Watch WinderGuides
Look after your mechanical watches
Short, practical answers to the questions every collector asks sooner or later.
Care
The date-change danger zone
Why you shouldn't set the date between 9pm and 3am, and the safe way to reset a stopped watch.
Buying advice
Do I need a watch winder?
When a winder earns its place, when it doesn't, and the free alternative.
Basics
How to wind a mechanical watch
Hand-wound and automatic, step by step, and how often to do it.
Basics
How accurate should a mechanical watch be?
What's normal for your movement, how to measure it, and a free trick to correct it.
Care
How often to service a mechanical watch
Service intervals, the signs yours needs one sooner, and what it involves.
Troubleshooting
Is my watch magnetized?
Suddenly gaining minutes a day? The compass test, the fix, and where the magnets hide.
Care
Water resistance, explained
What 30m, 100m and 200m really mean, and why the rating fades with age.
Care
How to clean a watch
The case, crystal, bracelet and strap, without letting water in.
Basics
How long will an automatic run without wearing it?
Every movement's reserve off the wrist, and which ones survive a weekend.
Troubleshooting
Why did my automatic watch stop overnight?
Why a day on the wrist isn't always enough, and how to test the reserve.
Basics
Can you overwind a watch?
Automatic and hand-wound, how many turns it takes, and what "overwound" really means.
Collecting
How to rotate a watch collection
Which watch to wear next, and keeping several running without a winder.
Care
How to store mechanical watches
Boxes, humidity, magnets, and whether to keep a stored watch running.
Buying advice
Buying a used mechanical watch
A checklist before you pay: seller, papers, timegrapher, polishing and fakes.
Will your watch still be running on Monday?
Pick your movement and when you last wound it. Try the calculator, or see all free tools.