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BEST WATCH WINDERS
Those who own an automatic watch don’t need reminding of what a fabulous piece of engineering it is, or how great they look and feel on your wrist.
The joy of not having to replace the battery in your watch! The one downside – and this is especially true if you own a few automatic watches, because just one is never enough 🙂 – is that they wind down and stop if you’re not wearing them.
This is where a watch winder comes in.
A watch winder is a machine that will hold your automatic watch and rotate intermittently, to imitate the action of your wrist, and therefore will keep your watch moving and running, whilst you are not wearing it.
If you are not quite at the stage of knowing what a watch winder is, and how they work, please read our article ‘What is a Watch Winder and Why Do You Need One?’ here.
But, if you are ready to purchase a watch winder, which are the best watch winders to get in 2023?
In this article we’ll look at what we think are the best single, double, and multi-watch winders available at the moment.
As a heads up, Barrington, Wolf and Enigwatch watch winders are, hands-down the best and most robust, and also have great customer feedback and reviews.
In our opinion Barrington’s and Enigwatch are just ahead of Wolf – we’ll explain why later.
Enigwatch, who started by making safes, pride themselves on keeping your watch secure and safe as well as offering superb watch winding boxes.
Considering the engineering that goes into these boxes, the cost is very reasonable indeed.
A watch winder works to keep your watch protected and secure in its cuff, perfectly wound (without overwinding), displayed beautifully, with a motor which is not loud and intrusive.
Some watch winders even have LED lights and finger-print locks.
There are cheaper options than those we’ve just mentioned, that also make a good choice, all of which we have detailed below.
Features of Watch Winders
We have written an extensive article here on the features of watch winders (including how to find the requirements of what your model of watch needs – some watches, for instance, need turning in a particular way.
The main features that you should be looking for in the best watch winders are:
- That the cuff is large enough to hold your watch if it is either very large or very small.
- The TPD (Times Per Day) – this is how many times the watch needs turning to go from zero to fully wound.
- The interval stage – all watch winders should run intermittently, with rotation periods and rest periods, otherwise the watch could be overwound.
- The Direction of Turn (clockwise, anticlockwise and multi-directional)
best watch winders for 2023
Single Watch Winders
BARRINGTON
Barrington watch winders, from the UK, are top-class winders. They tick all the boxes and do exactly what they need to do.
This Single Watch Winder (pictured above) features inlcude:
- A compact yet top quality finish
- Variety of 7 Colours and 6 Real Wood Finishes
- Battery or Mains Operated
- Super Quiet – many users state that it’s almost silent
- Stackable with other Barrington winders
- “Jump” Feature (see below)
- Works with all brands including Rolex, Tag Heur and Breitling
- Multiple Rotation settings – clockwise, counterclockwise, or both
- Multiple TPD Settings
- Suits any weight of watch
- Scratch-resistant cushions
- 12-month quality promise
Barrington has single watch winders like this one, in a variety of colours.
Super-quiet, they are ideal to be kept in a bedroom and are powered by a Japanese movement.
The Winders are mains operated or can run on two-AA batteries (one user was on week 6 of using the batteries whilst setting the winder to the second-highest setting).
These Single Watch Winders are stackable, so can easily be added to over time as your watch collection grows, with the ability of each one being connected together via a connecting cable – what Barrington call a “Jump” feature.
As well as multi-direction settings, there are also multiple TPD settings including – 650 TPD, 750 TPD, 850 TPD, 1,000 TPD and 1,950 TPD, all controlled by a central microchip. This is where it has the edge over the Wolf design – a highly respected model listed below.
WOLF
Wolf, another British company, have been making top-class Watch Winders since 1884.
They have a patented design on the rotation programme which stimulates human wrist action.
Features include:
- Programmable with pause and sleep modes.
- Programmes include a delay start (6-72 hours)
- Multi-Direction rotation -clockwise, counter-clockwise and bi-directional.
- Provides only one 900 TPD setting (unlike the Barrington above which offers four TPD settings), although this setting is suitable for many automatic watches including Rolex watches
- A beautiful hand-made design with a wooden frame covered with vegan leather, chrome hardware and a faceplate in grey.
- Tempered glass on the front keeps your watch dust-free and chrome closure blocks out what little sound it makes.
- Lock-in watch cuffs suits heavier watches (for those watches with smaller straps an alternative is available).
- Extremely quiet watch winder.
- Mains operated, with a universal 3.3V adapter included. It can also run on a lithium battery (this is not included but inexpensive)
- Two-year warranty against manufacturing faults
- Compact units – the Single Watch Winder will easily sit on a bedside table (W:15.2cm x L: 13.3cm x H: 14.6cm).
MCBEZEL
Mcbezel watch winders are at the budget end of the scale but come in a nice-looking box with acrylic glass and have good reviews.
This watch winder, in our view, is still an excellent choice for those who enjoy their automatic watch and just want to keep it wound.
Particularly if your watch may not be a high-end Swiss watch that needs specific Times Per Day rotations, this winder could be perfectly sufficient.
- PU Leather with an attractive stitching detail
- No TPD settings or information
- Clockwise, counter-clockwise and and bi-directional settings
- Quiet motor
- Mains powered (UK adapter) or battery operated (not included)
- Watch must be wound before fastening in unit
- Rotates for 2 minutes then rests for 6 mins and and so on.
CHIYODA
Another great choice and a middle-ground between the Barrington or Wolf brand and the budget McBezel.
With a great finish, this winder does also have four TPD settings (which the McBezel lacked).
