# Watch Winders for Beginners



## EpsilonGamma

(Sorry that this is yet another watch winder for beginners thread (Perhaps a sticky FAQ could be made?)).

I've just bought an automatic Breitling, and because I don't wear it daily it stops and setting the time is a pain, so a watch winder is the solution, the question is what one and the options?

Reading about the winders cheap winders are not the answer, so I'm not going to do that. I've seen quite a few "decent" winders on Uhrenbeweger - Uhrenbeweger fr Automatikuhren - Schmuckkstchen Uhrenboxen Watch Winders (is this site reputable?) and a lot of people talk about Wolf winders.

I'm looking at the Wolf Heritage Single 2.1 for example. According to Designhuette my watch rotation direction is alternating and requires 650 turns. The winder does 900 turns a day, is this too much? Will it damage the watch? Is it best to have a winder that does less or more turns then what's required?

Also people talk about watches losing time on a winder, is this due to the winder doing too few turns or what?


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## Nokie

Wolf is your best bet in terms of quality vs price. 

Use the search engine on this forum to pull up other threads on the topic of winders and TPD.


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## little big feather

Nokie is right...Read thru the threads, all will be answered..You got a great watch, get a Wolf 2.1 and you will be fine.


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## walltico

I got a cheap watch winder and will return it. You want a quality winder for a quality watch and Wolf Designs seems to be the Rolls Royce of watch winders. With my Longines I let it wind 30 times clockwise and 30 times counter clockwise, keeps the watch ticking.


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## sickened1

Yup, after I did a few research on these forums I decided to go with Wolf Designs and couldn't be any happier. The quality is top notch. The only complain I have is that lock on top (a little flimsy) but it's not a huge deal.


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## EpsilonGamma

I suppose it's better to get the programmable winders then so that I know I'll always get the correct setting at some point. (Start from the lowest setting and work up).

I've had a look over the forum (and did so before I posted), and I suppose I just keep on ending up with more questions.

People have mentioned about the angle that the watch is stored at, whether 90 degrees is too harsh and that 45 degrees would be better.

Also people talk about over-winding (and how watches should have mechanisms to prevent this from happening). Is this much of a concern too?


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## mleok

I prefer the Wolf 2.7 winders, as they are much more programmable.


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## Crescentius

EpsilonGamma said:


> I suppose it's better to get the programmable winders then so that I know I'll always get the correct setting at some point. (Start from the lowest setting and work up).
> 
> I've had a look over the forum (and did so before I posted), and I suppose I just keep on ending up with more questions.
> 
> People have mentioned about the angle that the watch is stored at, whether 90 degrees is too harsh and that 45 degrees would be better.
> 
> Also people talk about over-winding (and how watches should have mechanisms to prevent this from happening). Is this much of a concern too?


First: The watch will put up with more stress in a hour on your wrist than a week on your winder, regardless of the angle it's at, don't sweat it.

Second: Over-winding is a myth perpetuated by horse traders who know little or nothing about watches. A watch cannot be overwound in a manner that would cause it not to run, and the term primarily applies to non-automatic mechanicals which are wound but do not run due to movement issues. A winder CAN, however, wind an automatic more than is necessary. An auto, when fully wound, will slip the mainspring in the barrel to prevent damage to the movement from the rotor trying to wind a tightly coiled spring against a hard stop. If left on a cheapo winder which winds too many turns per minute, the barrel can eventually be worn out from the constant slipping of the mainspring. Any programmable winder will allow you to adjust the turns per day, and this is why.

Third: I'm going to catch hell and brimstone for this, but I have yet to see any NECESSARY features presented in any winder in any class above the Brookstone winder series. ~$200 USD (quad winder, ~100ish for a single), unidirectional clockwise, counterclockwise, OR bidirectional, and programmable tpd from 600-3600. It will treat you watch far better than your wrist ever will, and the cost-benefit of the more expensive guys just isn't really present. Nice features, yes, but essentially luxuries (not that I have anything against luxuries, just not in something that's essentially an appliance).

My 0.02


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## dado86x

I have a Brookstone Dual Winder. My Omega SMP-C with cal 2500 loses 8 seconds in 24hrs on it. My Sinn 556A with ETA-2824 lost 30 seconds in little over than 72 hrs. Anyone have any opinions?


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## Crescentius

That could be normal (watches aren't designed or regulated to keep time in a fixed position, they're designed to do it on your wrist) a given position being -10s per day would be unusual for a properly regulated swiss, but not unheard of. It could also just be that you need to increase the tpd a tick if you're consistently losing. I'd give the watch a full manual wind before testing a given turn rate.


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## Nokie

This helps- Orbita Watchwinders | Watch Winders, Wilmington, North Carolina

Click on "Database' at the bottom of the page.


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## ltwo

Apologies for hijacking/piggybacking this thread. I bought a winder a couple of months ago and I'm wondering if it's an "ok" winder in terms of specs. It's been working alright so far but my main concern would be things like damage or wearing out a watch (too many turns?) etc.

Here's the link: Automatic Watch Winder FOR 2 Watches "Star Wars" LED Lights Model R2D2 LED | eBay


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## flyingcamel

The Orbita database lists my watch as: Both 600

Does that mean I can set my (Wolf) winder to either CW 600 or CCW 600?
Or should I set it Both 600 (which is really 600 of each direction so 1200 total turns/day)
Or Both 300?

Do Orbita winders work like Wolf in that the turns/day are doubled from the setting if Both is selected?


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## threeputtbogey

Or just pick the watch up and wind it once every few days. It takes 10 seconds. The only reason you need a winder is because the watch up and wind it on days you aren't wearing it.


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## little big feather

flyingcamel said:


> The Orbita database lists my watch as: Both 600
> 
> Does that mean I can set my (Wolf) winder to either CW 600 or CCW 600?
> Or should I set it Both 600 (which is really 600 of each direction so 1200 total turns/day)
> Or Both 300?
> 
> Do Orbita winders work like Wolf in that the turns/day are doubled from the setting if Both is selected?


I do 300 on my bi-direction watches...That's a total of 600 hundred.
On my CCW only watch I do 600 CCW TPD.
My Orbita Roto-wind has no settings because it does not do TPD, It rocks ...See Orbita site for details.
The Roto-wind can't wind a CCW or CW only watch.....Orbita does make the regular kind too, I think.


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