What time is it? Watches and horology

don't need them, unless you have automatic watches. imo

I think winders are needed especially if the watch has month, day, date or other complications which can take ages to set manually.

You can spend a fortune on them but since I don't have a premium model I can't say if they're really worth the money.

But remember that some automatics have rotors which only wind in one direction so you'd need to set the winder accordingly.

Other autos are bi-directional, which means you may require more than one winder, or a more expensive model.

The Tutelary brand which Hippy mentioned is affordable and fine for many.

Just make sure that whichever you choose offers programmable clockwise and anti-clockwise motions, with periods of rest.

Overwinding can be as harmful as not winding, or winding in the wrong direction.

Thanks dwez!

All the watches in that cabinet are showing different times. Is it broken?

What the fuck... watch winders? seriously? some-one should start a thread about shit people don't need.

can you not attach them to a slow moving fan?

What the fuck... watch winders? seriously? some-one should start a thread about shit people don't need.

What the fuck... watch winders? seriously? some-one should start a thread about shit people don't need.

How many watches do you have?

What the fuck... watch winders? seriously? some-one should start a thread about shit people don't need.

So you pay good money for a watch that needs winding, but don't wind it because the winding machine is stupid.

Then you need to spend £500 getting the watch serviced when it stops working.

Sense- that makes none.

If time = money, you'd have to either have a very well paid job, or a hell of a lot of watches, to justify buying one for yourself. It takes, what, 15 seconds to wind a watch? Or do they do something that I'm missing?

Anyway.

Anyone like the Mondaine railway watches?

I think they're a little overpriced, but I like them nonetheless.

If time = money, you'd have to either have a very well paid job, or a hell of a lot of watches, to justify buying one for yourself. It takes, what, 15 seconds to wind a watch? Or do they do something that I'm missing?

If you have a few watches though, do you really want to wave them about to get them started and then set the date/time every couple of days?

£18 for a winder doesn't seem over the top at all.
http://www.watch-winder.co.uk/Time-Tutelary-KA001.htm

http://www.chronocentric.com/watches/winders.shtml#need

Oh. I thought they were much more expensive.

they are if you buy the higher end ones made with wood etc.

Mine was £29 off ebay. It's just black plastic but it means I can wear a watch on the bike, leave one at office and have one ready in the winder (two if I bother to swap them). So they're basically good to go rather than pissing about setting them again.

Dammit did you sell the Oris yet? I am very interested if Aooorgha didnt take it.

Any one got any recommendations for watch servicing in west london, two inexpensive watches in need of a going over

So you pay good money for a watch that needs winding, but don't wind it because the winding machine is stupid.

Then you need to spend £500 getting the watch serviced when it stops working.

Sense- that makes none.

absolute bollox (sorry dammit) but you can keep a auto in a drawer/cupboard for twenty years, give it a shake and it should still keep time.

Try setting a perpetual calendar timepiece quickly after not winding it for months.

^ nightmare...

....that would be a grand complication [/olly shickster]

absolute bollox (sorry dammit) but you can keep a auto in a drawer/cupboard for twenty years, give it a shake and it should still keep time.

OK, genuine opinions please gents. Because I would have thought that this ^ was closer to the truth. All that stuff about 'delicate lubricants inside an automatic congealing with time' is a bit pony surely? Helps to sell watch-winders, non?

I currently have 8 automatics (this is my entire collection, I only have automatics) and no winder. Most of them I wear at some point, none with heavily complex movements like perpetual calendar. 3 of them I hardly ever wear (like 2 or 3 times a year) but have never thought it inconvenient to set the new date/time on one that I want to wear that's stopped, it takes seconds.

Does anyone have any actual proof of automatics suffering from not being kept in a winder when not in use? I've also heard that winders can wear automatics artificially as the movement is so precisely repetitive and unlike the natural movement of being worn on a wrist...

http://www.chronocentric.com/watches/winders.shtml#need

^ Ah, thanks for that hip, have read the rest of that link and come to the conclusion I probably just have too many automatics. Oh well, the collection has stopped anyway as I realised it was getting borderline silly.

I just got given my Grandfather's watch for my 21st birthday. Not sure it's been worn since he died in 1990. It appears to be an Omega Seamaster, I'm not sure what metal it is or even how old it is. But it's pretty and it keeps time when I wear it so I'm pretty happy about it.

My main question was whether or not to get it insured? When I opened it, it was suggested that I do get it insured, but I've no idea what the real value is.

Link to front of watch: http://ompldr.org/vOG9kdQ
Link to back of watch: http://ompldr.org/vOG9keg

(Ignore the wrist band, planning to put some leather straps on)

is there anything written or printed on the inside of the yellow metal case?

is there anything written or printed on the inside of the yellow metal case?

Not tried opening (not even sure how!), will take a closer look at it this evening. What should I look out for?

You need a case knife to open it - using anything but the proper tool is a bad idea as it can scratch or damage the edges of the case. Although I've heard that a razor blade works... I wouldn't try it on a decent watch though.