Can You Leave an Automatic Watch Unwound?
Yes, an automatic watch may be left unwound for short periods without causing any major harm. However, if left idle for too long, it may lead to:
Dried Lubricants: The oils inside the movement may thicken or dry out when the gears remain stationary for extended periods. This may cause unnecessary wear and friction, leading to potential damage over time.
Loss of Accuracy: While your watch won't lose precision immediately, prolonged inactivity may impact its ability to maintain accurate time when rewound.
Increased Servicing Needs: Leaving a watch idle for months or years without winding it could lead to costly repairs or more frequent servicing due to the deterioration of internal components.
In short, while leaving your watch unwound for a few days or weeks is fine, regular winding or wearing is necessary to keep it in optimal condition.
This sort of thing isn't so much an issue with someone who has a few watches and wears them regularly, but when one has dozens as I do, even a rotation doesn't always result in making certain that each one is run for at least a short time regularly.
As far as vehiculars right now my wife keeps getting on me to either sell at least a couple of my classic cars or drive them. It's amazing how long may pass without driving a garaged extra car especially when one travels a lot. One of my classics I spent just over six figures restoring over the course of a couple years or so, and I drove that car only once this year, a few miles.
Another one I think it's too late, it has to be towed out of the garage direct to a shop, it sat idle for too many years. And it's not the battery either, I use a quick disconnect on the batteries of all my classics. I think on that one the rear wheels are going to have to be placed on something to slide it out, because I can't even get the automatic transmission into neutral.
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