The Chiyoda Single Watch Winder
- Handmade 100% solid wooden box with acrylic glass window
- Piano vanish to high-gloss ebony
- 80 mm diameter pillow
- Japanese motor which is very quiet
- Four TPD settings – 650; 950; 1,250; and 1,850
- Three rotating directions possible (clockwise, counter-clockwise and bi-direction)
- DC power supply but batteries can be used (not supplied)
- Watch must be wound before placing in the unit
- NOT suitable for Seiko Kinetic watches
Double watch winders
BARRINGTON
The ultimate watch winder for holding two watches and ticks just about every box in terms of what a what winder needs to be!
- With a Digital Touch-Screen Display
- Digital Clock
- Remote Control
- LED Down Lighters
- Drawer for storage of 2 watches
- This unit will wind your watches from stopped
- Carbon-Fibre Styling
- Silent Motor (Japanese)
- Five TPD (Turns Per Day) settings (650, 750, 850, 1,000, or 1,950 Turns per day).
- Each rotor can be programmed individually (for example, 850 TPD on one and 1,000 TPD on the other)
- Intermittent Multi-Rotation Options (clockwise, counter-clockwise and bi-direction) so no chance of overwinding
- Suits any weight of watch up to a very chunky 48 mm
- British Design
ENIGWATCH
IMPRESARIO 2PC - FINGERPRINT - $550.00
from: Enigwatch
Enigwatch have spent three decades building high spec safes and watch winders that use the highest quality materials. Based in the USA they ship to Europe and the Middle East within 3-5 days.
They produce luxurious boxes which look great as well as having state of the art functionality. This one has:
- dynamic cuff locks for each watch
- a touchscreen setting panel
- a fingerprint locking system
- Quiet Japanese Mabuchi motor
- beautiful Ebony Macassar wood veneer finish with real leather interior
- Interior light
- Any direction can be set
- Settings from 650 to 1950 TPD.
- Internal rotor has a closed design, ensuring your watch won’t be magnetised
WOLF
The Wolf Heritage Double Watch Winder for Two Watches
- All the specifications of the Wolf single Watch Winder
- The cuffs can accommodate two different sized watches – ladies to larger mens watches.
- Provides 900 TPD – again whilst only one setting this covers a great many automatic watches
- Programmes include a delay start (10 seconds to 12 hours), and
- Three directions – clockwise, counter-clockwise and bi-directional.
- Motor is shielded against magnetic emissions (won’t magnetise your watch).
- W:19cm x L: 26cm x H: 16cm
SEPANO
Sepano offers good value-for money in their neat and compact Watch Winder for the price. These include:
- High-quality box made of PU leather
- Glass window
- Quiet Motor
- Anit-Magnetic Unit
- Mains Operated or battery (not included)
- Watch needs to be wound before placing in the unit
THREE-WATCH WINDERS
WOLF
- High-Quality Watch Winder
- Patented design on the Rotation programme which imitates human wrist action
- Pause and Sleep Modes
- Delay start (10 seconds or 12 hours)
- Three Direction Settings – clockwise; counterclockwise and bi-directional
- 900 TPD (Turns Per Day)
- Vegan leather-covered sturdy box
- Chrome hardware
- Tempered Glass Front
- Extremely quiet
- Mains or battery operated (batteries not included)
- Two-Year Assurance
- Large Cuffs – suits larger watches (smaller cuffs available)
- Cuffs lock in place for added safety
- Will never magnetise your watches
- W:19.7 cm x L: 45cm x H: 22cm
- Weight: 5.2 kg
FOUR-WATCH WINDERS
BARRINGTON
- Top-Quality Luxury Watch Winder
- Four cuffs with individually programmable rotars
- Remote Controlled
- LED Downlights – it looks fantastic
- Five TPD Settings (Turns Per Day)
- Multi-Directional Settings (Clockwise; Counterclockwise and bi-directional)
- Beautiful Carbon-Fibre Styling
- Trusted company with excellent customer service
- Digital Display
- Can wind your watches from stopped
WATCH WINDER SMITH
A great, value-for-money four-watch winder box.
- Four stage setting modes for individual watch winding requirements
- Anti-magnetic box
- Two-year warranty
Eight Watch Winder
With the highest level of protection, this beautiful eight-watch winder, is not only pleasing to look at, particularly with the light inside. With smooth hinges when opened, this is a luxurious box and extremely quiet.
- Elegant in rich wood with a high-gloss piano finish.
- Silk and velvet inside.
- Spring loaded, adaptable and secure cuffs
- Glass front
- Interior (adjustable) LED touchscreen lighting.
- The motor is ultra-quiet.
- With a touch-screen control
- Each of the 8 watch holders can be set individually allowing for perfect winding.
- Adjustable 600-2100 TPD range
- Sleep phase.
- 12 o’clock stop position
- Anti-magnetization design
- Multiple locking mechanisms and remote control. Plus a personalised smart key for an extra layer of protection.
- 5-year guarantee
to sum up ...
A Watch Winder is a marvellous device for someone who loves their automatic watches.
It will make a perfect gift for someone in your life who owns an automatic (self-winding) watch.
Barrington, Enigwatch and Wolf are three of the best watch winder brands and are by far the best, being robust and longest-lasting as well as being a beautiful way to store your watches safely and keep them protected.
You can, though, get much more reasonably priced watch winders which will serve you well.
We hope you’ve gleaned some useful information from our guide.
If you have any comments or questions, do please post them in the Comments box below.
