what is a good price to pay for a winder

[triton]

i have been asked many times what price should i pay for a winder or is this winder value for its money?

i cannot tell you how much should you pay for a winder. why is it that some winders cost 300 while another winder that perform the same functions aka wind the watch, ability to set TPD and set directions cost 3000.

some of the reasons can be due to the cost of the material to produce the parts such as ability to set TPD, ability to set TPD, construction of box, motor to be used, watch holder, number of watches per winding pod, branding, etc.

construction of box, for those buying wood finish winder, the weight of the box needs to be there, why? some watch winder companies use lower quality wood which may cause problems in future. for those buying leather, what kind of leather is being used.

motor is what i consider the most important in a winder. most manufacturers give 12 months warranty. however, what happens if a seller say 6 months warranty. i leave it to you.

watch holder is important as well, why? if your watch uses a bracelet, it can stretch your bracelet.

some winding pods accommodate 2 watches. i usually avoid this type of winding pod. this is because in order to place 2 watches on a single pod, it means both watches MUST share the same TPD and direction. secondly, if only 1 watch is place of the pod, does it affect the winding of the watch considering the technical aspects.

now the crux part, why pay 3000 for a winder, because in most cases they have a reputation of producing good quality watch winder. do understand that if you place your few thousand dollars watch on a winder, the last thing you want is the winder damaging your watch movement.

[Oceanklassik]

How much a watch winder should cost is very dependable on the manufacturers but how much should one plough his/her money into acquiring it, is another ball game. I think this very much depends on how much one believes (or disbelieves) in a watch winder. Just like in any other hobbies right. If you don't believe in a watch, you will find even one that costs $100 expensive. If you do, you won't even blink an eye buying a $5,000 piece.

For me and I quote, "the last thing you want is the winder damaging your watch movement". Then I feel 'safer' not to have a winder at all. Anyway I can still manage with just a handful of inexpensive watches ..

[feilong108]

For me i prefer not to have my watches on winders too....as i do not have watches that have very complicated movements....

[TanWL]

For me no brand is ok as long as able to fullfill these criteria(ability to set multiply TPD, good quality motor,1 watch per winding pod) and don't cost alot I will go for it.

[triton]

good quality motor means that they would have a certain cost to it.

for me, good quality motor means it should last without any issues for at least 12 months.

then again, more importantly is when your winder breaks down. who can you send it to. sometimes you pay more for after sales service and a 'reputable' seller. a reputable seller means that the seller is likely to be in this trade for at least couple of years. also the seller must be able to provide support when needed.

good quality motor and don't cost alot I will go for it.

[TanWL]

I agreed " seller must be able to provide support when needed", that is why I only buy from shop that are the products AD. For me the amount to pay also go by the % of the watch cost. It will be around 10% or less of the watch cost. So within that range I will try to find the best products that I can buy.

[ten10]

IMO, the answer depends on two factors: -

1) Perception of Value
It can be broken up into 3 categories, mainly perceived value in terms of cost, materials and country of origin.

a) Cost
Most buyers think that a winder is just a box that turns a watch and if they can get a winder far below ‘market price’, they’ve found a great bargain! On the other hand, a few others know the cost of the winder rest on the type of motor used.

b) Materials
It’s difficult to tell from the exterior if materials used in a winder are truly what they are and really where they’re made. From what I’ve seen, all housings are not solid oak, mahogany or even clad with real CF but paper foil and with the PU lacquer, everything is concealed.

It’s impossible to tell if real Japanese motors are in used as it requires one to open up the interior. Portescap, Maxon, Igarashi Motoren and Faulhaber are motors used in professional watch winders that are robust, highly reliable and durable. But all these come with a price.

It’s also impossible to tell what types of components are used on the circuit boards. Are they using a ‘motor driver-shared’ system? Are circuit boards NEMA graded? Are plugs and sockets UL listed and CE Approved?

c) Country of Origin
Most winders are made in China. That’s a fact! Most winders sold today are actually re-branded and sold as German made, Swiss made, or wherever they are sold from.

I’ve a personal experience on a cheap winder that’s supposed to be from an Australian company and sold for about 15 times the product cost.

So what I’m saying is that buyers perceived such values according to what sellers tell them.

2) Perception of Function
And again, most buyers think that a box with a motor shouldn’t cost so much.

If you’ve noticed, some websites would elaborately describe the aesthetics instead of its functions and what its winder can do for watches. By the same token, such manufacturers have run dry of ideas on improving their watch winders. There’s practically no R&D from them to improve performance or the functions. So they resort to adding LED lights, making ‘pink’ exteriors and using leather from an elephants’ tail. Do all these improve the winders’ function and care for your watches?

To a buyer, if the winder rotates, it’s ok to use. But what about the TPD and Winding Direction? Are the TPDs delivered to what your watches require?

A winder should serve the purpose of keeping your watch in just the right amount of power reserve - that’s Function. It should serve out its warranty period. And lastly, it should look presentable with your kind of taste.

I’ve seen a complaint from a popular website of a customer that bought a USD80 winder and said it’s not good as it died after 18 months. What was her perception of this product?

The perception of function to a buyer is still in an infant stage. As I’ve said before the full sentence should be, “Automatic watches cannot be over wound as there is a slip-clutch but with constant and prolong use it’ll wear out the barrel and eventually require repairs.” IMO if any watch manufacturer were to say this openly, I think the repair/service center would not have any jobs because users will take off their watches after X amount of hours. No manufacturer would also do a research on this.

So it’s up to a buyer to do his/her homework prior buying a winder actually. I’m also continuing my pursuit in searching for an ultimate winder that maintains the state of wind.

[roguehog]

Sorry for reviving this thread.

Good tips and opinions all around.

With regards to triton's bit about warranty period... That was one of the reasons my wife got me my watch winder. It came with a 5-yr warranty and the after sales service has been great so far. Not that it broke down frequently but I had been back to change the a/c unit which my wife mishandled and broke. They replaced it foc. Went back for new copy of the database which they gladly provided.went back to seek advice on how to wind my wife's watches which were much smaller. They cut out sponges for me to facilitate that. This brought me to another point. When buying a winder, it mint be a good idea to bring your wife's watches if younare gonna place them inside as some of these brackets/cushions might be too large for them.

[Plastic face]

I got mine with the purpose of just watch winding. Battery and Electrical socket type. I rec the elec socket type, no need to change batt. Got it a year back for abt 200 + from Hour Glass. Dunnno if they still carry it. Still works fine.

[Mattias]

Hi, I also wanna have a watch winder. Anybody know where i can find one cheap in Singapore?