watch winders + straps questions

[erics]

hi everyone, my collection of watches is increasing slowly, but surely!
i would like to wear them in rotation daily but having to readjust them is a pain.

so i am after a watch winder... any one uses them?

frankly, i would not want to spend a fortune on them and browsing on the web shows an awfull lot of options...

Can anyone recommand a make for 2, 4 or 6 watches?

How much should i spend?? i was thinking £100 to £200 tops.

There seems to be a guy on ebay selling some decent products: he is called officialtime...
Anyone been doing business with them?
...


Finally, regarding the straps. I am after a croc, dark brown, black or dark blue for a vintage breguet type XX. Must be 20mm... I have looked on the net at various places, and usually look under IWC, or Breitling as it won' t make a great deal of difference to the watch... i have looked at waccex.com
following previous advice here. Can someone confirm they are good, or advise another good VFM place for such straps?

Thanks in advance,
Eric.

[BigWithey]

Me (Oris) and a mate(Breitling, Tag, + Fortis) have used these guys a couple of times, good service no probs.

http://www.watchworx.co.uk

[HA51EMT]

I bought a winder 18 months ago, although initially I thought it OK if not a little noisy, one for the spare room, not the bed room!
Hardly used it of late though.
Was bought off eBay, can't remember the seller though.
It's a two watch winder with various settings, paid about £65.
Similar to this:
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/DUO-LUXURY-DUAL-AUTOMATIC-WATCH-WINDER-NEW_W0QQitemZ120222215751QQihZ002QQcategoryZ290QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem 
There is a school of thought that constant winding causes more wear & tear on the movement therefore affecting accuracy.
Saying that I bought a 35 year old LeJour Chronograph and it's almost as accurate as my 18 month old Sinn.
Both have the Valjoux 7750 movement.

Cheers,
Tel

Edited by HA51EMT on Sunday 17th February 18:18

[tertius]

BigWithey said:

Me (Oris) and a mate(Breitling, Tag, + Fortis) have used these guys a couple of times, good service no probs.

http://www.watchworx.co.uk

Seconded.

I've used them a few times. Also worth checking out:

www.rltwatches.co.uk

www.timefactors.com

http://www.watch-bands-straps-bracelets.com/shop-w...

In terms of specific straps Di-Modell and Rios/Sirtoli are top quality.

[erics]

thanks everyone for the feedback, will take a good thorouh look and revert!

[GregE240]

Guys, a quick question to those of you who own watch winders...

One poster has replied saying that their winder is a bit noisy, and for the spare room, not the bedroom - tell me, is this a common theme?

I own 5 automatics (3 Tag, a Seiko and a Rolex), and keeping them wound is a pain at times!

Thanks for your comments.

Greg

[Watch-Collector]

Generally speaking watch winders were developed for high end or complication watches that usually require continued wind otherwise the timing and regulation of all functions need to be re-set and with some movements this can be a time consuming process and also not always the best proceedure for the movement particularly when a certain set of instructions are recommended to be followed rigidly!!
Normal auto movements dont really require a winder particularly if they are modern generic movements.
The only worry really is the chance of the lubrication drying out over long term un use and causing extra strain on the gearings etc when the watch is worn after a period of un use ,but here we are really only talking about an older watch!
Watch winders have become a bit of a fashion accessory in recent years , there are many available now and most should be pretty quiet , having electric motors mains or battery powered particularty for the Safe sized models.
If you need one best go for a well known brand Like Rapport or Hillman as they are Uk based and offer are great after sales service through any one of their many agents!

Watch-Collector

Edited by Watch-Collector on Monday 18th February 21:48

[aeropilot]

GregE240 said:

Guys, a quick question to those of you who own watch winders...

One poster has replied saying that their winder is a bit noisy, and for the spare room, not the bedroom - tell me, is this a common theme?

I've got a single watch winder, and it doesn't make a sound.....but it does have an annoying flashing green led on the front though.

You however won't get a quality winder or multiple winders for 5-6 watches for the budget you are looking at.......