A self winding watch, usually made with date indication and central seconds, is an example of quite high mechanical complication compared to a manual winding watch. The parts it is made of are almost twice the number of the manual winding watch ones, as the number of jewels is, and even for lubrification special products are needed, in particular for the toothed wheels of the self winding system.

For these reasons, whilst a manual winding watch can bear not to work for long periods (several months), a self winding watch should be worn constantly and regularly, in order to be optimally adjusted on its owner’s wrist, avoiding that the not-working period quickens the deterioration of lubrificating substances.

In order to ensure a constant movement to self winding watches, even if you are not wearing it, there are on the market special cases supplied with mechanical rotor (the “Scatola del Tempo” boxes), which make the watch move regularly, keeping it winded… and “on time”, always ready to be used.

A note on quartz watches. If watch batteries are flat they can be damaged, like those of other electronic devices, causing the discharge of the dangerous acids they are made of. For this reason, if you are planning not to use your watch for a long period, the best advisable solution is removing the battery. If it is not possible, you can extract the crown, locking the mechanism and avoiding the battery consumption. Do it carefully: the crown opening makes it more vulnerable to atmospheric stresses and, in order to avoid nuisances when reactivating the mechanism, it is advisable to do so only if the watch is being kept in a dry place without dust.