[scottw44]

What do we all use for winders? My nightable currently has three Wolfs, a no name model, and my Ball Orbita.

The no name works well, wish I could remember where I bought it. The tpd and directional switch sometimes misses a beat going up, and down, but once st you are good to go, and I have figured out it's quirks. It houses my wife's Limes Artemesia.

Brandon mentioned Wolf's in a previous thread and I have three of them. They are about 6 months old, and so far have worked without fail. My Anonimo is in one, and my DFreemont in the other.

As I was recently gifted a Ball Orbita, I have an open slot, but no budget to fill it currently. The Orbita is the Sparta Model, which moves every 10 or fifteen meinutes, depending on setting (more info below). I usually wear my Moonphase in the work time and the Night Train at night, so they have been "sharing" this winder.

The "spare Wolf" gets called to work if both Balls are being rested the same day.

Anyone else use a watchwinder...I would love to know which one or ones, and your thoughts.

Orbita has an outlet store...here is a link...

http://www.orbita.net/pages/15002.htm

Rob at Toppers has last years Wolfs at great prices...I think he has a few left:

http://www.topperjewelers.com/watches/wolf_watch_winder/famous_maker_winder_clearance/

Here is a link to a Wolf AD who sells on the Bay... I have two units from him and he will give you a store receipt for warrantee work if you ask. He also has great deals on last years models, which are only cosmetically different, and I like their look better than the '08.

http://search.ebay.com/_W0QQsassZwatch1011a70

I also have my original cheapie eBAY 4 watch model. No direction, winds both ways, has a rest period, but no TPD setting. I have an Invicta and a Trias on there. A lamp timer controls TPD. It also holds six additional watches and I have my favorite vintages in there...2 Hammy's, 2 Bulovas, an Omega, and a Longines...all fairly old:001_smile:

Here is some info on how the Sparta works, from the Orbita Site:

Unlike other watchwinders which rotate a watch in order to wind it, the unique SPARTA 1 AC & DC watchwinders gently swings the watch instead. Every 10 minutes (standard program) the internal control micro-processor signals the drive motor to make a single turn, causing the watch to swing back and forth for several oscillations just as it would if it were being worn on the wrist.

The 15 minute program (extended program) available on battery operated winders allows many watches that wind in both directions to remain fully wound while on the winder, providing increased battery life by as much as 50%.

The oscillating winding action of the SPARTA 1 watchwinder is totally self-regulating and there is absolutely no chance of damaging an expensive watch by over-winding. A semi-circular rotor, attached to the back of the mounting cup, is the "heart" of the patented ROTORWIND® system. Made from a dense, non-magnetic iron material, it is supported by two free-turning precision ball bearings, thus enabling the heavy mass of the rotor to produce the "back and forth" motion when the cup is raised and then released from the 12 o'clock position.

 

[HockeyBrand]

Scott. I've got this pretty awesome glass display cabinet from my father's Cookware store. Cube shaped and stands about 6 feet tall. Each of the shelves are glass and all four sides are glass. I'm thinking of displaying all my watches in their wooden boxes or original packaging. I can wire in the AC adaptor to my current Costco 2 watch winder. And I'm thinking of getting a Wolf Design or I'm intrigued by this Cradle of Time 3 watch winder that I can get locally. Zen Craft from Japan. Imported by a local watch store here in the city.

Whatever the case will be. I still won't have have enough to cover all my automatics. :crying: But I realize that the inexpensive multi winders just may not be practical in the long run!

 

[scottw44]

Wow

That is one cool box. I have not seen or heard of them before, but what a look.

 

[HockeyBrand]

It's a scary thought for a Winder newbie like myself. My initial approach in my scratch notes from years back is to simply count up my treasured autos and search for winders with the optimum number and space.

I really got sucked in with the assortment of Glossy Wood, Carbon Fibre option, soft plush pillow interior, multiple 16 watch winder and 12 quartz display, etc! I’ve even seen some of these single watch winders at Sharper Image and Brookstone fall apart in front of me.

Every google search always steered me to these lower quality Auction site winders. Now with my personal experience of having issues with the poor quality motor, I have learned my lesson. I’m back to putting my top two favourite watches on the noisy winder buried in the closet. And I still have the problem of re-setting everything to my atomic watch when I pull out a watch from it’s original box for some wrist time.

It's going to have to be a better researched purchase based on several criteria. Number one being a quality quiet-motor. The more I become informed, I think I just may be heading toward some of the reputable name brands in the watch winding arena!

 

[scottw44]

That's My Story

I watched a few friends guinea pig some winders and got to learn from their experience and posts. The SWI my friend ordered would never keep his watches wound for more than a few days, even if put on the winder fully wound, and regardless of setting. So that saved me a few hundred dollars.

