watch winders - cheap vs expensive

[shawn77]

Pardon me for my ignorance, but why do some watch winders cost a bomb (eg orbita) when their functions and programme(clockwise anticlockwise etc) are generally similar to those cheaper watch winders ?

thanks in advance

[Tools]

Some winders that are cheap..such as the Steinhausen, don't have enough power to rotate a heavy watch and burn out in a short time.. Others are not shielded and can magnetize a watch from the motor field.. Others don't have any flexibility in the sizes of pillows or watch opening... Some are wood, others fibreboard or card board construction..

It's up to the buyer to ensure the winder meets his requirements and is sufficiently powered......... then look at the cost...

It's like a Ford or Lincoln too, ... same basic function but one cost twice what the other does..

[DRAWTOOL]

Some believe, as do I, that whatever the cost, they are a waste of money...

[omg]

Easy Google search you can find Orbita in very good price. IMHO Orbita is the best winder out there.

[padi56]

Originally Posted by DRAWTOOL

Some believe, as do I, that whatever the cost, they are a waste of money...

Have to agree most certainly the best winder is ones own wrist,and those kind people at Rolex still put a winding and setting crown exactly for that purpose.Many watchwinders today have a high quality finish on the outside to justify the extremely high price,but hiding some very cheap mass-produced insides, IMHO its best to save your money and put it toward another watch.

[joeychitwood]

Noise is also a factor with cheap winders. I purchased a generic winder for about $125, and within two months, I had to turn it off at night (it was on my dresser) as it made too much noise. It sits unused in a closet now.

[SLA]

I'm not a fan anymore. I bought a medium price, 3 watch winder, Tourneau/Wolf Design recently. One winder has quit working completely and another is making noise. In addition, the larger, heavier watches won't stay in place unless you shim the turning pillow with a bit of folded paper.

[omg]

I think the way I use the winder don't create any harm to the watch.

I rotate the watch every 3 weeks/2 watches out from the safe at the time.

These 2 will take turn stay on the Orbita which swings once every 10 mins and the other one on the wrist.

and 2 of my watches are hand-wound so sometime I don't use the winder at all.

The way my wife use it with her DateJust.. She'd like to wear no watch over the weekend so her Orbita will swing only weekend once every 15 mins.

Let me know if I am missing something.

[sakuraba]

I've had my Orbitas for a few years now, and neither have given me any problems (breakdowns, noise, quality issues, etc).

My cousin who bought one from ebay for $40 has had to replace it several times now. First it wouldn't wind enough (watch would stop evn when on the winder). Then the next one literally fell apart. The last one lasted him a few months before the noise became unbearable. Funny thing is, he keeps buying the cheap ones.

I agree that they are not necessary, but if you have to have one for convenience I suggest you buy an Orbita. Sure it's expensive, but so is your Rolex.

Besides, with your Orbita, you'll only buy once.

[rr-nyc]

I've gone through a few brands over the years and I agree Orbita is top notch but I cannot justify buying another one for the price. I recently purchased a Rotolution winder and its by far the best winder I've had--- Fully programmable and very nice The fit and finish isn't as nice as Orbita but at nearly half the price, I'm willing to overlook it.

Almost a year later, its trouble free

[Penman]

Originally Posted by DRAWTOOL

Some believe, as do I, that whatever the cost, they are a waste of money...

Not if you have a Rolex w/o quick date set. I have a 1675 GMT which I wanted to rotate with my other watches. However, the date was always wrong when I went to put it on, and so it didn't get worn. I bought a battery powered Scatola Del Tempo winder I can keep locked up when not wearing the 1675, and the watch is always ready to go when I want to wear it, with the exception of having to correct if the month has less than 31 days. It was a very worthwhile investment, and the winder has been running continuously for almost two years.

[Lion]

You get what you pay for so don't go cheap to save money but I agree the wrist is the best winder!!!

[WatchnRoll]

Anyone know how the Wolf design 1.5 module rates as a winder?

[Watch Professor]

I've had the Wolf 1.5 for about 6 months and it works very well. You can't adjust the revolutions per day but it's advertised as 600 so is correct for Rolex.

[m_later]

What about the Wolf 4.0 winders?

[WatchnRoll]

Originally Posted by Watch Professor

I've had the Wolf 1.5 for about 6 months and it works very well. You can't adjust the revolutions per day but it's advertised as 600 so is correct for Rolex.

Thanks. Which setting do you have it on? A, B, C?

[mpkRolex]

Originally Posted by padi56

Have to agree most certainly the best winder is ones own wrist,and those kind people at Rolex still put a winding and setting crown exactly for that purpose.Many watchwinders today have a high quality finish on the outside to justify the extremely high price,but hiding some very cheap mass-produced insides, IMHO its best to save your money and put it toward another watch.

x2

[Rippin]

Originally Posted by m_later

What about the Wolf 4.0 winders?

Basically offers most of the functions that other top winders do. In addition to that, it's modular - so you can attach more winders as your watch collection grows. They are quiet enough for me to have in the bedroom but I wouldn't want it right beside the bed, as I have several of them. The rotors are strong and can easily turn large sport watches. They come with 3 sizes of pillows and one module connector. They can run off the supplied power cable or the internal rechargeable battery. The case is plastic, the cover is metal and glass. It doesn't have the panache of nicely finished wood winders, but MSRP is $299. Oh, and if you do a little searching you can pick these up for way less than that.

I've had them for only a year so I can't really comment on their long-term durability.

[m_later]

Thanks Rippin. I managed to pick up one from Row Nine with their closeouts. They were sold out but then I got an e-mail stating they were able to get 8 more. I bought 2 figuring on future growth (and from looking at both the DSSD and GMTIIc TT I think there will at least be a 2nd).

[Rippin]

It's great to hear that you were able to score on the RowNine closeouts. I just received another 4.0 winder from them today. You just can't beat that price!

[m_later]

Those must be some heavy suckers. I already received a tracking number and UPS lists the shipment at 15lbs????

[Rippin]

Just the opposite, they are relatively light weight, but they come in huge boxes.

[ArcticMoose]

Wow, this has me thinking, and it is going to be expensive:
http://www.orbita.net/NEW/Sparta%201%20DoItYourself.htm

(Besides $3000 for the winders, about $1500 for other materials and $15000 for matching furniture, I'm going to need roughly $95000 for the watches and $700000 for a house to put it all in!)

Anyone have photos of their custom displays to share?

[padi56]

Originally Posted by m_later

Those must be some heavy suckers. I already received a tracking number and UPS lists the shipment at 15lbs????

And just because anything is heavy don't always necessarily mean its quality.

[Puffy]

Look for Wolf Design. All I have is Wolf, so I am biased...

[nauticajoe]

If I were to purchase a winder, it would only be between the Orbita and the Wolf. I wouldn't trust my watches to the cheap winders. It may do more damage than good. Not worth it IMO.