Q

Can I keep winding my automatic watch?

When I bought my father's watch at a department store, I was told not to wind it more than 30 turns, but when I bought a black comb watch, I was told that it was okay to keep winding it.
Also, when purchasing root beer, they say not to wash it too much. I wonder what the correct answer is!!!
Questioner: Naver AAR Cafe Book*Gom

A

mechanical manual watchis designed so that when the mainspring is fully wound and reaches a full winding state, the end of the mainspring is caught in the fixing device and the mainspring cannot be wound any further.
However, automatic watches, including Rolex, are designed to continue running even after full winding. In theory, there is no particular problem if you keep winding the mainspring.

Automatic watch internal spring barrel,
Even if the mainspring is fully wound, it is not fixed and continues to turn.

However, the reason why watch dealers often tell you not to wind the watch any more even after full winding is that if the watch is past its overhaul period, the oil in the mainspring may become viscous and there is a possibility that friction may occur, so my answer is a bit conservative. I'm guessing you did.

For reference, the number of full winding turns depends on the power reserve of the watch, so in the case of a new Rolex with a 72-hour power reserve, about 49 turns are required.