How Not To Break The Main Spring Of Your Rolex.

[nuegear]

I have a noob question here, may I check with the Rolex experts here, how do you know you will not overwinding your watch in order not to break the main spring, do you count by numbers of turns or by numbers hours/days? Thank you.

[Ryuden]

You can't "over wind" an automatic watch as there's a slip clutch that prevent from excessive winding. Once the main spring have been fully wound, and if you still continue winding, the slip clutch will keep slipping and slipping. Usually a grinding feeling while winding indicates that the automatic watch has been fully wind.

Here's two different main springs, the top is manual winding main spring and the bottom is an automatic winding main spring and the different is the end tail.




There's an "additional" tail for the automatic main spring called the bridle which act as the slip clutch.




Inside the barrel for the manual winding main spring, you can see that there's a small tab where the end of the main spring end hooks in thus it's fixed and there's no way you can over wind it without breaking the main spring.




While inside the automatic barrel, there's a few notches where the bridle (the split end tail of the main spring) set in while the main spring expand. When you wind the main spring, once it's fully wound yet you continue winding it, the bridle will "slip" into the next notch and then the next and then the next until you stop winding it. And once it sets on one of the notches, the main spring will unwind and release power to run the watch.




Rolex recommend 40 full turns to keep the main spring at full power. Unless you have a 6694, then some of the owners will chip in.





p.s. pics properties of ArcherWatches.

[Derick]

A very in-depth explanation.

[nuegear]

Wow! Impressive! That's is like a lesson learnt in a classroom. Thank you very much Ryuden.

[Ryuden]

Thanks guys...hope it helps.

[badass09]

Knowledge is power..!!!

You can't "over wind" an automatic watch as there's a slip clutch that prevent from excessive winding. Once the main spring have been fully wound, and if you still continue winding, the slip clutch will keep slipping and slipping. Usually a grinding feeling while winding indicates that the automatic watch has been fully wind.

Here's two different main springs, the top is manual winding main spring and the bottom is an automatic winding main spring and the different is the end tail.




There's an "additional" tail for the automatic main spring called the bridle which act as the slip clutch.




Inside the barrel for the manual winding main spring, you can see that there's a small tab where the end of the main spring end hooks in thus it's fixed and there's no way you can over wind it without breaking the main spring.




While inside the automatic barrel, there's a few notches where the bridle (the split end tail of the main spring) set in while the main spring expand. When you wind the main spring, once it's fully wound yet you continue winding it, the bridle will "slip" into the next notch and then the next and then the next until you stop winding it. And once it sets on one of the notches, the main spring will unwind and release power to run the watch.




Rolex recommend 40 full turns to keep the main spring at full power. Unless you have a 6694, then some of the owners will chip in.





p.s. pics properties of ArcherWatches.

a very good illustration bro.. thanks for taking your time to post thi..

[Wilsonseng]

Nice. I was still wondering if I could over wind mine. Thanks bro