A Watch Winder without TPD?

An ex-colleague of mine emailed me yesterday of his interesting find; a watch winder that doesn’t provide TPDs. He lamented in his email about how people are just jumping on the bandwagon selling watch winders without knowing anything about the product.

It didn’t hit me until I opened the link. This was what the seller said,

“Also, my winders do not work on Turns Per Day as Germany motors are not created to so that, they work on mins and like the modes mentioned above. It is to imitate the movement of the hand which per day will cause more than 1000 to 2000 turns on your automatic watches. Hope that answers some of your questions. Thank you so much.” - killkyo

This is a true example that in today’s market, majority of the sellers and manufacturers of chinese-made watch winders with foreign sounding names are simply selling and/or manufacturing watch winders without throughout product knowledge.

All motors provide TPD. Orbita winders oscillate and its TPD can be calculated. TPDs although are estimates only, can be calculated. Depending on factors such as the weight of watches, type of drive system and battery capacity, the resulting TPD can be affected.

If a watch winder turns, it will provide Turns per Day period.

Labels: cheap watch winder

Cheap Watch Winders break my Watch - Truth or Myth

In some aspects, this may not be true. I’ve toyed around with a couple of watch winders over a five year period now to know that there are some (less than 3) units that are affordable and reliable. I’m not here to promote any of these units but just stating the fact that a cheap watch winder will not necessarily break your valuable timepiece but a poorly designed and manufactured one will. Such units come with many different foreign sounding names, sold by different dealers or agents but are from the same source and made in China. Tell me, what isn’t made in China nowadays?




There are certain general specifications that a good “engineered” watch winder has, in order to be reliable and seem to last “for ages”. I won’t go into the technical details but I can tell you that a good motor is most important. Having motors from a manufacturer linked with NASA is overkill and costly while having motors made for toys is hitting under the belt. Your watch winder is NOT a toy.



Most China-made winder units are cheap, using low quality motors that are mass produced. A buyer cannot identify what sort of motors was used when buying a china-made winder. Taking it apart after purchase would mean voiding all warranty, so they generally stay away from it. But that said, motors alone will not break your timepiece. It’s probably the inappropriate TPD (Turns-per-Day) that will eventually do the worst for it. It’s very disturbing to see various sellers only stating the winding sequence on their sale site. It really doesn’t tell me what TPD the winder provides. I’ve mentioned it a couple of times in my other blogs and will continue to crusade that this is the most crucial feature that any winder should have.



Copy laws in China are well known for their slack. So many companies jump on the band wagon and copy full scale. I have a friend who works for a Singapore-based company designing and manufacturing communication products but made-in-china. He told me that his boss found copies of their product in the China market just weeks after their first launch. Upon close inspections, even the bugs in programming got copied over in their haste. It’s an exact replica except the brand and housing was changed. How did they do it so fast?



So some companies producing these cheap watch winders may not know what they’re doing. They are just merely “surviving” and giving jobs to the masses while still make some profits.



I see several reviews about low cost chinese-made winders and how happy the new owners were. But seldom, if not rare, did I see a follow-up on this particular winder, say after 6 months. Did these winders last? Are the owners still happy? Was the unit re-sold after that time?



Forums are a good place to start before you make any serious choices on buying a watch winder. Although a handful of members share their experience there, it’s still a reliable source of information about watch winders. I hope more members would spend a few moments giving their personal take on any winder units they have bought with the others. Have an introduction to what purchases you’ve made and a closure with your comments after about 6 to 9 months. I’m certain this time frame would tell everything about their valuable timepieces and that of the cheap watch winder. Your contributions will definitely give other members an idea on which cheaper alternatives are value for money.

Labels: cheap watch winder

So who actually makes Watch Winders?

If a company claims to design and produce their own watch winders, why are the units so similar in exterior design to units sold online or elsewhere? In fact, designs are similar to several other companies staking the same claim.


Be it 30 years or 50 years in the business, I feel such companies should get their own identity (originality) instead of “borrowing” designs from others. A different design stands out and gives a better impression of the company. Most companies just go through a re-branding exercise.

Some forum members were quick and sharp to notice, and gave their replies spot-on!

Not taking any sides, I give much respect to lesser known companies such as Penelop, Cradle of Time, Arcera and MTE for differentiating their designs from the mainstream. Salute!

As the Germans are famed for their precision, quality and value; example Mercedes Benz, the Swiss for their legendary clock-making experience; example Omega, and the Japanese for parts with high Quality standards; example Mabuchi Motors, many have used their names for profit.

Some sellers are leveraging on these facts and are re-branding their products from China with foreign sounding names. A quick search in websites such as Alibaba and Globalsources would reveal everything.

Listed here are Watch Winder Manufacturers worth mentioning: -
1. Scatola, Italy - has been around for about twenty years and has their own identity in winder units. Beautiful Italian Leather, Metal & Wooden units.


2. Buben & Zorweg, Austria - sought help from Elma Motion to provide them the winding mechanisms for their winder units. Very innovative exteriors.

3. Primadyne Technologies - design and manufacture winders at one time and have since Licensed its proprietary technology to a European Company.

4. Orbita, USA - has patented a unique winding system called Rotowind.

5. ERS, Hong Kong, SAR - makes units for several companies who re-brand units. They also have several patents under their wings.

6. Abest, Taiwan - patented their design and is producing units off Taiwan.

7. Eilux, Hong Kong, SAR - have also patented several designs.

8. Arcera, Germany - has a very unique winding system.

9. KHG, Germany - has a Ferris-wheel design winder.

10. Elma Motion, Germany - accidentally stumbled into this business I think.

11. Penelop, Switzerland - kind of “stiff” looking winder but excellent workmanship.

12. Wolf Designs - started as a Jewelry box maker in early 60’s, originally from Germany but shifted to England. Presence also seen in USA and Canada today. Products manufactured in China under license.

Labels: cheap watch winder