To wind (tighten a spring of) something excessively.
People also come in full of misgivings about "overwinding" their watches. "You can't overwind a watch - you can only underwind it," said McKelvey.1989 July 4, Jacquin Sanders, “What makes a watchmaker tick?”, in St. Petersburg Times:
In a typical Morris cock-snook at classical technique, tutu-ed dancers prance Bambi-like across the stage. On and off, on and off, with fixed smiles like overwound clockwork dolls: it should have been charming and funny, but despite stylish individual efforts, the ragged ensemble meant the joke fell flat.1996 April 21, Jenny Gilbert, “Golden oldies reveal the three faces of Ashton”, in The Independent:
1 more example
I met him 10 years ago in a hallway in Harrisburg and departed with the image of a man whose psyche approximated a badly overwound clock: Everything is tight and in place, but nothing's moving.2000 December 16, Dennis Roddy, “The unbearable lightness of being Al Gore”, in Pittsburgh Post-Gazette:
2
To twist (itself) more tightly.
DNA's helical structure implies that twisting and stretching should be coupled, hence the prediction that DNA should unwind when stretched […] That is why it was such surprise when we directly measured twist-stretch coupling to find instead DNA overwinds when stretched.2006 August 7, “Surprise Finding for Stretched DNA. [summary]”, in Ascribe Higher Education News Service:
overwind
noun
Etymology From over- + wind.
1
Synonym of overwinding.
They are intended to prevent the cage falling back in case the rope breaks or in case an overwind occurs.1892, Transactions of the Federated Institution of Mining Engineers, page 55:
overwind
noun
/ˈəʊvə(ɹ)ˌwɪnd/
Etymology From over- + wind.
1
Rare Excessive wind; a movement of such atmospheric air caused by air pressure.