What does a watch winder do?

The rotors of an automatic timepiece – unlike those of a battery-powered quartz watch - rely on the rotating motion your wrist naturally makes throughout the day, to oscillate. 

Watch winders are designed to mimic this movement, ensuring that the rotors continue to oscillate, and your watch continues to display the accurate time and date, even when not worn regularly.

Invented by English watchmaker, John Harwood, in 1922, the watch winder is a mechanical unit that was developed to tackle the inconvenience faced by automatic watch owners of having to manually wind up their watches anytime they had not worn them for a few days.

Moreso than just being an inconvenience, the continuous use of a watch’s winder would often hasten its wear and tear and diminish its value. 

Watch winders have since become quite the statement piece for the dedicated watch enthusiast; their ornate design and the heritage associated with their designers lending the watch winder value beyond just its functionality. 

Initially relying on a kinetic mechanism, most modern watch winders are battery operated and include a range of settings to accommodate your requirements. 

Watch winders also serve a secondary purpose, as luxury storage units for your timepieces that add a bit of extra flair and a sense of panache to your collection. 

A watch winder is an invaluable item for a collector, not only because it helps preserve the value of your collection, but it also allows for a greater choice of ready-to-go timepieces for whenever you need them. 

As intricately designed pieces, there’s an argument to be made that watch winders, in and of themselves, are worth collecting, due to the history and heritage they carry along with them. 

Everyone’s needs are different, and we have designed a collection of watch winders that are suited to all manner of collector. 

We offer a number of pre-programmed, programmable, and app-controlled watch winders, including: 

As well as travel watch winders you can use on the move, and a wide range of watch winder accessories.

Established in 1834, WOLF are the experts you can trust when it comes to watch winders. 

Reach out to one of our watch winder specialists.