A watchmaker on watch winders: "Don't use autowinders. They grind your watch to dust."
A watchmaker warns against using automatic watch winders, claiming they cause excessive wear that can "grind your watch to dust."
Background
- A watch winder is a motorized box that rotates an automatic (self-winding) mechanical watch to keep it wound when not being worn. Many collectors use them so they don't have to reset the time and date after the watch stops.
- "Automatic" watches wind themselves via a spinning rotor as you move your wrist; when left still for a day or two, they run down and stop.
- The tweet quotes a watchmaker—a professional who repairs watches—warning that the constant, unnatural rotation of a winder accelerates wear on the movement's delicate gears and bearings, literally grinding metal dust off parts.
- The implication: letting a watch stop and restarting it later is far less damaging than keeping it running 24/7 on a winder. The advice is controversial among collectors; some agree, others say modern winders are safe if used sparingly.