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Hand wind vs Automatic only - a psychological thriller

3K views 17 replies 15 participants last post by  usclassic 
#1 · (Edited)
Well "thriller" is certainly the bait to get you reading but I think there is some merit to these observations. Some of you may know from reading my review of my Hamilton Khaki mechanical, that it died. This came as a huge disappointment but revealed an interesting psychological character difference between the two mechanical mechanisms mentioned in the title. The difference with the automatic movement is that it demands to be worn or it will stop. No hand winding allowed. No cheating with energy hog watch winder, for global warming mitigation. (Solar powered watch winders accepted) (Mechanical watches in general are better for the environment we could argue.) So it says, hey listen, I am willing to keep time for you but you have to wear me. I want to be on your arm all the time, day and night, then we will both be happy. Put me in your watch box and I will go to sleep until you want me back on your arm. Just shake me awake, set me to the time and day you do, and put me on again, happy as a clam. On the other side, the hand winder says, hey just wind me up, I don't care if we go out together or not. I'm not benefiting at all if you wear me or not. My Luch sits on my desk most of the time now and as long as I wind it from time to time it is very content, surprisingly accurate, and happy to go out on occasion. My new Seiko SNK803, however, sits on my wrist, sporting a nice spring/summer look it depends on being with me. It needs my motion, it benefits, in a more personal, symbiotic, relationship, by saying please, I need to be on your wrist. That's all you have to do, and I will give you the time day and date with just a glance my way. Let's just be together and I won't ask anything else. It has been said that love is spending time with one another, something the automatic watch loves to do. The hand winder is ok for the whole day with only a few seconds of my time spent turning its crown. The thrill is gone. Thanks for reading, and keep on ticking....
 
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#3 · (Edited)
I guess I appreciate the fact that handwinders can be wound each day (or two) and will keep going. I like that feature when a watch may only be worn occasionally. Setting the time, day, and date on my automatic after it dies really drives me nuts. Mostly because I have to guess whether the watch died in AM or PM (affects when the day/date advance). A watch with no day/date complications would probably not bother me so much to just set the time. I don't have a watch winder (yet). I feel like I need one that has appropriate TPD/direction adjustment for a wide range of movements, with multiple slots that are individually adjustable, but those winders are too expensive (for me, at least). So I do appreciate mechanical watches that I can wind every day and put them back in the box until its their turn to be worn.
 
#5 ·
It is no big deal for me to reset the automatics with date complication. I always turn the hands past
12 to see if it's AM or PM then set time push in and set day/date. The bigger issue for me is the pesky non hacking second hand.
 
#11 ·
My first hand wound mechanical watch arrives tomorrow, so I don't have any basis for comparison, but ever since my collection outgrew my quad watch winder and I got a standard case, I periodically hand wind some of my automatics each morning. To me, the automatic is the best of both worlds.

Side question: are there really that many modern watches without hacking seconds?
 
#12 ·
Maybe this is irrational but I prefer handwound watches because I like being able to control how much the watch is wound by myself. With a rotor it's kinda a black box unless it's one of the rare self-winding watches with a power reserve. Also winding a watch really isn't a hassle. You always have some time to wind it a bit throughout the day.
 
#16 ·
One could argue the other way around...Assume they are worn equally...an automatic requires nothing other then being worn. There is very little interaction. You set the time and you forget about it. A manual wind on the other hand forces you to not only wear your watch but interact with it. Its all about quality not quantity. The time spent winding a watch gives one a sort of visceral joy that's hard to explain. When you are winding that hand cranker there is a deep connection between you and your watch, almost as if you are breathing some of your spirit into it. An automatic is simply convenient...love is never just convenient. Love makes you work for it and in doing so entrenches every one of those memories into an ever evolving contiuum. ;-)
 
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#17 · (Edited)
I prefer manual wind for its robustness, interactivity and control over the power reserve. No more nagging worries about wearing something out by hand winding an auto too often, or wondering how much time is left in the spring if I skip a day of wearing it. The thinness of a manual wind movement is another nice perk. The sound and feel of winding a watch is also very pleasant. I just like them!
 
#18 · (Edited)
I am enjoying this thread. There is something to be said for each type. Perhaps the personal connection is greater with the manual wind. From the watch perspective it is helpless and totally dependent on its' master for life. Maybe like dogs and cats. Anyway that is probably why I was so disappointed when my Khaki mechanical gave up the ghost. I just won a vintage hand wind restored HMT Pilot black face on ss bracelet for $5.50
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View attachment 7626458 Understanding India is far away and many watches from there have arrived dead or bad or not at all - nothing ventured, nothing gained. I hope I get a runner this time. Anyway a short break brought to you by I like watches. Interesting history HMT India has with Citizen and Myota licensing and making these movements in house. HMT is not a well known brand here and not even in its' home country so that it is being forced to shut it doors by the government - so the story goes.
The dead Hamilton hand winder is receiving a lot of love from eBay bidders so far. So on with the show.....
 
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