Some common accessories people buy for their watches are watch winders. This is a device which is used to keep automatic watches (also known as self winding watches) running when not worn.
An automatic watch
is quite clever in the way that it works because it winds itself using
a moving weight inside the watch. The weight swings (or rotates,
depending on the watch) when it is worn, and this is what turns the
winding mechanism inside the watch.
Simply put, if a
watch is not worn, then it will “run down”; in other words, it will
stop working. However, watches that have watch winders can keep
working, even when not worn. They do this by holding the watch, and
moving it in circular patterns to imitate human motion. This operates
the self-winding mechanism.
So what is the best watch winder?
Although
you can buy a watch winder made by a Swiss Watch company for your
watch, there are actually many other that are not Swiss made, but are
just as good. Most are designed to work with many swiss watches, such
as Audemar Piguet, Baume & Mercier, Blancpain, Breguet, Breitling, Bulgari, Cartier, Philippe Charriol, Corum, Dubey & Schaldenbrand, Duffeau, and Ebel, to name but a handful.
However, it is not
vital that you own one, as many Swiss watches can be wound up manually.
It is a convenience device more than anything. If you have a watch you
hardly ever wear, all you need to do is wind it up every couple of
days/weeks and let it run down. You would probably be better off doing
this manually.
However, if you have
a watch that you wear infrequently, a winder is great way for keeping
it ready to wear at a moment’s notice. It all depends on whether you
want to spend the time manually winding the watch, or whether you would
rather have the winder do it for you.
Watch winders are
very expensive devices, and can range between $200 and $8000. But why
do they cost so much? Part of the reason is because of the quality
craftsmanship involved, their precision, and their knowledgeable
design. The other main reason is because these are specialist items
that are manufactured in low quantities.
Swiss companies such as Penelop
make good winders, and are ideal for those who collect Swiss watches
and want to keep everything truly Swiss. However, some watch winder
makers advertise themselves as Swiss when all they have are Swiss
mechanisms or Swiss Silsuede interiors. Check with the manufacturer if
it is a true Swiss winder or not, if the country of origin is important
to you.
There are three main types of winders that you can buy: functional, elegant, or extravagant. The choice you make depends on your needs and tastes. A functional winder can wind one or more watches. They need to be placed on a flat surface so they can hold the exterior of the watch.
An elegant winder
is normally enclosed in a box, and, as well as being functional, are
nice to look at. Many are made of polished wood or leather. A lot of
people choose to put them in display cabinets or on mantelpieces. This
is where the Swiss watcher winder makers excel in the market, as the
Swiss have long be known for their excellent craftwork and designs.
An extravagant winder has all the functionality and elegance of the other two watch winders, but go above and beyond the call of duty.
Some have heaters to
keep the watch near body temperature. Others have built-in storage
drawers. And others still have atomic-clock-synchronized time displays.
There is much debate in the watch making world about which brands are
the best watch winder.
However, many enthusiasts agree that ERS
is a good choice, as they are an award-winning company. They have been
running for over 15 years, and have distribution centres in Canada, the
USA, and Asia.
Everwell, a Hong Kong-based watch winder manufacturer, is also a good choice for those looking to buy quality made winder, as is Wolf Design Watch Winder. However, if you are looking to choose a Swiss winder then a Penelop watch winder would be the best choice.
They have a variety
of benefits including (but not limited to), the ability to wind up to
four watches at a time (on the standard version alone), an extremely
handsome case, and the fact that the watch is set on a vertical plane,
which makes sure that the rotor of the watch perfectly activates the
wind-up mechanism.
One thing you should
is that a bad watch winder can be worse than no watch winder at all. A
winder is usually restricted to a very limited number of directions and
types of movement.
This means that a
poorly designed winder might cause unwanted wear on a watch's
mechanisms from excessive and repetitive movement. So, think twice
before you try to make your own winder out of spare parts in the
garage! You would be better off buying the real deal.