|
 A
watch winder is a device used to keep automatic (also known
as self winding) watches running when not worn. Automatic
Watches use a pendulum like device called a rotor which
rotates inside the watch as you move your arm each flick of
the wrist causes the rotor to rotate in a circle and when it
does it winds a spring inside the watch. This spring stores
energy for keeping the time keeping movement moving. The
Rotor can rotate clockwise or counter-clockwise. (If your
watch has a clear back case you can see the rotor in
action.) If automatic watch is not worn, then it no longer
receives power this way and will stop. Almost all automatic
watches can be manually wound by hand but this is not always
convenient and once the watch stops it looses the correct
time. So the concept of an automatic watch winder was born.
A watch winder is a storage place for your automatic watch
with built in electro mechanical component to rotate the
watch around its axis to wind the watch and maintain its
optimal power reserve.
A winder cannot over wind an automatic watch because all
automatic watches are protected from being over wound by a
mechanism that disengages the winding process when the
mainspring is fully wound, but if the watch is fully wound
and the winder continues to rotate it will cause unnecessary
stress on the movement and the winding mechanism. But
using a good properly designed winder you will prevent
excessive wear on the winding mechanism.
Winders are generally used with automatic watches or any
watch where a rotor winds mainspring of the movement or
charges a cell like in some meca-quartz hybrid movements.
 Up
until now there were no watch winders deal with manual wind
watches. Recently Orbita, one of the leading watch winder
manufacturers, intoduced such a device in its Sempre 2 watch
winder. The SEMPRE watch winder is the first and only watch
winding device that will keep virtually any hand-wound
mechanical watch with an accessible crown fully wound when
unworn.
The SEMPRE
design substitutes a mechanical finger arrangement, called a
"collet", which grasps the watch’s crown securely and
rotates it. Several different size collets are provided to
fit any watch crown diameter from 3 to 9 millimeters. These
collets are custom made of acetal plastic to prevent
scratching or marring of polished watchcase surfaces. The
collet is mounted in a rotating tubular drive shaft,
supported by low-torque precision ball bearings. It is
powered by a miniature servomotor coupled to techno-polymer
drive gear system fitted with a safety slip clutch. The
collet is opened by pushing a spring-loaded plunger at the
opposite end of the drive shaft. Releasing the plunger
closes the collet, clamping it on the watch crown.
While
browsing the internet in search of information on watch
winders you will surely come across a theory that a watch
winder will protect the movement oils from clotting. The
truth is that in most modern watches and watches that have
been serviced by a competent watchmaker have oils that are
not prone to clotting or coagulation. While there are
technical reasons in favor of keeping a watch continuously
running, there are also reasons in favor of not
unnecessarily overusing a movement. There is no evidence
that a fine watch winder will either save or harm your
watch. The many watch repair and industry professionals
Proworth deals with never encountered a watch that they
believe would have been fine, if only the owner had kept it
on a winder or wound it manually when the movement ran down.
Do I need a
watch winder is a question we hear all the time when one
purchases a fine Swiss watch. Only you can answer this
question for yourself. The first thing we ask when we hear
this question is how many automatic watches do you have and
how often do you rotate them while wearing. After all most
mechanical movements have a power reserve of around 48 hours
or 2 days or so. The main function of a winder is as a
convenience device and an object of luxury. If you don't
mind setting the time on your watches and winding them
manually after they sat for awhile you probable do not need
a winder. But if you have a few watches and like to choose
the one you want to wear on the fly without having to set
the time winder is a great thing to have. Plus most good
quality winders come in packaged in luxury elaborately
finished wooden and leather cases and make a perfect storage
place for your watches.
 One
time when we always recommend a winder is when a customer
has an automatic watch with complicated calendar function
like a perpetual calendar, equation of time, display of
solar time or a watch that for example keeps track of tides.
