Choosing a Watch Winder - Tips & Advice
There are many factors to take into consideration when choosing a watch winder - with a bit of careful thought in advance of making a purchase you can ensure you are investing in a device that's right for your needs.
By taking the time to make a prudent purchase, you will be spending your hard-earned cash on a watch-winding accessory which will serve you faithfully and efficiently for many years.
It definitely makes sense to buy the best quality watch winder you can afford - as with many things in life, you get what you pay for. There's a lot of truth in the saying 'buy cheap, buy twice'.
An inferior, tacky and noisy winder is a recipe for disaster and it will probably start to malfunction and stop working sooner rather than later. It could prove to be a classic case of throwing your money down the drain.
A more expensive winder, on the other hand - manufactured by a company with a solid reputation for quality - is almost certainly going to prove a sensible investment. It will be made from materials that are built to last and components that are reliable and efficient. A good quality winder box is also likely to have several indispensable on-board features.
It's certainly worth taking the time to read a few reviews of various watch winders and finding out what previous buyers have to say about them before making a purchase.
There are many well-established watch brand names such as Orbita, Wolf, Rolex, Rapport, Beco, Excelvan, CHIYODA, Time Tutelary, Klarstein, JQUEEN, Barrington and Steinhausen who are committed to technological excellence when it comes to producing watch-winding products.
These highly-regarded companies release new models of watch winders regularly in their quest to provide a range of top quality products for lovers of automatic watches.
A wealth of different manufacturing techniques have been employed in the winding mechanisms themselves, to ensure they serve their owners loyally for many years.
The features available on these innovative winding devices are many and varied. They can include bi-directional winding, storage drawers for additional watches, atomic-clock-synchronised time display, adjustable cuffs, an integrated heater to emulate body temperature and a remote control for operating the device.
If you currently own only one automatic watch, but there is a possibility you may buy more in the future, then it would be really short-sighted to purchase a single head winder, as this will clearly not be able to meet you needs when it comes to winding your new devices.
If you have a moderate budget it is definitely worth taking the time to find the best watch winder you can afford - ideally with a few features you require. You may find it is worth holding off for a while until you can afford a slightly more expensive device, rather than end up with a winder box that falls short of your specific needs.
Noise is a key consideration when choosing a watch winder - the quieter the better. An ultra-quiet motor movement by Japanese company Mabuchi is a wise investment if you want to experience total silence.
It really is worth spending a little bit extra to ensure your new purchase doesn't become a noisy distraction when you are trying to work at home or in your office.
It's certainly more preferable to have a stylish and quiet winder taking care of your prized automatic watch in full view, rather than having to hide it away in a drawer or elsewhere just to avoid constant irritating noise.
You will also need to decide whether to opt for a winder box with a mainspring rotor that winds the watch clockwise, counter-clockwise or whether it will be bi-directional and operate in both directions.
It's also important to ensure the watch winder lets you choose a TPD (turns per day) setting that will enable you to keep your timepiece fully wound. Most automatic watches have a specific TPD range and you will need to buy a winder that has a setting that falls within the required range.
A good watch winder must be able to provide the requisite number of TPD throughout a 24 hour period, with breaks in between.
Some watch winders have a limit to the weight of watch they can accommodate and might not be suitable for heavy watches in the upper weight range - therefore you need to ensure any device you are thinking of buying will be acceptable.
If you have a very large watch and chunky you also need to ensure you don't buy a small winder box which will be struggling to accommodate it. It is important for a watch to fit comfortably into a winder box and not be cramped.
It's also worth taking into consideration the power supply side of things. If you are keeping your watch, or watches, at home when not in use, a mains-powered device is fine. However, if you want to wind your watch away from home, then a battery-powered or dual-powered winder, with a rechargeable battery pack, may be a better idea. A mains-powered winder isn't going to be much use to you if you a spending a holiday camping in a tent, for example!
As you can see, there's quite a lot to consider when choosing a watch winder - however, when you've given the matter some thought we're confident you'll find a device for sale here that meets your requirements.