Watch winders - are they worthwhile?
Discussion
As per title really - are they genuinely useful, or a gadget for gadgets sake? 
Looked at a couple of examples on eBay which came with plenty sales blurb which made it sound like having an automatic watch and not using one was tantamount to mechanical cruelty!
DESCRIPTION: Steinhausen, The maker of the line of popular Automatic Watches, introduces their new, improved best-selling Winder. If you own a Rolex, Panerai, Omega, Tag, Bulgari, or ANY other brand of fine automatic watch -- a winder will pay for itself many times for the life of your watch.
A watch winder will keep your watches running even when you do not wear them for an extended period of time. This is done by periodic spin cycles. This STEINHAUSEN winder has FOUR spin modes, including Auto-Direction Reversal so watch gets full range of motion. Keeping your watch running not only eliminates the hassle of constantly having to manually re-setting the time and date manually (which can lead to watch failure), but also the watch is benefitted internally, keeping lubrication from clumping. Accuracy is also enhanced.
A watch winder can reduce the frequency in which you need to perform maintenance on your watch, which can cost several hundred dollars each time. Dust is a big enemy to watches. This box will protect your watch form dust.
Link here if you're interested:
http://stores.ebay.co.uk/Click-HERE-T
Anyone have one - or any recommendations? Despite the blurb, I'm actually quite tempted by one simply as a half decent storage box!
Looked at a couple of examples on eBay which came with plenty sales blurb which made it sound like having an automatic watch and not using one was tantamount to mechanical cruelty!
eBay seller said:
DESCRIPTION: Steinhausen, The maker of the line of popular Automatic Watches, introduces their new, improved best-selling Winder. If you own a Rolex, Panerai, Omega, Tag, Bulgari, or ANY other brand of fine automatic watch -- a winder will pay for itself many times for the life of your watch.
A watch winder will keep your watches running even when you do not wear them for an extended period of time. This is done by periodic spin cycles. This STEINHAUSEN winder has FOUR spin modes, including Auto-Direction Reversal so watch gets full range of motion. Keeping your watch running not only eliminates the hassle of constantly having to manually re-setting the time and date manually (which can lead to watch failure), but also the watch is benefitted internally, keeping lubrication from clumping. Accuracy is also enhanced.
A watch winder can reduce the frequency in which you need to perform maintenance on your watch, which can cost several hundred dollars each time. Dust is a big enemy to watches. This box will protect your watch form dust.
Link here if you're interested:
http://stores.ebay.co.uk/Click-HERE-T
Anyone have one - or any recommendations? Despite the blurb, I'm actually quite tempted by one simply as a half decent storage box!
I have a couple and am looking at getting another - I have time-mover by Buben & Zorweg (might be putting one on fleabay soon). They are great machines and have a surburb finish - problem is they aren't cheap.
Watch out for the cheaper ones as they can be noisy which means you have to turn them off at night (if they are in your bedroom), also reliability can be sketchy if they use plastic gears, which many do. Get a battery powered/rechargable one if you can.
Watch out for the cheaper ones as they can be noisy which means you have to turn them off at night (if they are in your bedroom), also reliability can be sketchy if they use plastic gears, which many do. Get a battery powered/rechargable one if you can.
Well, I rotate my two watches every six months using the Navitimer in summer for racing and the Superocean in winter because it is easier to read. Both watches function perfectly and neither has been serviced in at least six years probably longer. When not in use the other watch just lies in the drawer and I've never had a problem. If, interestingly, there is such a problem what happens between manufacture and sale? I've never seen a watchwinder in a jewellers and as far as I know once the watch is manufactured it just lays around, perhaps for years depending on the make and model, until sold. If it's good enough for them it's good enough for me.
I have one which I was going to put up on ebay this weekend!
