I just picked up a '69 Seamaster with a 565 caliber movement during the later part of last year.
After waiting over a month (mainly due to intl shipping delays) to source a period correct bracelet, endlinks and the tools to fit/adjust them, it's finally ready to leave the house! This will not be a watch that I wear everyday, but I do envision wearing it a couple times a week. For those instances, that I may set it down with the intent of wearing it again in the next 2-3 days, is there a recommended number of turns per day for the 565 movement that I should program my winder for?

If viewing the watch as set on the pillow and in the winder, should the dial rotate clockwise or counter clockwise?

Thanks in advance.

 

Hand-wind it a few dozen times.

 

If you're asking about hand winding, the answer above is good. When hand winding, I don't count and usually wind the watch until I start to feel the tension from a fully wound spring. Its one of those things, that you get a feel for. I initially assumed that you're asking about turns of the rotor (as in the case of a winder)...If so, see what I have below:

You may or may not be aware of this, so excuse a potentially long winded answer. The use of winders is a highly contested/debated practice, so you won't find a "right answer" to your question. Some people argue that they cause unnecessary wear to the movement, and others assert that "the movements were designed to constantly be running on your wrist." I personally side with the former. Inherent to the running of a mechanical item is wear. A freshly serviced and oiled movement will have significantly less wear, but friction will always be present (and inevitably wear). Most of the people that I know that collect vintage watches DO NOT put them on winders to avoid the unnecessary wear. With rare movement/watches, having to replace worn parts can be prohibitively expensive and difficult to almost impossible at times.

I admit, I am not a watchmaker, but I have taken apart a few junk 565's and have noticed long term wear from a lack of active maintenance. After reviewing alot of posts made about worn parts and long term wear, I'm convinced that putting watches on a winder isn't always a great practice. The 565 is a great movement, but recognize that parts in public hands are getting more and more scarce. Since Omega eliminated public access to parts, prices have kept climbing, so the replacement parts will continue to climb in price if you use an independent and non-authorized watchmaker. Even if these movements function and keep time relatively well, a service can often find worn parts that will inevitably need or require replacement.

Another thing to keep in mind, is that if you aren't actively servicing a watch, existing wear can be exacerbated. In modern times, most watches are serviced using synthetic oils and the issue with synthetic oils is that they evaporate/dry-up after 5+ years. Afterwards, all the moving parts/pivots will be running dry.

I'd recommend that you just take 30 seconds to wind the watch and set the time (if needed) whenever you choose to wear it. If you wear it as often as you say, then this won't be too difficult...you may just have to advance the date one or a few days, but the 565 has a quickset function to make this easier.

Again, I'm not a professional, so take my take with a grain of salt.

 

Yes, that is what I was asking. I edited my original post to hopeful be a little more clear. I can see how the last sentence in the first paragraph was a bit unclear.

Thanks a bunch for the detailed reply. I have read a few threads on here and there do seem to be people on both sides of the argument. Some argue that the increased/constant run time, will shorten the service interval....and the other camp argues that pulling the crown in and out frequently can have other consequences. :shrug:

After reading all of the replies in some of those threads, and based on the age of this watch, I certainly fall in the category of not using a winder most of the time. My initial question in this thread would be for a situation where I wear the watch on a Thursday to work, and take it off when I get home at 5:00PM, knowing that I will want to wear it out again Saturday night (about 48 hours, which is outside of the power reserve on the watch).

I don't see myself putting this watch on the winder more than a couple days a month for a scenario like I've outlined above.

 

Unless you know when it was most recently fully and professionally serviced, I recommend not using the automatic watch winder. Running a watch that is not in peak condition on an automatic watch winder, especially for lengthy periods, can damage a lot of expensive, and hard to get parts. Someone commented about the inadvisability of frequently pulling the crown out to re- set the date and the time to be not advisable as well. Parts in the date adjust and time setting mechanism are likewise, likely be expensive and may be hard to get, as well.

My answer to your dilemma is to have lots of watches in a collection, each of which you enjoy. Then spell them of. Wear one for a month, then change to a different watch. Spread the wear and deterioration amongst many watches, rather than focus on one. The one I’m wearing right now has been on my wrist for six weeks, and has only been off my wrist briefly when I shower. Prior to 2021, I hadn’t worn this one for several years. I serviced it In late December.

