Watch winders are mechanical devices that wind automatic watches and help maintain their functionality even when they are not or only rarely worn. Today, most mechanical watches are equipped with an automatic winding and do not have to be wound by hand as in the past. The watch is wound simply by the wearer’s arm movements when the watch is running. If this is omitted, because the watch is hardly or never worn, a watch winder must be used. This turns the watch placed on it leisurely around the rotor axis and simulates the missing arm movements. The slow “substitute movements” ensure that the winding mechanism still works, the watch does not have to be rewound after 24 to 48 hours and remains intact for a long time.
No readjustment necessary
Watch winders have been around since 1948 and were developed by Hans Schmiedbauer and finally became the cradle of today’s internationally renowned precision machine factory Elma Germany. At first, the then called “circulating regulators” were used to control the repaired automatic watches. However, the many advantages of the watch winder for home use were soon discovered and so they have already found their way into the homes of many watch collectors and are still a popular method of storing automatic watches today. This is especially useful for watches with complications, such as a perpetual calendar or a moon phase display, because with these refinements, the adjustment is often very complex.
In addition, the accuracy can be selected exactly. Thus, highly valued pieces of the art of watchmaking are always ready for presentation. However, even the watch winders themselves are often lovingly designed collector’s items made of valuable materials such as fine woods, glass, aluminum, etc. Some even have several different winding programs to offer. The number of revolutions per day, as well as the direction of rotation is based on the type of automatic winding. Automatic movements are usually wound on both sides with between 650 and 900 revolutions, also known as “UPT” (revolutions per day) or “TPD” (turns per day). The manufacturers of watch winders often offer a listing of the movements and their direction of rotation.
Noble and professional storing
A longer period of standstill can affect mechanical watches, as dirt can accumulate and the fine moving parts can wear irregularly. For watch enthusiasts who own many high-quality automatic watches and cannot wear them continuously, this wear is of course a nightmare. But there is a simple solution: automatic watches that are not or only rarely worn can be kept running with a watch winder and thus long downtimes can be avoided. Moreover, they are always ready for use. There are various devices with one or more movable watch holders, as well as versions where the focus is on function and others whose elegant design almost outshines the watches they contain. Best materials, elegantly illuminated and completed with a viewing window are a real eye-catcher. Such a noble presentation basis offers especially exclusive automatic watches a suitable home and, besides, a wonderful decoration for the living room.
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