Watch Winders: Everything You Need To Know | Bob's Watches

This video will cover everything you need to know about watch winders and if they are the best option for your luxury watch collection. Click here now to shop our entire inventory of pre-owned luxury watches: https://www.bobswatches.com/luxury-wa...

Are you interested in learning more about watch winders? Including what a watch winder is, how much watch winders cost, the pros and cons of owning a watch winder, and if you need one for your collection? We have an excellent resource available for you here: https://www.bobswatches.com/rolex-blo...

How does a Watch Winder Work?

If you own a luxury watch, chances are, you’re interested in learning how to best care for it. Many brands, such as Rolex and Omega, require a serious investment, after all. It makes sense that one would want to protect their asset. One way to ensure that your watch is in perfect working order is to store it properly, and watch winders are a popular option for anyone who owns an automatic mechanical watch.

The purpose of a watch winder is to keep your timepiece wound when you aren’t wearing it. Automatic watches are powered by the motion of the wearer’s wrist. As they go about their day and move their arm, the watch will keep itself wound. Watch winders are an excellent alternative if you don’t plan to wear your watch often and don’t want to deplete the movement’s power reserve.

Depending on the type, the winder will rotate the watch in either one or multiple directions. This gentle movement keeps the watch wound.

Do I Need a Watch Winder?

Whether you need a watch winder or not depends on both the watch and your personal preference. If you have a large collection of automatic watches, then a watch winder will save you the bother of having to reset your watch every time you want to wear it. This is particularly useful if your watch includes multiple functions, such as a day and date mechanism. In that case, it’s worth the price of a winder to be able to put your watch on your wrist and go.

If you only own one watch, you probably won’t benefit much from a winder at all, especially if you wear your timepiece often. You might even find that adjusting the date each time you strap your timepiece on your wrist isn’t that much of an inconvenience. In that case, it might be worth it to skip the winder altogether.

Keeping your movement running in perpetuity has its pros and cons as well. To start, wearing a watch often or keeping it in a winder keeps the lubricants within the movement circulating. By keeping these oils from dying out and coagulating, the movement remains in excellent working order. On the other hand, if you properly service your watch, the break-down of the lubricants and oils is no longer a factor because they will be replaced regularly.

Keeping your watch constantly wound also adds a level of wear and tear to its parts, even if it is only an insignificant amount. If the winder is set correctly, the movement will only be wound as much as is needed for that watch.

How do I set my Watch Winder?

That brings us to the important question, how do I set up my watch winder? Depending on the brand, and even model, there are a few factors to consider. It also depends on the watch winder itself as some options don’t offer as many settings as more expensive models.

A popular option included with every winder is the rotation setting. Do you want the winder to rotate your watch clockwise, counterclockwise, or bi-directionally?

Another factor to consider is turns per day to keep the watch fully wound – aka TPD. A standard setting is anywhere from 600 to 800 turns. However, some brands require as many turns per day as 800 to 850. It’s best to do your research beforehand to make sure you choose the best setting for your watch.

How much does a watch winder cost?

A watch winder will set you back anywhere from just $50 to as much as several thousand dollars, depending on the winder itself. Some basic models can accommodate a single watch and include simple settings. In comparison, there are also more expensive winders on the market that can hold multiple watches and offer advanced settings.

It isn’t necessary to buy the most expensive option on the market to keep your collection wound and ready to go at all times. It ultimately comes down to choosing a watch winder with a silent and reliable motor that can accommodate the number of watches you own and the settings needed for your collection. A sensible watch winder should only set you back, at the most, a few hundred dollars.

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