SHOULD A 7-DAY MODEL TIMEPIECE BE KEPT ON A WATCH WINDER?

Great info. In your opinion, if you are happy to "set" the watch every time you put it on, are you better to just let it run down? Or do you think you should wind it every 6 - 7 days to keep it going? Which is better for the watch?

I read this with great interest, as like everyone else I would like the best for the watch, but if you take a step back... If you need to pamper a timepiece just to allow it to keep on keeping time, is this not a bit soft - both for the owner and the watch? Just a tongue in cheek question

I too would like to know the answer to this question. Such a well designed and beautiful piece deserves to be worn daily without much concern.

To all concerned owners,

One of the great reasons of having a 7-day power reserve timepiece is that it also offers the following side benefits:

1. You can rotate the wearing of your watch collection every week and pick up your 5000 series PR watch without resetting the time & calendar.

2. It allows a greater 'buildup' of power reserve for persons who are not active enough on a daily basis such as those with a desk job where the full wrist activity level is low.

The 5000 series, as already mentioned above, unlike smaller movements have an extra large and heavier mass oscillating weight offering more efficient automatic winding. Therefore the constant driving of the winding machine forces the oscillating weight to perform a function that has already been reached when the power reserve is at 7 days. It's like trying to drive your car with one foot on the gas pedal and the other on the brakes! Do that long enough and something will surely give!

On the other hand, wearing a 7-day power reserve timepiece on your wrist doesn't get the "constant" pressure of the oscillating weight winding because the wrist isn't turning at the same rate and continuous manner as a watch winder.

Therefore, wearing any one of these watches on a daily basis should pose no threat to the components providing the watch is not abused or wearing the watch when the lubricants are old and/or dry which would require routine maintenance and service.

If you don't wear your 7-day PR watch often, manually wind it once a week to its full reserve and it will give you peace of mind.

Regards,
Jack Freedman

Jack,
This is very useful information and I appreciate you sharing it with us. For those of us who can rest our watches for a day or two, what is the best way to "store" them when not on the wrist: flat with dial up or down or on their side (crown up)?
Thanks!

Either way is fine. When stored dial down or up, the watch will tend to gain time. Stored crown up or down, it will lose time.

Just stumbled upon this thread. Very valuable information indeed!
I don't have a watch winder because I thoroughly enjoy winding a watch myself. ;-) But from what you're telling I also have to be more consistent in winding it weekly when I don't wear it for a longer period of time.
Thanks, Jack (and Bill)

Dear Jack,
I only own IWC handwound watches however I have few RLX watches... Would you give the same advise?
Thanks and sorry for this not 100% IWC question ;-)

Please re-read the post. My comments were exclusive to the IWC calibre 5000 series.

Jack

Please re-read the post. My comments were exclusive to the IWC calibre 5000 series.

Jack

Looks like this is the same issue as the link attached?

watchguy.co.uk/service-repair-iwc-ingenieur-5005-calibre-51112/

Dear Jack,

Very helpful, thanks.

Best, Klaas

Dear Jack,
Thanks for your answer... Better be safe the sorry.
Merijn

I am a new and very happy owner of a Portuguese 5001 and I want to learn everything possible about the watch. I absolutely love the watch, it has been my dream watch for a long time and the nice thing is that today I am still as happy for it I was when I got it (which is not always the case when buying a new watch). The watch was a gift from my wife which also means that I will keep it forever and use it with some extra nice feelings.

The wearing out of the winding mechanism made me a bit worried though.

Just keeping the watch away from the winder is naturally not a problem. But will the winding mechanism wear out faster than on regular watches also from regular daily use?

Is it the fact that the rotor tends to rotate a larger number of rounds in a winder than on the wrist that wears out the winding mechanism prematurely? Or is it the fact that it is easier to fully wind the movement with a winder and then continue to wind it which is the problem?

If I use the watch daily, how long can I expect the winding mechanism to last and is there anything I can do to extend its life as much as possible before I have to replace some worn out components?

Hi ULFBNILLSON

You have nothing to worry about. Daily wearing of your 5001 is the best thing for it. To keep your watch in tip-top shape it's best to observe a service interval of 5 to 7 years for a "COR" Clean, Oil, Regulate service.

Enjoy your beautiful 5001. Now how about a picture ;-)

Thanks for your reply. I hope you are right about the winding mechanism. It somehow gave me a sligh sour feeling and a feeling that I should not use the watch more than necessary in order to extend the life of the mechanisms. I guess I just have to get used to it.

Then of course the good side of the watch. The looks! When I got it I had a budget of 35-40 000 usd and I wanted to get the dream watch. I made a short list and after that I took off to a number of watch shops to look at them IRL. One surprise was that when I compared the 18k and steel 500107, I preferred the steel version. The blue details and hands are such a wonderful contrast to the slightly greyish dial. And all proportions, placement of the subdials etc are just perfect. So for me this is the most beautiful you can get (on my budget). And as a wrote before, I think think so.

I took a picture right now. I've never posted pictures here before and there is no edit function, but I hope it works. The beauty:

[](s853.photobucket.com/user/wolfnilsson/media/iwc14b.jpg.html)

<a href="s853.photobucket.com/user/wolfnilsson/media/iwc14b.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img src="i853.photobucket.com/albums/ab96/wolfnilsson/iwc14b.jpg" border="0" alt="iwc 14a photo iwc14b.jpg"/></a>

Ulf,

Congrats to a wonderful Watch!

And nice to see some more Swedish names on the Forum.

/Anders

Dear Jack,

Thanks for the useful info.

JK

After reading Jacks post last night, which made me worry a bit, I googled for any known problems with IWC 5XXXX caliber winding system and came across very interesting and slightly disturbing blog:

Your text to link here...

Still, after reading the blog it looks like if the watch is not abused and regular service is done on time the winding system should be performing flawlessly.

Cheers
JK

Keep in mind that IWC has made recent enhancements to the cal 50XXX movements with 7-day winding components made of high-grade ceramics that do not wear like the metal parts of earlier models.

On a recent trip to Schaffhausen, I saw a fantastically detailed presentation of Quality Assurance and testing - which IWC is driving to increase the service intervals of these watches toward 10+ years!! They were able to repeatedly test more than a decade of Wear/stress without noticeable wear/effectiveness of the components.

We do not know enough yet, but from what I understand (note I am not a watchmaker) from the problem presented in the link above, the items which are worn out (the auto winder arm), are not the same as the ones which have been replaced and upgraded with stronger ceramics (the pawls). If you check the link and then this picture of the replaced components you will that they ae not the same.

What was wrong with the one in the winder example at the beginning of the thread we do not know.

s853.photobucket.com/user/wolfnilsson/media/NewPellaton.jpg.html