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Introduction

Ever looked at an expensive watch and wondered, “If I leave it on an automatic watch winder all day, will I ruin it?” I did. I worried about my Omega for months: how often should I use a watch winder?

Friends gave me different advice: “Wind it daily,” “Only weekly,” or “Don’t use one at all.” It was like pure information overload.

After much research and trial, I’m here to share what determines how often to use the watch winder—and why this matters more than you might expect.

I’ll also share what worked for me, including real settings I use and give a simple cheat sheet you can follow.  If you want quick peace of mind and fewer resets, read on. I’ll give you a helping hand, spare you the same mistakes.

Overwinding or Underwinding: What Really Happens?

When discussing frequency, two extremes arise: daily or never. For an automatic watch, that’s putting it in an automatic watch winder every day, or never buying one at all.

This will lead to two different situations: overwinding or underwinding. Which should you avoid in order to keep your automatic watch healthy and working perfectly?

Overwinding Myth: No Need to Worry About That Much

You might worry about damaging your automatic watch by overwinding it, but most modern watches stop winding once full. These movements have safety features to prevent over-tightening the mainspring. 

Many watches use bi-directional winding, meaning they wind in both directions, supporting protective designs. Winding a healthy, well-made watch too hard usually won’t cause damage. 

However, if a watch is faulty or worn, or if a very old or unusual design is used, problems could still happen. You can consult with the manufacturer to find out how healthy your automatic watch is.

Underwinding Concern: The True Troublemaker

If you don’t wind your automatic watch properly and sufficiently, something called underwinding may occur. It’s the true troublemaker bringing damage to even a healthy, fine-working automatic watch.

If a watch stops due to underwinding, it can’t keep time, loses power more quickly, and is prone to errors. You’ll have to reset and wind it frequently, wearing out small parts—especially if the watch is complex.

A good watch winder can protect your automatic watches better than random manual fiddling — especially for watches with complications.

So if you’re still worrying about “are watch winders bad for watches?” The answer is: not if you choose a high-end watch winder and adjust the settings to match your watch.

Finding Your Ideal Winding Frequency

Bad news first: there’s no universal answer to this question. the frequency depends on the number of automatic watches you own, how often you wear them, their power reserve, and brand-specific requirements.

So let’s focus on key factors that affect watch winder’s using frequency now. I’ll quickly cover these to help you find your optimal routine.

Number of Automatic Watches and Wearing Habits

Think about when you actually wear each watch, and how many automatic watches you own. That decides the schedule.

Small Collection (1-2 watches)

If you only own 1-2 watches and always wear them, please continue: your wrist and daily activities are the best watch winder.

With proper time management and ensuring each watch gets sufficient wear time, not having a watch winder is not a big deal for you.

Larger Collection with Alternative Wearing Patterns (3-4 watches)

If you have a large collection of automatic watches and wear them alternately, I recommend using intermittent winding patterns for the automatic watches you don’t wear. 

Keep frequently worn watches on a stand, and those less worn in the winder for 6-12 hours daily, with rest periods between. This mimics wrist movement, maintaining accuracy while minimizing unnecessary motion.

I do this because it keeps the watch running without causing wear and tear and saves me from the trouble of manual rewinding.

Weekend or Special-Occasion Only

If your automatic watch is only worn once or twice a week, or only on special occasions, consider setting it to a low-speed continuous winding mode of around 650 TPD (turns per day) with a watch winder.

This prevents complications such as the moon phase and perpetual calendar from becoming out of sync, reducing the probability of errors. 

I’ve learned this the hard way. I returned from my vacation one day and found that my automatic watches had already run out of power. I had to do the extremely time-consuming and laborious work of resetting it.

Putting them in the watch winder is definitely worth it, so you won‘t end up like me.

Large Collections Management Tips

Having many watches doesn’t mean running all of them at once. For example, with eight watches and a four-position winder, rotate which watches are wound every 3–4 days.

This way, each gets active time without wasting power. I use a simple rotation chart so none are overlooked. It’s an easy habit that reduces fuss and keeps the whole collection in good shape.

Understanding Power Reserve Impact

What does “power reserve” stand for? You may ask. Well, it simply means how long a watch runs after being fully wound without being worn.

Most automatic watches run for approximately 40 hours on a full wind. Many modern movements reach 70+ hours. 

Power reserve is important because it’s related to the crucial question: the frequency of using a watch winder. It’s just like your phone: the battery capacity decides how often you need to charge it after a long period.

A vintage watch with a 38-hour reserve needs more frequent attention. A modern watch with 70 hours needs less.

Watches with complicated features, such as day/date, GMT, or moon phase, benefit from consistent winding to avoid resetting, which can cause these indications to become incorrect or dysfunctional.

Brand-Specific Requirements

Different movements often prefer different TPD (turns per day) ranges. These are common starting points in watch-winder guides and product specs:

• Rolex: commonly ~650 TPD
• ETA / Sellita: commonly 900 or 1200 TPD
• Hublot / IWC: commonly 650–800 TPD

Most modern automatic watches wind in both directions. For many models, the winding direction is less important than ensuring the watch receives the correct number of TPD (turns per day) and proper rest/wrist-cycle patterns.

However, it’s still good to check the watch’s manual or official specifications for model-specific guidance.

Real-World Implementation Guide

Daily Rotation Method Step-by-Step

This is what I do. It’s low-effort and reliable.

1. Pick a base setting. I start around 650 TPD — safe for many modern luxury automatic watches (but see guardrails above).
2. Wear Watch A Monday–Wednesday.
3. Put Watch B on the watch winder in intermittent mode: short run, long rest.
4. Swap Thursday–Saturday.

