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A timepiece is not just an accessory but also a statement of style, personality, class, and fashion. You could wear one every day or wear one occasionally. However, the fact remains that you need to maintain the automatic watches in a good position to serve you for a long time. One way to do this is by buying the best watch winder available today.
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However, before investing in a watch winder, here is an article you need to go through for proper guidance. It will address whether you need to buy a watch winder, a watch winder buying guide, whether a watch winder is safe for your timepiece, the length of time the watch winder should be running, and address common problems you might have to deal with when you buy a watch winder among other interesting topics. Let’s get started;
What to Consider When Purchasing the Watch Winders
1. Do I Need a Watch Winder?
This depends on whether you have a manual or automatic watch. Manual watches need you to wind them with your hand for them to keep running. However, their automatic counterparts are powered by the natural wrist movement as you go on with your day. This is because there is a rotor at the back of the device that rotates every time your wrist moves, powering the mainspring and this keeps your watch ticking.
Without wrist movement, an automatic watch can only run for 30-40 hours. Hence, to keep it moving, you have to keep it moving. This is where the watch winder comes into play. It mimics the movement of a wrist to keep the mainspring powered and keep the watch ticking. Therefore, for someone who has several automatic watches, buying a watch winder is inevitable. This ensures that the timepieces display accurate time and that they work as they should all the time.
The market gives you numerous watch winder options with varying designs and styles. Therefore, you can use a watch winder to display your style and personality while keeping your timepieces collection running and protected.
In case you have only a single automatic timepiece, you will find a watch winder designed for a single watch, but if you have several of them, the market also offers you a watch winder designed for multiple timepieces. Therefore, a watch winder is a must-have accessory for anyone with an automatic watch to protect, store, beautifully display, and keep the entire collection active.
2. What Size Do I Need?
The question of the size of the watch winder that you ought to buy for your automatic watches is important to consider before making the purchase. If you only own a single automatic watch and wear it always, then you might not need a watch winder at all as you can keep the mainspring active. Nonetheless, if you own a single automatic watch that you wear occasionally, you will need to invest in a cheap watch winder with a single slot for your timepiece when it is not in use.
In the event that you have several automatic watches, it only makes sense to buy a cheap watch winder to accommodate all of them. For instance, if you have six automatic watches and always one, you need to buy a cheap watch winder with at least five slots to accommodate the rest that you aren’t wearing. This ensures that your timepieces are active, operational, and ready whenever you need one.
For avid automatic watch collectors, you should look for cheap watch winders that feature numerous slots to accommodate your newest purchase. The market gives you cheap watch winders of different sizes including 8. 16, and 32 slots for those with a wide collection. It also gives you options with one or two slots for people who are just trying out the use of automatic timepieces. A watch winder comes in handy for storing and protecting your valuable collection under lock and key.
3. How Much I’m I Willing to Spend?
The market offers you numerous cheap watch wider options and all of them feature different prices. One way of narrowing down the options is setting a budget of how much you want to spend on one.
You can get cheap watch winders for under $100 with great quality. However, you need to be careful going for this option because some models have substandard quality within this price range. Therefore, depending on the product you decide to purchase, you risk buying one that can break down within weeks of use or even damaging your watch’s motor in the worst scenario. Hence, you need to be choosy enough to spot a reliable cheap watch winder that will keep your timepiece operational and in good condition.
The price of a watch winder differs depending on the number of slots available, quality, and warranty. If you are running on a tight budget, the market gives you cheap watch winders under $100, however, focus on quality.
Nonetheless, if you need a product of decent quality with just a single slot and a limited warranty, prepare a budget of at least $200. However, if you are an avid automatic watch collector, looking for a luxurious watch winder, with numerous watch slots, extra accessories space, customized spin settings, and friendly warranty policies, prepare a budget of at least $1000.
When buying a watch winder, your budget should be determined by how much space you need and the extra accessories you need on it.
4. Is It Right for My Watch?
When buying a watch winder, you need to think about its compatibility with your automatic watch to avoid wasting money. Some of the things you need to consider include;
- Rotation direction and turns per day
You need to think about buying a product that can keep all your watches active, regardless of their specific caliber of needs. Therefore, the motor that comes with the watch winder should deliver clockwise, bidirectional and anti-clockwise movements simultaneously, depending on the needs of your various automatic watches. Additionally, the watch winder should also allow you to customize turns per day of every watch.
- Strap size
The watch winder needs to be flexible in order to deliver optimal timekeeping as well as user comfort. It should adjust to accommodate various strap sizes to accommodate all your watches.
- Latency period
This is a very critical point to consider when buying the right watch winders for your timepiece. The watch winder’s sole obligation is maintaining your timepiece’s power reserve and not running 24/7. This happens with periods of latency through the revolution cycle.
The latency period represents times when you are not moving your wrist like when sleeping or taking a shower among other moments.
Therefore, when the timepiece is fully rewound, the watch winder should take a rest for several hours, before resuming the revolutions for a recharge.
Are Watch Winders Bad for Your Watches?
No. it is advisable to have a watch winder for every automatic watch that you do not regularly wear. You only have to be cautious about setting the latency period and turns per day for optimal performance and proper maintenance of your watch. If you do this, you do not have to worry about damaging your precious timepiece.
How Long Should I Leave My Watch on a Watch Winder?
There is no limit of time to how long you can leave your timepiece on a watch winder because the watch winder has periods of latency that should be customizable to match your watch’s needs. Additionally, the automatic watch stops wounding once it is fully charged. Therefore, no potential damage comes with leaving it in the winder for long hours.
Can I Overcharge an Automatic Watch?
No. you cannot overcharge an automatic timepiece because its rotor is designed to stop spinning once it is fully charged. It automatically stops directing power to the mainspring once it reaches its wounding limit. This eliminates the chances of overcharging the timepiece.
Common Problems in Watch Winders after Long-Term Use
1. The winder spinning much slower
There is a possibility that the watch winder can start spinning slower than expected after serving you for years. This is because of a sudden loss of motor capability, which is repairable when you notice the problem.
2. Generating noise
After some long-term service, a watch winder might start generating some loud noise, which comes from the device motor. To manage this, some high-end brands equip their watch winders with silent motors, which might be the case with cheaper brands. This may not be obvious immediately when you buy a watch winder because you can barely hear any noise from any new device. However, with years of service, the motor wears out and the noise is conspicuous and therefore, easy to detect.
3. Charging issues
This is an issue that is most prevalent in battery-powered models after years of service. Such models are mainly convenient because you can carry them wherever you go. Nonetheless, with time, the charging capability might reduce due to the presence of a bad alternator or parasitic battery drain. You can easily detect this issue once it starts occurring, prompting the need for repair.
4. Turning issues
Apart from a timepiece winder slot slowing down its movement, it can actually stop after years of service. When it stops moving, the motor might go quiet or the motor might still be active somehow. This is caused by a damaged motor or loose gears and can be repaired when it occurs.
Final Thoughts
This is an informative article about watch winders and hopefully, it answers all your questions when buying or operating one. An automatic watch is a style, personality, and fashion statement not just an accessory. However, to maintain it in great condition, you need to buy the best watch winder on the market. You can get one with a single slot, double slots, or as many slots as you need for your timepiece collection. Buy one for yourself or a loved one to beautifully display and securely protect those prized possessions.
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