Last year I got lucky, and a few of my gifts from relatives where cards telling me to buy a winder. My wife told them of my dilemna and I got lucky a few times over, and then got the Orbita a few weeks ago. I went from one winder to many overnight.

I love the single, because if something happens, I am only out one winder, and the double winder is usually about twice the price with Wolf, the triple, about triple the price, so other than space (my area is covered with watches any way), I like the singles as there isn't a huge price savings the other way.

The Orbitas are a little out of my price range, based on the 50% off deals I can get on the Wolfs, but I love the Sparta Ball Orbita that I was gifted. I have noticed great prices on Orbitas in their outlet store lately also.

A few weeks ago, Orbita even had a promo for 100 winders for Beta Testers at 200 a piece. These are their higher end winders and were gorgeous. (Orbita Pic Below)

If you can't tell already folks, I am a little winder obsessed, but I like to rotate through a few watches, and this keeps everything ready to roll.

 

[sys12345]

I dont have much experience in watch winders since i only got my first winder about 6 months back. It can be quite intimidating when one is shopping for the first winder. There are so many winders to choose from, with a huge price difference among them. I've read of terrible feedbacks from cheap winders. On the other hand, it seems that you have to pay and arm and a leg for an established model. I was hoping to find a winder which is decent yet affordable.


1) My first watch winder, an ERS double watch winder

Its made in Hong Kong using a Japanese motor. Universal AC/DC power supply with settings for clockwise, anti-clockwise and bi-directional rotation. It has a fixed effective TPD rated at 650-800. It works well for all my watches, keeps them wound but at less than 100% power reserve. The motor is almost dead silent, rated at only 5dB. I've been using it for almost 6 months and its still working perfectly. The motor doesnt get any noisier and the rotation is just as smooth. It may not be as cheap as the cheapest winder one can find on ebay but its definitely affordable.



2) My second watch winder, Luxupak single watch winder

I've posted some information about the winder here : http://74.50.21.220/~watch18/forums/showthread.php?t=2159
Like to add that its still working great, have been using it for more than 3 weeks. The 4xAA batteries are still kicking. Will continue to monitor to see how long the batteries can last. Its very silent, almost to the extent of non-audible rotations even if you put your ears close. As far as i can tell, you really dont always have to pay top $$$ for established brands to get yourself a decent watch winder IMO. :thumbup:

 

[scottw44]

thanx

thanx for sharing sys12345. Looks like 2 great units!

 

[sys12345]

Thanks! May be looking for one more watch winder but if i add another to my collection, its going to look quite out of place with an assortment of winders on my table!

thanx for sharing sys12345. Looks like 2 great units!

 

[sys12345]

HockeyBrand, u might like to take a look at my winders. Not all cheap winders are bad, though it may be the case for many bought off ebay.

It's a scary thought for a Winder newbie like myself. My initial approach in my scratch notes from years back is to simply count up my treasured autos and search for winders with the optimum number and space.

I really got sucked in with the assortment of Glossy Wood, Carbon Fibre option, soft plush pillow interior, multiple 16 watch winder and 12 quartz display, etc! I’ve even seen some of these single watch winders at Sharper Image and Brookstone fall apart in front of me.

Every google search always steered me to these lower quality Auction site winders. Now with my personal experience of having issues with the poor quality motor, I have learned my lesson. I’m back to putting my top two favourite watches on the noisy winder buried in the closet. And I still have the problem of re-setting everything to my atomic watch when I pull out a watch from it’s original box for some wrist time.

It's going to have to be a better researched purchase based on several criteria. Number one being a quality quiet-motor. The more I become informed, I think I just may be heading toward some of the reputable name brands in the watch winding arena!

 

[bullosa]

I have considered winders but as Sys said, contemplating your first winder is kinda intimidating. The established brands are too costly in my opinion. I may change my mind about it later.

I hand wind my watch at the moment and will only buy watches with hand wind and hack movements. So no more 7s26 watches for me. My high end quartz takes care of themselves.

 

[sys12345]

I may get flamed for saying this but since we are on the subject of winders, has anyone ever stopped to think why are winders priced so high? Some branded ones are even more expensive than many watches. Winders are no rocket science IMO and there's no real breakthrough designs in winders. Essential componets are the housing, holder, DC motor and power supply. Only 'smart' component is possibly the IC within it, which allows to control the direction of rotation and no. of turns. Does a small high quality DC motor costs hundreds of dollars? IC components are cheap. If we were to take apart a winder of an established make vs that of a lesser known brand, are we likely to see a huge difference in the quality of components? I'm guessing not. Perhaps the real significant costs comes from labour (as in hand constructing the box) and perhaps whatever material used to impart the luxurious feel. Thoughts on this anyone?

