Watch Winders
Watch winders are a device to keep your automatic watch running. They are part of the luxury of owning a luxury watch. Automatic watches, of course, operate on the principle of movement. If they are not worn, the watch will not be wound and it will eventually run down. Winders are also used with battery-less quartz watches, such as the Seiko Kinetic.
A watch winder is a small device that spins the watch, emulating the normal movement of a wrist. This will wind the watch in about half an hour. Most watch winders are timer-based, and this will be enough to adequately wind the watch. You can purchase one of these for as low as $50, but many fine-looking watch winders (made of teakwood and other materials) are available for $250 to $400, perfect for the avid watch collector.
Why buy a watch winder?
Watch winders are absolutely necessary for the avid collector of automatic watches. If you have several watches, a watch winder will keep your watches going.Some people justify the expense of a watch winder by claiming that the oils will clog if you do not keep the watch moving. However, the fact is that most watch oils today are less viscous than those used in older watches.
Watch winders are most justifiable for watch professionals, but they are also perfectly reasonable gifts for the watch collector on your list. The links nearby will show you the array of interesting models available.
If you have a watch with a perpetual calendar, and you do not want to wear the watch all the time, keeping it wound with a watch winder will save you lots of trouble resetting the time and date.
The single biggest advantage of a winder for seldom used watches is for those with complex perpetual calendar features that may require elaborate resetting after the watch has been stopped for a while.
Winders for Manual Watches
Orbita also makes a winder device that you can fit around the case of a manual wind watch. The Orbita Sempre Winder grasps the crown of the watch with small collets that wind the watch just as you would have to do with your fingers. They’re a great buy for the truly avid watch collector: you can pick one of these up for $1995 US.Watch Winder Cautions
If you are going to go through the trouble of purchasing a watch winder, you would be well advised to avoid the bad, cheap watch winders out there: these can actually harm or even permanently damage your watch.And for heaven’s sake, do not try to make a homemade watch winder. It’s simply not worth it.
