I have just acquired a totally mint Omega Seamaster Co-Axial 300M James Bond 007 50th Anniversary which I intend to put away and keep unused. My experience with self-winding watches of any brand is totally zero. My question is: should I buy a winder and ‘exercise’ the watch every so often (and how often), or will the watch be perfectly fine lying idle, untouched for years (perhaps many)? I hope that this is not a stupid question. Any advice would be welcome.

For that matter, what is the opinion regarding leaving watches, in general, untouched year after year? Do oils degrade etc? I have watches in my collection which I have not worn or used since the 70s.

 

How many years? Most uncles appear to use a sock drawer!

 

Yes, oils dry up. A watch needs cleaning and reoiling once in a while. The interval is a matter of opinion; I have neves seen an experiment where that was determined.

 

Sorry, the auditions for comedians are closed. Stick to the day job . . . if you have one.

 

Welcome
It was only a joke

 

you have to get it serviced when take it out again.

 

If it's going to sit unused for many years, no amount of 'exercise' or winders will get over the fact that a service would be recommended before it's worn regularly.

I'd be more concerned with keeping it somewhere that's reasonably dry.

Are you going to prison or is it a birthdate gift etc?

 

So was mine. lol

 

It's simply a collection. I have no intention of ever selling, and look upon it as something that my daughter will inherit - and perhaps remember the old man by! All kept in secure humidity controlled storage facility. What I don't want is a situation of, in perhaps 10, 20 or 30 years, any movement is seized solid. I can't find any information anywhere on the 'lifetime' of the watch oils Omega used. Earliest Omega I have is 1966: had it from new, never serviced, never worn for probably around 40 yrs - just wound it and it runs seemingly totally OK. Hmm??

 

Seemingly is the key word. If you are concerned about preventing damage, then don't wind it again until you get that one serviced. By running it in it's current state now you will cause damage.

Oils will deteriorate regardless if the watch is being used or not. Most oils simply dry up, so nothing but a slight residue is left behind - this is what dry oil on the underside of a jewel looks like:



As your experience has just shown, movements will not typically become "seized solid" after sitting for a number of years. Some older natural oils will get very tacky, and could possibly cause a watch not to run, but that isn't anything that can't be resolved by a service. There is no need to run the movement at all if your intent is to let the watch sit in a safe - oils are held in place by capillary action and will not migrate away. They just dry up, so as long as whoever uses these watches in the future gets them serviced before they are used, they should be fine.

Cheers, Al

 

Very true!... Socks are all the rage in the vintage Speedmaster world mate... but change them regularly. They absorb moisture, offer additional protection. and conceal the items true value! Here are some rather splendid socks looking after my 105.012-65.

The best thing about them is that, ten years later, they remind you not to wind the fakkin watch until it's been serviced by prompting you to recite the well known 'socks and watch' poem out loud:

"These old socks need a good boil, this here watch needs some new oil.
Don't wear the socks until they're boiled, and don't wind the watch until it's been oiled.
When the socks are boiled, you can wear the socks,
and when the watch is oiled, you can wind the watch"