OT: watch winders

[crownjewelwl]

my guess is there are some watch hounds on the forum. any recommendations for a good watch winder?

[AngryScientist]

i made my own :D

[melonyogloo]

I used Wolf Designs and Orbita winders. Never had a problem with either.

[Charles M]

I would say Orbita, but with the knowledge that you very simply are paying too much (though with stuff like this, it's all relative). They make a Sparta line that isnt a horrible value...

Eilux are also pretty good and a lot less cash and there are everwell, ERS and Penelop.


Geek out on it.

Winders are a lot like watches as some people are willing to pay insane amounts of money vor little functional difference

[bigflax925]

I've had Eilux, Orbitas and the cheapies from Ebay.

The Eilux is good, but they can be pricey. I had a triple and it lasted about three years. Very quiet and it had a nice little tray for other jewelry. It also was battery operated if you wanted to keep it in a safe.

The Ebay cheapies are just that - cheap garbage. Loud and very crude in comparison.

Orbitas, as the best that I've found. I've had three, the biggest being a six watch Monaco. I've traded as my collection has fluctuated. I'm down to a leatehr-covered Ascona quad now. Very quiet, very refined. Fabulous fit and finish. Quiet enough that it could be in the bedrooom.

I will say this: I have had the motor in my Ascona crap out three times. I paid for the repair the first time because it was out of warranty. However, the price was reasonable. The other two times have been covered by Orbita with no questions asked. I assume that they had a batch of bad motors. although my watches tend to be on the large, heavy side.

Orboita has an online "outlet" store where you can get their winders. They may be older models of have a finish blemish. My Monaco msix supposedly had a finish blemish, but I couldn't tell. Price was half of retail, which I think is very fair and well worth it.

[bumperjohn]

I have an Orbita which has run flawlessly for 4 years now and holds 4 watches. I would buy another if I needed to replace it. Not cheap but it has been money well spent.

John

[Louis]

Does the motor in a winder run constantly? I can't imagine why it would have to.

Electric motors are ancient technology and you'd think that they could make some that would last an extended period of time (say, 10 years) given the relatively light use they'll see in a winder.

[bumperjohn]

No, the motors do not run continuously. You can actually set the better winders to an individual manufacturers recommendation. I think that on my Orbita each winder spins for maybe a few minutes each hour. Each of the 4 motors can be programmed independently of the others.

John

[MarcusPless]

I use a no-name that I bought off of ebay some number of years ago. It seems to spin the watches and keep them wound, but I'm no expert.

[troymac]

Just make sure you get one that also operates in both directions (clockwise and counterclockwise) as some movements are direction specific. If your not sure if your movement is direction specific you can go to a forum like watch geeks and they can answer that for you.

[sjbraun]

Really, you have so many watches that you need a device to keep all of them ticking?
This strikes me as odd, but then others would think the same about the number of bikes hanging in my shed.

[SoCalSteve]

Really, you have so many watches that you need a device to keep all of them ticking?
This strikes me as odd, but then others would think the same about the number of bikes hanging in my shed.

High end watches are like high end autos...they need to be kept running so the seals, gaskets, etc don't dry out. It's better to keep a self winding watch wound all the time then start and stop it...

Hence, if you own more than one self winding watch...get a watch winder.

[lhuerta]

High end watches are like high end autos...they need to be kept running so the seals, gaskets, etc don't dry out. It's better to keep a self winding watch wound all the time then start and stop it...

Hence, if you own more than one self winding watch...get a watch winder.


Absolutely not true….this is what the watch winder manufacturers want you to believe. The reality is that mechanical watches will run longer between service intervals and with higher accuracy when you do not use a winder. You simply do not need to have the mainspring in a fine mechanical watch fully wound all the time nor is it recommended to do so in order to guarantee accuracy. As long as you don’t leave your watch in non-functioning mode for long periods of time the fine oils in the watch will not dry up (by the way, seals have nothing to do with a mechanical watch’s function). So in answer to the OP’s question, if you want your watch to run more accurately and provide longer service between (expensive)service intervals, do not use a winder. Many purist believe that mechanical watches are meant to be handled, wound and manipulated. If you want your watch to run constantly, buy a quartz watch.
Lou

[bigflax925]

Unless you have a watch with lots of complications, like a triple date moonphase, for instance, a winder is not a necessity.

However, it's nice to be able to pick up your watch and not have to re-set the complications.

[crownjewelwl]

thanks for all the replies. really looking for convenience more than maintenance. i have 3 mechanical watches and i find that i don't wear them all because i don't like having to set the time.

i will look into orbita...thanks again!

[jimp1234]

Have to agree. The manager of the Rolex service center in SF told me when I was getting my Submariner serviced a few years ago that the only thing watch winders were good for was getting the watch back to the service center sooner...

Absolutely not true….this is what the watch winder manufacturers want you to believe. The reality is that mechanical watches will run longer between service intervals and with higher accuracy when you do not use a winder. You simply do not need to have the mainspring in a fine mechanical watch fully wound all the time nor is it recommended to do so in order to guarantee accuracy. As long as you don’t leave your watch in non-functioning mode for long periods of time the fine oils in the watch will not dry up (by the way, seals have nothing to do with a mechanical watch’s function). So in answer to the OP’s question, if you want your watch to run more accurately and provide longer service between (expensive)service intervals, do not use a winder. Many purist believe that mechanical watches are meant to be handled, wound and manipulated. If you want your watch to run constantly, buy a quartz watch.
Lou