Why do you need a Watch Winder for your Automatic Watch? Arnik Jewellers

What exactly is a watch winder?

A watch winder is a device used to keep automatic (also known as self winding) watches running when not worn. Automatic watches operate on the principle of winding themselves using a moving weight inside the watch. The weight swings or rotates while the watch is worn and turns the winding mechanism inside the watch. So, fairly obviously, if the watch is not worn, then it no longer receives power this way and will run down. While virtually all automatic watches can be manually wound, this is not always convenient. So the concept of an automatic watch winder was born.

A watch winder is a device which holds a watch (or often more than one) and moves it in a circular patterns to emulate the necessary parts of human motion to operate the self-winding mechanism.

A winder cannot over wind an automatic watch, since all automatic watches are protected from being over wound by a mechanism that disengages the winding process when the mainspring is fully wound. But using a timer-based winder is still very important to prevent excessive wear on the winding mechanism. There is no need to keep the watch in motion 24 hours a day when usually only 30 minutes of motion is necessary to keep it properly wound.

Winders are totally useless with battery-operated quartz watches. But they do work for the special 'battery-less' quartz watches, such as the Omega-Matic, Seiko Kinetic, and similar. These automatic/quartz hybrids use the same weight/rotor principal to generate electric power to run a quartz movement.

Do I need a watch winder?

Well, you didn't need to buy more automatic watches than you can wear at one time, did you? But don't worry, you are far from alone! Many collectors and enthusiasts quickly get into this dilemma. Ultimately, the main function of a winder is as a convenience device.

So how should I choose whether to get a winder or not?

Choose a winder for your needs based on its convenience value to you. If you have a watch you almost never wear, simply wind it up every couple of weeks and let it run down. But for automatic watches you wear frequently, but not continuously, a winder is a great solution for keeping them ready to wear on a moments notice. If this convenience is worth the cost of a winder to you, then go for it!

The single biggest advantage of a winder for seldom used watches is for those with complex perpetual calendar features that may require elaborate resetting after the watch has been stopped for a while.

Should I start with a single head unit or go for a multi headed unit?

If you are enough of a collector to want a winder, don't short-change yourself by skimping on a winder that can only handle one watch. If you've got the watch 'bug,' it won't be long before you buy another automatic and be caught short. Consider at least one of the single-unit watch winders have optional two-watch heads. Or buy a single-watch unit for starters and plan on adding a multi-watch unit later.

At Arnik Jewellers, you can choose from single, double, triple and stack able winders for your watch. You can view the entire range here or come instore today to view the entire collection. Contact us today on 9057660202 for more information.