its job by continuously winding the mainspring thereby topping off the watch's power reserve.

How many times should I wind a vintage watch?

Try to wind your watch once a day. A watch typically keeps best time when the mainspring is above half tension. The typical watch has about a two-day power reserve so winding it up before you strap it on each morning is a good habit to form.