The selection of models, sizes, designs and functions of available watch winders is as full of variety as the watch winders themselves. Watch winders can be differentiated based on their functions as well as their design (stand-up or built-in) and form of presentation.Watch winders are machines with a simple but vital task to perform for watch owners: ensuring that automatic (or self-winding) watches have sufficient energy for their clockwork drive by generating constant and steady motion. But that’s not all watch winders can do.
While simple or more affordable models are equipped with a single motor, high-end watch winders feature a separate motor for each watch. The constant rotation also allows you to monitor the precision of the gears and ensure that models with a perpetual calendar are ready to use and set to the correct date even when they have not been worn for an extended period of time. An electric motor (powered by a battery or adapter) ensures that the winder rotates constantly and with sufficient motion to keep the watch wound. A watch winder takes care of this potential annoyance. Of course, a watch that has stopped can be rewound and the date corrected, but having to do that for more than two watches can be a very time-consuming task. In the premier class, each motor also allows the rotational direction and the number of rotations to be set by the user, since not all self-winding watches are wound through bi-directional rotation. This protects, in particular, delicate self-winding watches from being damaged through irregular use. Stylish lighting of select watches, or all of the watches, is a quality feature found in many watch winders.For collectors and dealers of self-winding watches, it is important that all of their watches run all the time. Watch winders can differ significantly even in these basic functions. The watches are strapped into a special brace or a box.
Another key role of the watch winder is to offer an appropriate and high-quality presentation of valuable pieces of jewelry. Watch winders made of quality materials, including fine woods, are particularly well suited for showcasing valuable watches. Orbita, one of the leading makers of watch winders, even has a device (The Orbita Sempre, below) that is specifically designed for manual-winding watches. Dealers and manufacturers can embellish their products through such presentations, while watch lovers can use the right watch winder to highlight their collection and express their appreciation of their watches.