 

This is one of the problems with date functions. For a time-only watch, there's virtually no benefit to leaving it on a winder, since you will probably want to adjust the time once a week or so anyway. Still, I don't think it's worth the wear and tear. When I want to wear a watch, I just wind it up and set the time. I don't bother to set the date anymore.

If you insist on using a winder, you'll need to test the number of turns yourself. Nobody can tell you since it depends on the condition of the watch.

 

This is also an interesting point that I didn't quite think of immediately. The 565's date advancement design always struck me as something that could get really worn and break just be virtue of having to "pump" the crown in and out to advance the date.

A part that is getting exceedingly expensive and hard to find is the actual date corrector since they were made to be "sacrificial" in the later/updated movements. When I come across parts movements on eBay, I often notice that they are conveniently missing. This issue actually seems to have more to do with user error rather than wear.

 

I don't know the date it was last serviced. I wore it around for the first week when it arrived on the lizard band that it came with. It keeps great time and the power reserve seems to keep it going for about 26-30 hours after setting it down. I purchased a Speedmaster shortly after this one, which was in need of a service ($700 USD), and I have another Swiss automatic that's about due for service ($500ish), I'd like to give my bank adcount a couple months to breathe after having gone on a bit of a spending spree this winter, LOL. I'll probably take the Seamaster in towards the end of summer to have my watchmaker give it a look.
I do not plan on putting this watch on the winder for any extended amount of time. If I can't get a consensus on a tried and true # or range of revolutions per day, then I'll just default to letting it sit between uses and hold off on doing extensive date adjustment.

I do have a few in my collection. Some that are more purpose/tool driven. Some that are sentimental. Some that are 'fancier' for the office or a night out. I don't know how some of the guys with large collections go so long without wearing their watches. I don't think I could go more than a month without wearing each one of mine at least once.

 

Omega still sells every part for this movement, so none of them are particularly hard to find.

The date corrector doesn’t really wear out, but can be damaged if you pull the crown all the way out while the date change is in progress.

There really isn’t any added wear to be concerned about if you just let the watch run down, and set it when you want to wear it. Unless you have a very complicated watch, winders really offer no benefit.

 

Does anyone have any winder starter settings for a 565 (TPD and direction) to get me in the ballpark? I've never owned a winder and personally don't have any interest haha BUT... I'm gifting my father an SM300 565 and honestly setting the date is kind of a pain in the nuts. I have a hard time just setting the time without pulling the crown out too far and changing the date accidentally, then I find myself going around to get the right date again. On occasion its all set and then the date changes at noon instead of midnight and I'm doing it all over again haha. No biggie for me cause I'd wear it everyday but its not for me (and I daily wear my SM300 no date) I think a winder is the way to go for my father since he's not a watch enthusiast who's going to be into the task of setting it every few days.

Any info would be great, thanks in advance.

 

Can't see it

Picutres please!

 

I suspect you're underestimating your father. You don't say how old he is, but my father is in his 80s and spent decades dealing with analog, mechanical watches.

Yes, the 565 can be tricky to set the date, but what I do? Set date to yesterday and advance the hands to the right time and date. Pretty simple.

 

trust me..... I've known this guy for almost 40 years

 

well it's been 2 years since I posted on this thread last and sure enough my dad damaged something pulling the crown out too far. Just as I knew would happen. Set the watch off to omega, was told its a 5 month minimum wait. It's been 5 months already so I expect to hear back soon, and now I'm back in the market to get him a winder. anyone have any starter settings for direction and rotations for a 565 movement?

 

You can always go with the Rotorwind system from Orbita. The weighted cup holding the watch is turned 180 degrees every 10 or 15 minutes (adjustable) by a small motor and then it swings back and forth winding the watch, similar to one's wrist action. They are very efficient and you don't have to fiddle around with turns per day, or direction of wind.

Orbita Watchwinders | Watch Winders, Wilmington, NC

 

thanks for the suggestion

 

My suggestion assuming Google doesn’t have the real answer: Start at the lowest setting and bi-directional rotation. If it doesn’t keep it running move it up a notch until it does.

 

These work better with heavier watches, than with lighter watches...just something to be aware of.