Best habits for manual watch winding?

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“Why” Questions tend not to draw out specific Information. Especially the one worded “Why?”. It is ambiguous 😀 , it also puts people on the defensive as it suggest justification.

In this case, "why" was an open question to a specifically quoted statement, that really left no ambiguity regarding what I was asking about. What it suggests is curiosity, and certainly nothing else was intended.

A couple of years ago there was a "thing" floating around on forums that you shouldn't wind the watch all the way. No idea where it started, but this lead to people complaining of poor power reserve (obviously) and poor timekeeping. I've even had people contact me for service stating these same problems, and when I asked if they were winding the watch all the way, they were not. When I suggested they just wind it all the way, doing so "solved" the problems and the service wasn't needed. There are many threads here with the same result - all was fine once people who asked why the watch wasn't working right were good once they wound it fully.

I wanted to understand if this was some other "thing" that was going around on forums. No nefarious intent was intended, it was just a straightforward question.
 
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I very vaguely remember someone asking this question on a forum in the early 2000s (or sometime around then).

I recall that someone responded - I think it was Walt Odets, suggested that it makes sense to wind it fully and then give a half turn back. As I recall, it was something to do with ensuring that the rubber seal would not wear out.

I wish I could remember the details but it was a few decades ago.

Just FYI - Walt was famous/infamous on TZ, but he was no watchmaker. There's no reason you have turn a crown backwards after winding.
 
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Just to think, I’ve been doing it wrong for 70 years! 😗 No sense changing now!
 
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If you turn the crown back after full winding about one revolution, you relieve the movement...



Movement: "Ahhhhhh...."
 
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I wind my FOIS backwards half a turn after winding so that the Omega symbol is upright… 😗
 
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Just to think, I’ve been doing it wrong for 70 years! 😗 No sense changing now!

I prefer this attitude. I think it comes down to personal habit.
 
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Just knew this thread was gonna be a good one…..😀
 
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If you turn the crown back after full winding about one revolution, you relieve the movement...



Movement: "Ahhhhhh...."
This is an example of what Richard Dawkins meant when he coined the term "meme". My dad told me this, most earnestly, when I was a boy - and that was before the wisdom of the internet existed...
 
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My wife already barely tolerates my watch obsession.

I hope she never stumbles across this thread. I may have to start deleting my internet history.
 
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Little did I know what I would get started with a simple little question! 😀

Originally inspired by these three
 
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Little did I know what I would get started with a simple little question! 😀

Originally inspired by these three
Plus this more modern recent manual wind acquisition
 
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I wish you guys would stop putting US military watches on British G10 straps. 😁
 
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I wish you guys would stop putting US military watches on British G10 straps. 😁
Came that way from the seller, so please enlighten me. What should it have?
 
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winding a watch ... well thats complicated ... always wind it for 120s with a 38.5 degree angle (to avoid the spring tension fluid is on low level) during winding, if you're in kangarooland you MUST wind it with the caseback facing upwards !!! . best practice to avoid any wear and tear is selling and looking for a different hobby

I used to follow this procedure but when it’s high tide I find winding at an angle of 37 degrees is better. I don’t know if it’s the same for Moonwatches.
 
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I love these threads. Some people actually think they are asking serious questions, and the others keep provoking them by pretending the questions are serious.
 
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I have tried time and again to let the MB and my iPad that I want to “unfollow” this thread, but nothing works! This thread is now on its third page (can you believe it?), and I have no idea how many times in a day I am reminded that there is yet another post to the thread! 🥱 Zzzzzzzzzz!