Horological Meandering

Dear Friends:
I have several watches that i use in different winders as follows:
Patek  5050               Patek winder         works 8 hs rests 16 hs
Patek  5056               Patek winder         works 8 hs rests 16 hs
JLC Perpetual          Scatola                    works 8 hs rests 16 hs
JLC Master Moon    Scatola                    works 24 hs continually
AP EoT                       AP  Winder             works 24 hs continually
UN GMT Perpetual Scatola                    works 10 hs rests 14 hs
UN Astrolabium      Scatola                    works 10 hs rests 14 hs

My question is: 
If i buy a scatola for 6 watches that runs for 4 hs at a faster speed alternating directions would it be better, worst or the same for the watches mecanism ?

Thank you in advance for your kind attention,

Jaimito

1. If you buy a Scatola winder, you will get the same number of turns per day from each head. It is a complete joke that such an expensive winder does not allow you to set turns per day individually, but there it is. (Actually, I am unaware of any multiple-head winder that allows individual setting of turns per day, so at Scatola is not worse than its competition in that regard.) I can't tell from your post (and I'm too lazy to do the research), but some of your watches may need different numbers of turns per day. You won't be able to give them that with a multiple-head winder.

2. For me, some watches prefer to be wound for a short part of the day and then stand for 16 or more hours, while others react better to being wound every four hours. (There are other winders that work continually or do a bit of winding every 15 minutes; I worry about whether they place stress on watches by keeping them constantly in a state of full wind.) The Scatola winder gives rest periods, but the behavior of your watches that are used to being wound at shorter intervals may change if you move them to Scatola. (Of course, you have the equipment on hand to experiment with those watches before deciding whether to buy the multiple-head Scatola.)

3. Scatola winders in my experience rotate very slowly. I am therefore puzzled that you believe you have access to one that rotates more quickly. What I think you are saying is that you have found one that (while rotating slowly) does not have many pauses and therefore squeezes the required turns per day into a single four-hour period. If so, see paragraph 2 above. I have found that Scatola's slow rotation doesn't seem able to wind some watches that work fine on slightly faster winders. I woudn't expect this to be a problem with your watches because they all have relatively efficient winding mechanisms, but if you were considering acquiring a Patek with a cal. 240-based movement, it could cause a problem. I have a perpetual calendar based on an F. Piguet caliber 71, and between the slimness of the movement and the complication that watch does not wind adequately on a Scatola winder (although it works fine on others).

4. Scatola winders wind either clockwise or counterclockwise. This is determined on an individual-head basis, so you will have that flexibility if you get a multiple-head one. However, Scatola winders do not reverse. That is, you can't program them to reverse winding direction from time to time. That is an economy measure, arguably justified by the fact that a bidirectionally-winding watch doesn't need reversals of winding direction: it can wind perfectly well going either way. Somehow, that bugs me. When I have a watch that can wind in both directions (and has a winding reverser mechanism that presumably needs to be kept lubricated), I want the winder to reverse direction from time to time. As far as I know, all your watches except the Pateks are capable of winding bidirectionally; it's up to you to decide whether you care about having a winder that can wind them bidirectionally.

5. I don't know the Patek and AP systems for attaching watches to winders. I know the Scatola one and find it terribly impractical.  If you haven't tried any system that is markedly different from Scatola's, you might want to look alternatives. I like Eilux's, which has a clever spring-loaded holder that I find saves a lot of time and avoids a lot of wear and tear.

Probably more answer than you wanted, but I hope at least some of it is helpful.

Dear  mkvc:
Thank you for your answer and wise advice about lubricating in both directions.
 It never before passed my mind that winding in both directions would distribute the lubricants in a more even way. 
Regards,
Jaimito