If you wonder why this works, intermittent cycles mimic real wrist motion, keeping the mainspring partly charged, so the watch stays accurate and ready. It also avoids unnecessary constant motion that would not protect the watch better.

Long-term Storage Strategy for Travel and Infrequent Wear

Going on a trip longer than a watch’s power reserve? Plan to wind or wear your automatic watch to restore accuracy at the start of the journey, and then again after every 7 days of inactivity is a good thought. 

For most automatic watches, aim to wind the crown for 20–30 seconds every 7 days of non-wear to keep the mainspring primed without over-stressing the movement. 

If you have a watch winder, everything will become easier. You can set it to a gentle, irregular pattern, like 650–900 TPD spread over a 24-hour period. You can also use a random sequence that totals roughly 1,000–1,500 TPD only when the watch is not being worn. 

If you don’t have one, I recommend Mozsly’s single watch winder because it has 4 different presets, ranging from 650 to 1250 TPD, which satisfy different needs. These presets are:

• I: 650 TPD, running time 3 minutes 28 seconds, rest time 56 minutes 32 seconds, continue to cycle.
• II: 850 TPD, running time 4 minutes 28 seconds, rest time 55 minutes and 32 seconds, continue to cycle.
• III: 1050 TPD, running time 5 minutes and 28 seconds, rest time 54 minutes 32 seconds, continue to cycle.
• IV: 1250 TPD, running time 6 minutes and 28 seconds, rest time 53 minutes and 32 seconds, continue to cycle.

Its slim body, measuring 4.4 x 6 x 4.4 inches, allows you to easily put it into your suitcase, so you can wind your automatic watch while traveling.

If you worry about noise problems, Mozsly’s ultra-quiet and durable Japanese Mabuchi motors ensure a quiet trip, with nicely wound automatic watches.

Key practical takeaways you can apply now: 

• Check the stated power reserve of your watch (e.g., 40 hours, 42 hours, etc.) using the quick guide I listed earlier. Plan to start traveling with the automatic watch fully wound if you won’t wear it for a stretch longer than that reserve.

• If you aren’t wearing the automatic watch, manual winding for 20–30 seconds can help restore energy without risking overwind.

• Use a gentle mode with low-torque rotation and irregular intervals with your watch winder. Target around 650–900 TPD to keep it roughly in wind without stressing the movement. Bring one or two watch winders with you on the way, if possible.

• Automatic watches with perpetual or complex calendars may need specific reset guidance. Check the user manual before traveling and be prepared to adjust the calendar upon next wear.

• Consider alternating between one or two automatic watches during a trip and wearing them periodically to maintain timekeeping and reduce the need for frequent resets.

When NOT to Use a Watch Winder — important exceptions

I don’t suggest putting vintage, quartz, and manual-wind watches into watch winders because:

• Vintage pieces with worn components or no modern slip clutch may be harmed by continuous winding. (Slip-clutch is a mechanism that helps prevent mainspring damage once fully wound.)

• Quartz watches are battery-powered and do not require winding to work, so they don’t need watch winders.

• Manual-wind watches don’t benefit from automatic watch winders and can wear unnaturally if forced to stay moving.

• Some complex watches still need periodic manual setting. A watch winder can’t replace hands-on care.

There are some types of vintage watches that CAN be put into watch winders, but you need to be extra careful when doing so. But generally speaking, not putting them in is suggested. 

If you own vintage watches and are unsure whether to use automatic wrist watch winders, consulting a trusted professional or contacting the manufacturer is always the best course of action.

Quick Reference Guide and Useful Tips

The Simple Frequency Formula Recap

• Daily wear: No watch winder needed — your wrist does the job.
• 2–3 watch rotation: Intermittent winding (6–12 hours daily).
• Weekly/monthly wear: Continuous low-TPD operation (roughly 650–900 TPD).
• Special-occasion only: Continuous operation with correct TPD settings.

Energy Efficiency Tips: Reduce Your Cost

• Intermittent operation saves battery life and energy.
• For larger collections, link multiple units to a shared AC power source to reduce energy consumption.
• Mozsly watch winders have a modular design that allows multiple units to be connected via cables, saving energy while being easy to maintain and manage.

Practical Tips for Setting Watch Winders

When to increase TPD

Raise to 850–1200 TPD for movements that often require more turns (some ETA/Sellita calibers). If you are unsure, follow the 3-step guide above and monitor the accuracy.

When to lower or stop

Avoid continuous winding for vintage watches that lack a slip clutch or when a brand explicitly warns against using watch winders. Quartz watches don’t need watch winders.

If you have these types of watches, you may want to consider purchasing a watch box for them. Luckily, Mozsly has what you need.

Quick note for safe manual winding

If you do manual winding, turn the crown gently and stop when you feel resistance. Don’t force it. If you’re unsure, ask a watchmaker.

Conclusion

You’re here because you feel confused about how often you should use a watch winder. Now you know: winding frequency depends on many factors and varies from person to person.

If you only own a small number of automatic watches and always wear each of them, not having a watch winder isn’t a big deal. Vintage, quartz, and manual-winding watches also don’t need a watch winder.

If you own many automatic watches, and several are idle, watch winders become very handy, and you should get some. Use them to intermittently wind the idle automatic watches based on some tips mentioned in this article.

For those automatic watches worn only on weekends or a few times a month, and watches with complicated functions, continuous low-speed winding is suitable. The Mozsly watch winder’s 650 TPD I preset mode is ideal for this situation.

Now it’s time to stop overthinking and get a watch winder. Adjust it according to your specific needs, and create a simple winding routine for your precious watches. Your watches will thank you, and so will you in the future.