The Breitling Watch Source Forums

Hi guys i have a chronomat evolution. I wanted to find out is it okay to wind your watch by hand or should i use a watchwinder. I just wanna make sure that the crown wont get damaged overtime.

The crown will likely be fine, but it is convievable - depending on how "vigorously" you wind - that daily winding could cause wear on the crown STEM over time. But this isn't more true than a manual wind watch. My watches on on winders, but I still give them a good wind every couple weeks.

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SHARKMAN

It's worth remembering that watch winders aren't generally designed to wind a watch from a position of zero power reserve : they are designed to maintain the power reserve of an already wound watch.

It sounds obviously, but the best way to keep an automatic watch like a Chronomat wound is simply to wear it during the day. That way, you can take it off over night and just leave on your nightstand/bedside table and it will keep on going pretty much indefinitely.

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Driver8

Site Moderator

Quick question on this:

My understanding is that wearing a watch or using a winder just keeps it wound. It doesn't wind it up. If wearing the watch just keeps it wound wouldn't it run out of power reserve eventually? Say, you wind it 40 times, wear it all day then leave it on the nightstand for 8 hours. Wearing it the next day won't make up for the loss of that 8 hour reserve, correct? After several nights there shouldn't be any reserve power left?

Theoretically, yes. When you wind it around 40 times your watch is near maximum power reserve. Wearing it the next day will just maintain the wind. Then again, that also depends on the activity you're having when your watch is having wrist time.

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- This is Ghost Rider requesting a fly-by. - Negative Ghost Rider. The pattern is full.

Provided you are reasonably active (i.e. not confined to bed or anything), then just wearing a watch is more than enough to top up the power reserve to keep it running pretty much indefinitely, even if you take it off for 8 hours or so overnight. Provided you are able to move "normally", then an auto in a decent state of repair will keep on going just fine without the need for any manual winding.

Most watch winders that don't have a function to change the TPD (turns per day) setting will only usually maintain a watch's power reserve to a greater or lesser extent. If the TPD of the winder is less than the required amount for the watch (different movements require a different number of TPD) then over time the watch will eventually run out of power. This may take a matter of days, weeks or months. If however the TPD is the same or more than the watch requires then the watch should keep going indefinitely. However, being constantly and permanently wound is not overly good for the mainspring, which is where rest periods come in. It's also worth letting it unwind a little from time to time.

Basically IMO a watch winder should be used to extend the period a watch can be left unworn without it running out of power.

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Driver8

Site Moderator

I am pretty new to all this so somebody will correct me if I am wrong, but this is my understanding based on discussion with my Breitling AD. The auto part of the watch and the main spring are different "things". Winding the stem of the watch put tension in the main spring that in turn powers the watch. The automatic part is a weight or pedulum sort of thing that as you wear it around gets moved and in turn winds a spring that powers the watch. I got the distinct feeling that there were two different spings...but kind of find that had to believe. Might not have that 100% correct but you get the idea.

At any rate the AD told me that every 2-3 weeks I should pop open the crown and give it 40 or so winds with my thumb/finger. He said it has a clutch so you can't over wind it. He also said that you should NOT rely solely on the automatic movement. He said it was better for the watch and for the accuracy to wind it yourself from time to time.

Again, I am pretty new to all this so do some digging on your own.

There's only one type of spring that powers the watch, irrespective of whether you manually wind it or allow it to be wound by the rotor - and that's the mainspring. There is a second spring in a mechanical watch movement called the hairspring (or balance spring), but that is part of the escapement and doesn't provide the motive force for the watch. The mainspring is the driver, and it is that that is wound by both manually winding it via the crown and stem, and also by means of the rotor.

I've personally never heard of any great need to manually wind an auto periodically like your AD suggests, and it's safe to say it's not something I've ever felt the need to do myself. However having said that, I tend to give each watch a quick wind when I'm changing the date at month-ends, so I guess in that respect I do it anyway. But again, I'm not sure it's in any way vital to do this regularly. I'm sure "Onewatchnut" will chime in on this at some point.

One thing your AD is definitely correct about is that you cannot overwind an automatic watch as they do indeed have a clutch mechanism to protect against that.

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Driver8

Site Moderator

Most modern watches need 650 - 800 full rotations of the rotor to provide 24 hourse of reserve in the mainspring. That's really not much if you are wearing the watch. Just think about the most basic activity like walking - your arm moves and the rotor will be swinging quite happily.

Even typing this on a laptop is causing some movement of the rotor as I move my fingers and hand. If you assume even just 14 hours on / 10 hours off then it should be plenty to maintain a full reserve.