It is a 6 watch winder and can also hold another 9 watches so in total you can store 15 watches. It's Piano black in colour, if you're interested drop me an email or reply here and I'll send you some pics/more details. It's only 3 months old and I'm selling it as I bought a 9 watch winder as I just bought a few more watches
As for do you really need one then it depends on the quality and quantity of watches you have - I own Rolex's, Omega's, Breitlings, Panerai's, Franck Mullers, Cartiers and Tags and I don't wear them all at the same time. In fact the Franck Muller is only worn on special occaisons and the Tag Mclaren SLR i bought more as a collectors edition but it's nice to have them all wound up and ready to be worn whenever needed. I can't stand having to take out a watch and then winding it, changing the date and time to make it ready for use...and leaving these watches standing without being wound is murder for the mechanicals!
Hope this helps...
It is a 6 watch winder and can also hold another 9 watches so in total you can store 15 watches. It's Piano black in colour, if you're interested drop me an email or reply here and I'll send you some pics/more details. It's only 3 months old and I'm selling it as I bought a 9 watch winder as I just bought a few more watches
As for do you really need one then it depends on the quality and quantity of watches you have - I own Rolex's, Omega's, Breitlings, Panerai's, Franck Mullers, Cartiers and Tags and I don't wear them all at the same time. In fact the Franck Muller is only worn on special occaisons and the Tag Mclaren SLR i bought more as a collectors edition but it's nice to have them all wound up and ready to be worn whenever needed. I can't stand having to take out a watch and then winding it, changing the date and time to make it ready for use...and leaving these watches standing without being wound is murder for the mechanicals!
Hope this helps...
535dman said:
As for do you really need one then it depends on the quality and quantity of watches you have - I own Rolex's, Omega's, Breitlings, Panerai's, Franck Mullers, Cartiers and Tags and I don't wear them all at the same time. In fact the Franck Muller is only worn on special occaisons and the Tag Mclaren SLR i bought more as a collectors edition but it's nice to have them all wound up and ready to be worn whenever needed. I can't stand having to take out a watch and then winding it, changing the date and time to make it ready for use...and leaving these watches standing without being wound is murder for the mechanicals!
Hope this helps...
Thats why I use one - so I can put on a different watch in the morning without faffing around winding/setting the date/moonphase etc.
Drop me an email about your winder - I might be interested.
535dman said:
...and leaving these watches standing without being wound is murder for the mechanicals!
That can't possibly be true. If the watch is not wound and not moving no friction / wear can occur which has to be better. As another poster said they are not kept in winders between factory and jeweler.
Having said that I fancy one to avoid having to wind my watch after not wearing it for a few days.
Ben
benyeats said:
535dman said:
...and leaving these watches standing without being wound is murder for the mechanicals!
That can't possibly be true. If the watch is not wound and not moving no friction / wear can occur which has to be better. As another poster said they are not kept in winders between factory and jeweler.
Having said that I fancy one to avoid having to wind my watch after not wearing it for a few days.
Ben
The argument is that the oils inside settle so don't work properly when yo wind/wear the watch again. Personally with modern watch oils I think this is tosh. Saying that some Pateks come with a winder!
Yep it's all to do with the oils and some rolex's especially the likes of the Daytona certainly can be affected if not used for a long period of time. One of my uncles Daytona's got screwed up when he kept it in a bank locker and took it out after around 18 months the service centre was on about something jamming inside the movement - not to sure as I love watches but am not a mechanical man!
Mostly for the reason of not having to set them when I fancy a change, I use one of these www.rapportlondon.com/windersQuad_W141.html
Though on the date front, as I don't own a perpetual, I do have to make adjustments every now and then.
Not sure why, but I'm also sure it must be better for a watch to keep it going as opposed to letting it run down, sit for a bit, be set then run up, repeat etc.
Though on the date front, as I don't own a perpetual, I do have to make adjustments every now and then.
Not sure why, but I'm also sure it must be better for a watch to keep it going as opposed to letting it run down, sit for a bit, be set then run up, repeat etc.
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