These types of watch require longer then usual time to be
set correctly. In all you can only wear one watch at a time
but like many of watch collectors out there having a few
timepieces should not get into this dilemma. Whether
you choose to have a winder or not you will always be able
to enjoys you watches even if you do have to wind them from
time to time.
Another
question we often get is why our winders are so expensive
and the only thing we can tell you is quality. We only carry
winders from the best manufacturers in the world and we
offer them to you at rock bottom price. The biggest
difference between the top quality winder and a cheap mass
produced device is the quality of the motor and the ability
to be programmed by the user. Motor is very important. All
electrical device have EMF (electro magnetic filed) and
certain types of EMF can be harmful to watches. Properly
shielded motors in a winder is a must. Second important
thing about motors and the gears they are connected to is
how quiet they are when in operation and can they keep being
quieter after they get broken in. Most cheap winders are
loud and they only get louder with time. Imagine keeping
something like that in your bedroom and it turns on at
night. One of our employees tried this and had to throw away
$80 winder purchased from a large retail chain just because
it would keep him and his wife up at night. Top quality
watch winder manufacturers use best available motors and
design engineers spent numerous month insuring their winder
is properly insulated and uses the components which will not
allow the device to become unusable. The second important
thing in a winder is its ability to adapt to a watch or
watches that they will be winding. Most better winders on
the market, like the ones that we offer at Proworth, are
able to rotate your watch in certain direction and certain
amount of times depending on the type of movement your watch
has. Plus if its a winder designed to deal with more then
one watch at a time it will do so for each watch, allowing
the owner to program it separately. Some mass-produced
multiple watch winders have only one motor to save on the
cost and those putting your watch in risk of being damaged.
Watch winder manufacturers emphasize the quality, the
precision, and their knowledgeable design to correctly
pamper your watch. You have to factor in the hand built
quality and finish into the price also. Don't forget these
are specialty items manufactured in relatively low
quantities. Although winder manufacturers keep their sales
numbers confidential, it is safe to guess that sales are a
few thousands of units per year. Top notch manufacturers
like Orbita and Scatola del Tiempo use only best woods and
top grain leathers in construction of their winders. Put
this together with specially designed electrical motors,
hand built quality and finish and you have the price.
 There
are only a few manufacturers of watch winders. The types of
watch winders currently on the market tend to fall into
three main categories:
Functional: Such winders perform the duties of winding one
or more watches. Generally, these units hold the watch on
the exterior of the device. As such, they tend to need to be
on a tabletop or somewhat tall shelf. Some which handle more
than one watch start to resemble carnival rides, with their
merry-go-round or ferris wheel configurations and multiple
rotating watch holders.
Elegant: These winders go beyond pure functionality and
offer a nice form and exterior. Normally they are a
completely enclosed box, often made of nicely finished wood
or covered in leather. They are suitable for display on a
desk or dresser, yet many are capable of fitting inside a
drawer or safe deposit box.
Extravagant: As with many luxury items, the sky is the limit
on options. Winders with heaters to keep the watch near body
temperature, built-in storage drawers, and
atomic-clock-synchronized time displays are some of the
esoteric and beyond features available on some of the very
high end winders.
Within these are options of a/c and battery powered units.
The battery units are especially nice for use on shelves, in
drawers, or in a safe deposit box.
The one main
thing to remember is that a bad watch winder is worse than
no winder. Automatic watches are designed to be worn by
people. People move in a large diversity of manners, causing
a fairly even distribution of motion of the watch's internal
winding mechanism. A watch winder is normally limited to a
very finite number of directions and types of movement --
some as little as one single motion. So a poorly designed
winder (especially the one you tried to make from an old
electric drill and spare auto parts when you first heard
that a real winder sells for hundreds of dollars) might
cause undesirable wear of the watch's mechanisms from
excessive and repetitive movement.
Proworth is
proud to offer only the best available winder on the market
to its customers. Orbita and Scatola del Tiempo are the best
known brands in watch winder business and have earned the
trust of watch collectors throughout the world. |