 

[bullosa]

Sys, I am equally puzzled as to why winders cost as much or more then some watches. They can be mass produced and have great market potential in an age automatic watch revival.

I am sure every Invicta or Seiko 7s26 fans out there could use a few; many of them have dozens of watches but a single winder often cost as much as a watch for that market.

 

[scottw44]

The prices baffle me too, which is why I searched so hard to find some good prices on a known brand, and got turned on to Wolf, as their 07 models are still being highly discounted (50%) and the only difference between the 08 is cosmetic.

Another one that drives me crazy is the price of watch straps...glad I found Don Ginsler.

 

[Watchdog]

My guess as to why they are so expensive is that they are not a high sales volume item. They seem to be more popular recently and maybe even more in the future but taken as a whole there are not very many sold compared to many other products with similar technology. Volume is the key to low cost so maybe we would see prices drop with increased demand. If you were to ask 100 random people on the street if they had a watch winder how many would say yes? My guess is 0-3 and I bet the majority may not have even heard of a watch winder.

 

[sys12345]

I have a different view on this. Watch winders are designed for keeping automatic watches running. In general, automatic watches are more expensive than quartz watches. Perhaps the winder makers, believing that many of their target customers should have spending power, decides to market the winders as a luxury item instead. As such, what is supposedly an affordable item has turned into a branded luxury item. High pricing => high profits.

 

[scottw44]

Great Perspective

Good thinking Watchdog and sys12345. That could just be it...a little bit of both concepts. Those thoughts eluded me, and you both have me intrigued.

 

[bullosa]

My guess as to why they are so expensive is that they are not a high sales volume item. They seem to be more popular recently and maybe even more in the future but taken as a whole there are not very many sold compared to many other products with similar technology. Volume is the key to low cost so maybe we would see prices drop with increased demand. If you were to ask 100 random people on the street if they had a watch winder how many would say yes? My guess is 0-3 and I bet the majority may not have even heard of a watch winder.

Watchdog,

It's a chicken and egg thing. The sales volume of watch winders are not consistent with the overwhelmingly high sales volume of automatic watches worldwide. Price is still the prohibiting factor to me. If I have to spend $100 for a winder, I'll put the $100 to my next watch or a nice watch strap. I know watch straps is another topic but at least I understand that natural tanning process of some select leathers are costly and takes time.

With industrialization, a watch winder can be produced easily at great speeds and volume for mass market. Perhaps the established winder manufacturer should offer winders at a more attractive price and gain a bigger market share with repeat sales in mind for WIS. Eventually it will be impossible to hold the high price when Chinese made unbranded winders get their act together. And that wont be long because watch winders really are a lot easier and cheaper to produce then watches.

 

[scottw44]

Yet another great thought Bullosa! Very illuminating indeed.

 

[Watchdog]

Watchdog,

It's a chicken and egg thing. The sales volume of watch winders are not consistent with the overwhelmingly high sales volume of automatic watches worldwide. Price is still the prohibiting factor to me. If I have to spend $100 for a winder, I'll put the $100 to my next watch or a nice watch strap. I know watch straps is another topic but at least I understand that natural tanning process of some select leathers are costly and takes time.

With industrialization, a watch winder can be produced easily at great speeds and volume for mass market. Perhaps the established winder manufacturer should offer winders at a more attractive price and gain a bigger market share with repeat sales in mind for WIS. Eventually it will be impossible to hold the high price when Chinese made unbranded winders get their act together. And that wont be long because watch winders really are a lot easier and cheaper to produce then watches.

As Sys12345 said, they are a luxury (and convenience) item so not everyone who buys an automatic is going to buy a winder to go with it. This is especially true of lower priced autos. If someone spends $100-$200 on a lower priced auto are they going to want to spend even an additional $50 for a winder? Some would but most will not. As a general rule this probably doesn't change much even for more expensive watches. After all, who likes the thought of buying something and then having to spend additional money to maintain it. Also, I realize that most on this forum have multiple watches but the majority of the population that has autos probably only has 1 or 2 so it's not that big of deal if they have a winder. As you said about yourself, they would rather spend the money elsewhere. There's also an issue about design. Not everyone wants what is essentially a watch display case sitting on their dresser. The WIS community is a small one and I don't think many outside of it would have much interest in a winder even if the price came down.

I certainly wish they were cheaper and hope you're right that competition will bring the price down. Even if this happens it may take awhile since the new cheaper winders would need time to prove themselves as a quality product. As with most industries, the higher priced winders have proven themselves and not everyone is going to immediately trust an unknown.

 

[HockeyBrand]

Here is my 4 month old $100 two watch winder. So noisy, it's buried in my closet. :001_tongue: