How do you correctly wind a manual watch?

[buffett23]

So first off, I am not an idiot (hopefully), but I am a super noob when it comes to manual wind watches. Hence this is a super noob question. My question is how do you correctly wind a manually watch? I know you pull the crown out to the correct position and wind, but what i really want to know is how do you tell which direction to wind it? Is there a correct direction or do both directions work? Does the direction differ between watches? If so, how do you tell which direction is correct for a specific watch? Can you ruin a watch if you wind it the wrong direction? How do you know when you have wound it enough? Can you over wind the watch and ruin it? I know most reps (all?) don't come with Owner's Manuals, so I can't just RTFM and I don't really want to ruin a new $500 watch. Please help. Thanks in advance!!!

 

[gindiesel]

On my gen Datejust, I unscrew the crown, pull to the first notch, then wind counter clockwise. You should be able to find the gen owners manual instructions online that will match your rep.

 

[buffett23]

Thanks for the reply! I figured since the movements are completely different from gen to rep that they may not wind the same so I didn't even think about looking for the gen owner's manual. Is it common for the reps and gens to be wound the same?

 

[scottiedog]

Firstly, hello and :welcome:


Secondly, I dont think its a stupid question at all, in fact maybe that is because I dont actually know the answers myself (not for all watches anyway).


So, I cant say for all watches, but an ETA 2824 winds clockwise...

So in answer to one of your questions, they certainly do wind in different directions as gindiesel mentions counter clockwise on his gen Rolex!

On my gen Datejust, I unscrew the crown, pull to the first notch, then wind counter clockwise. You should be able to find the gen owners manual instructions online that will match your rep.

Except the rep may not have a clone movement of the gen. Based on what you said above a Rolex rep with an ETA in will wind the opposite way from gen.

 

[scottiedog]

buffett23
​​​​​​​What watch are you actually referring to and what movement does it have?

 

[PlastikMan]

Clockwise, give it 20 turns and you’re powered up.

 

[buffett23]

scottiedog Thanks for the welcome. The plan is to get either a PP Calatrava 5227 or 5296, both of which use the Miyota 9015 I think. Though I have not purchased yet.

However, I ran into this question with a few shitters from DH Gate and just wanted to get as much info as I could prior to spending 5-20x more money on a rep. For my Gate watches, I have wound them both directions. It didn't seem to hurt the watch but perhaps I just haven't noticed yet. One direction definitely works, where the other does not. My fear is that winding the wrong direction to "figure out the correct direction" might mess up the movement or something. My instinct tells me that experience watch owners might have a trick to tell very quickly if they are winding the correct way or not...

 

[p0pperini]

Clockwise, give it 20 turns and you’re powered up.

Not necessarily - correct direction of wind depends on the movement.

With the crown in the winding position, you can try it in both directions - and the correct direction is the one that results in the sound of a watch being wound (hold it close to your ear to confirm). You won't wreck the watch by briefly winding it the wrong way. If the watch is an automatic, you can't over-wind it - but around 20-30 winds is enough to wind it fully.

There are those that counsel against hand winding an automatic watch, and say you should instead just give it a shake to get the rotor working and then let normal wear and the rotor keep the watch wound. But it's not a philosophy I follow, mainly because I tend to sit at a desk for 90% of my life...

 

[McDuck888]

I hadn’t ever known some people might just give their watch a shake to get the rotor shakalakin’. I’ll be giving that a try

 

[buffett23]

Excellent tips p0pperini! That is what I was looking for. I feel pretty confident now that:

• Winding direction depends on movement
• 20ish winds is a good amount
• You can "hear" the correct wind direction
• Small turns in the wrong direction shouldn't damage the movement

Also, all I can think about now is strapping watches to small children and playing "Baby Shark" (or whatever kids these days are listening to) to wind my watches... :woohoo:

 

[scottiedog]

Mine starts ticking after only a turn or so... so you know pretty quickly if you are going the right way, in my case anyway (ETA 2824 clone).

I can also feel "slight resistance" in the wind when going the right way but maybe thats because its a clone and/or not serviced.

I've read a lot about "buttery wind" but even then, is there always some resistance when winding the right direction?

 

[scottiedog]

both of which use the Miyota 9015 I think

Then just give it a shake to start and you dont have to worry about winding it the wrong way

FWIW - when I get a new watch (or when im selling one) I first check it starts with a shake, and then when PR has gone I check it again by manual winding, just to be sure both are working correctly. Probably the only time I ever wind manually.

I hadn’t ever known some people might just give their watch a shake to get the rotor shakalakin’. I’ll be giving that a try

I always shake to start... but I wear my watch constantly so it hardly ever have to.

I dunno why, I just enjoy starting it with a shake more than winding. LOL.

 

[buffett23]

FWIW - when I get a new watch (or when im selling one) I first check it starts with a shake, and then when PR has gone I check it again by manual winding, just to be sure both are working correctly. Probably the only time I ever wind manually.

Good tip! Always best to check everything out and being a noob, that is something I might have forgotten.