Do I need a Watch Winder? Simple answer is no. So no need to read on, or is there? Well, I obviously thought I needed one which is why I have one for review. Yes, bought with my own money. You can see the full review and unboxing of the Wolf Viceroy Watch Winder, with Module 2.7 on my YouTube channel, including how I bought it. Please check it out.
Do I need a Watch Winder?
Divided Opinion
I have received quite a few comments regarding this video. It was no surprise if you follow any of the Facebook Groups or Forums. Anyone who dares ask the question: “Do I need a Watch Winder” or “Which Watch Winder do I need”. Well, bring on the rage. There are very few subjects that divide and Watch Winders appears to be one of those subjects that brings out the worst in community. That and the Rolex bubble.
You will get the comparisons to leaving your car running all night, which to me isn’t the same thing. And there are inferior products out there that will potentially shorten the service life of your mechanical time piece. What I’m talking about here are the cheap winders you find on Amazon and eBay. They don’t take into account the number of winds the watch needs or provide a rest period to let the main spring unwind. You may also find them noisy. In the video I review a Wolf Winder and Wolf say they are the only company that counts the number of winds. I’ll leave the marketing to them, but needless to say, the Viceroy Winder I review with Module 2.7 is pretty remarkable in it’s programmability.
Designed for a Purpose
But rage and trolling aside, these are genuine products that suit a genuine need. That need is to automatically wind your watch when you’re not wearing it. Clearly this doesn’t apply to manual wind watches such as Omega Speedmasters, despite some high street authorised dealers throwing in watch winders on these models. Well, you can always sell it. Or you could just enjoy your watch going round and round on your desk or sideboard.
Why I Bought a Watch Winder
So why do I need a watch winder then? Well for me it was to continuously rotate my watches through the week. I’m a busy guy, and the thought of grabbing a watch and finding it stopped, with the wrong date and time while I’m rushing out to join the M40 conveyor belt is not what I needed. My answer to this was to buy a watch winder.
I had a single automatic watch for 17 years that I wore daily. Never felt the need for a winder, and when I look back, can’t remember if I knew they existed. But as the collection grew and I wanted to wear them all throughout the week, I tended to find that the one I wanted may have stopped. I also found that the Omega Planet Ocean didn’t like being stored dial up in the box, gaining disproportionate time over night where it would otherwise keep pretty good time on the wrist, crown down. So I now had 2 automatic watches, a battery powered quartz and a manual wind in my Speedy.
As time went on, I started to wear the Seamaster 120 less and less and started to enjoy interacting with the Speedmaster and wore it more regularly. Sometimes I would wear it for a week at a time and enjoy winding the watch at bedtime just before putting it back in the box. It’s one of those watches that keeps time well enough not to worry about it. With no date complication, if it stopped as I’d forgotten to wind it I’d just click the crown out and set and wind.
Keeping Tabs on Time
Now this brings us back to the original question. Do I need a Watch Winder? For me, the answer is now ‘no’. I wear my watches for longer periods of time now and don’t put them in the box at night. I ensure they are stored in such a way that they lose or gain the least time when not on my wrist. I achieved this through trial and error using the Watch Tracker app, a very pleasing voyage of discovery with each new watch I purchase. Other, free apps are available, but I like this one.
This inevitably means the other watches in the collection will stop. I now have 3 automatic winding watches and a single manual wind, so all will need time in my hands to bring back to life when I want to wear them. And funnily enough, it takes no time, and I’m never late for work. This is time well spent and a chance to look over the case for any damage, and give it a wipe over with a lens cloth.
Complications and Winders
Getting back to the points around wear and tear in the movement. I’d say, that buying a quality winder like this Wolf model is not going to inflict any more wear on your watch than normal daily wear. Given the opposing views to how bad winders are, some will say that unscrewing the crown and putting winding forces through the stem are worse. I also hear that winders are ‘OK’ if you have calendar complications as these can be difficult to reset, and not in a hurry. So hang on. A winder will damage a simple 3 hander, but it’s OK to put in an expensive and incredibly complicated watch?
Time to Stop
We live in a world of choice and are bombarded with information and opinion in everything we do. Sometimes I’m surprised we buy anything at all with the risk of being told you made a bad decision or paid too much. I think it’s good to do some research, but don’t live your life through others. Use their experience to make ‘your’ mind up and buy products that will enrich your life. The choice is yours.
