Watch Winders FAQ

What is an automatic watch winder?

Watch winder is a device with an electrical motor which will automatically wind your watch when you are not wearing it. It will maintain your watch in working condition so that it is ready for use at any moment.

On top of that, the watch winder provides a uniform distribution of oil inside the watch. That is, your watch movement will always stay oiled even if you do not wear it for a long time.

Why should one use the watch winder?

Automatic watches have a limited power reserve, so if you stop wearing them and winding them up, they will run down in two or three days. This depends on the watch brand and on movement (caliber) used.

When your watch stops, you must reset time and wind up your watch. If your watch has additional functions (such as, calendar, lunar calendar, perpetual calendar), their resetting may take up quite a lot of time and require certain skills. Additionally, watch movement should work continuously in order to secure movement lubrication.

How does watch winder work?

A watch is placed into a rotor which makes a certain number of turns with a certain amount of time, slowly spinning in one or both directions. As a result, your automatic watch will never stop and lubricating oil is uniformly spread throughout the watch movement.

Main winder functions

1. Provides convenience and saves your time, also ensuring you, the watch owner, with a peace of mind and making you feel confident that your watch is ready for use at any moment, even if you wear it rarely.
2. Reduces the wear of watch winding mechanism and thus extends its life time.

How can the watch winder extend the life of my watch?

When a watch slows down or stops, the lubricating oil inside its movement will stay in one area, create clumps and lose a certain viscosity level. As a result, it will be more likely that some moving parts will not be oiled anymore at the moment when the movement will start functioning again.

How long can this device function when powered by batteries?

Generally speaking, the watch winders are supposed to operate while being plugged in. Some models have a battery power option, but we are not sure if this is really useful due to the short lifetime of the batteries. The typical battery life of 2 D batteries used to power 4 watch winder rotors is about 4-5 weeks. You should consider a monthly battery replacement.
The battery power option is good for compact watch winders that can be placed in a safe. If you own an expensive or collectible watch, you can keep it secure and always ready to go.

Is it necessary to remove the batteries when the device is powered from the mains?

The device is designed to avoid battery discharge when using the AC power adapter, yet we still recommend that you remove the batteries when connecting the device to the mains. Also, please note that the adapter does not have an option to charge rechargeable batteries.

Would it be possible to wind all automatic watches using the winders that you offer?

Watch winders are suitable only for automatic watches. If your watch can only be manually wound, it can’t be wound by the watch winder. Watch winders are not compatible with Seiko Kinetic Watches because its winding mechanism is not the same as traditional automatic watch movements. Seiko Kinetic models use a rechargeable battery as a power reserve. The battery is charged using linear kinetic energy instead of the angular (spinning) energy of the movement arm.

What is the maximum watch mass for using the watch winder?

Maximum authorized mass is 360 grams (data provided by ABEST/BOXY). Usually, the net mass of watches with a leather watch band is between 100 and 120 grams; with a metal watch band – between 160 and 180 grams.

What is the maximum width of the watch band that can still be used in the device?

33 mm (data provided by ABEST/BOXY). Usually the width of the watch band (strap) can be between 16 and 20 mm.

Is it possible that the automatic watch winder could "overwind" my watch?

When choosing a watch winder you should go by the recommendations of your watch brand to know your watch winding requirements. You should know the windinding direction and are the recommended number of turns per day (TPD). The automatic watch design does not allow the main spring to get "overwound" but the opportunity to accurately set the number of turns per day prevents excessive wear of the winding mechanism. Using the winding program with correct number of turns per day will avoid excessive wear of the winding mechanism.