Are watch winder worth the hype?

Funny, I actually have that very winder. It was cheap, but it works well. It is convenient, that's for sure.

All I will say is that I love my winders, but I will NEVER again buy another WOLF 1834 product.

I bought this one on ebay, it is very quiet, has led light, it is preset for 2 minutes rotation and 6 minutes pause, then the rotation goes in the opposite direction and keeps my moon phase going without problem. It was also at a very good price, less than 100 bucks

I have two. One is a traditional 8 slots cabinet style and the other is a modular system. The modular system is made by BOXY and appears to be identical to what Jody from One More Watch has.

I like it because the modules are independent and have their own external power supply, alternatively they can be stacked when using the optional power base. They can be stacked in 3 rows height with each module routing power to the one above it through contacts at their top and bottom. This 4 position power base can therefore expand to accommodate 12 modules theoretically while still using a single external power supply. Another advantage is that should one module fail it's not a disaster as they can be replaced individually.

Do I really need a winder? Nope. But since I could get them in different colors it enabled me to stack them and recreate stop lights or French Tricolor patterns which satisfied my inner child.

Why? I just bought one and have really liked it. I am curious about your experience.

To make a long story short, my dad purchased me a triple winder a few years back as a Father's Day gift -- it cost him nearly $1K.  The winder developed a fault towards the end of the warranty period.  They sent a replacement no problem.  However, the replacement developed an issue in two of the three winders wherein it randomly beeps as though one of the setting buttons has been depressed and it attempts to reduce the number of TPD on its own.  I contacted WOLF to see about obtaining a repair, as the replacement would have been within its own warranty period had it been purchased new.  They told me that the winder was out of production, there were no replacement parts available and it was unfixable.  Basically, go jump in a lake.  Despite repeated pleas to make the situation right, they just turned to ignoring me.

I have one that I don't use anymore. I have way too many automatic watches in my rotation for it to be useful to me.

I'd need a new collection of winders for every auto watch and I'm not going down that route.

Wow. Well, I can understand your feelings. I just got a Wolf this week, a single unit. I am happy so far, but certainly your story doesn’t make me feel better. Luckily I got it at a big discount and I have registered the unit with them. Since I got it cheaply, as long as it makes the two year warranty I could toss it if I’m not happy.

I will say that while it is said that these are not serviceable, the wood enclosure is the reason. So, if one wanted to and had the electrical knowledge, the case could be cut away and the electrics could be troubleshot and then a new case made to surround it. Or not.

I am hopeful, but will keep your experience in mind.

Not necessarily. I just got a winder and am experimenting with my affordable watches. I’ve been switching watches out and doing some hand winding. I am using my single winding unit to support 9 watches in this experiment. Yes, I am doing some extra winding by hand to keep things going. But, this had been kind of a fun experiment and it is keeping all my affordable collection running by rotation with the winder.

So we are clear, it was WOLF themselves who stated that they refused to fix it. I did not intend to convey that it couldn't be done in a practical sense.

Let me know if the motor in yours starts grinding over time. My unit started out dead silent but all three motors growl quite loudly now.

Yes, the specifics of your story are clear. Also, there was no reason that you, as a warranted customer should open the box. I was just mentioning the fact that these are stated online as not being serviceable.

I will update here on Watch Crunch if my unit develops problems.

In my personal experience, the value of what you're getting vs practicality doesn't really match up too well. For me, the goal of a watch winder is 2-fold:

1. To keep the watches wound so I don't have to constantly set the time

2. To look hella cool

In practice, you're paying a lot more money vs a regular watch case and get to store a lot fewer watches just to keep them wound. I have 10+ watches and can only keep 4 in my winder, so the rest go into separate cases, which feels a bit excessive.

I also don't really know how I feel about my watches constantly running even when I'm not wearing them, because I (personally) don't have a rigorous schedule of when I wear what watches, so some can be spinning in the case for weeks.

In conclusion, I see winders having the most value in 2 scenarios:

1. For small collections (2-4 pieces), you can store everything in one case, have it look baller as hell, and be wound.

2. For people with a lot of money, space, and watches (to buy big watch winders or have multiple).

I would get a winder if I had a watch with lots of complications that was anoying to set. But for time only or just a date I actually like the little time out to wind the watch in the morning, set the date and look at it it closely. :)

they are fun , and looks cool

They come in handy if you want to just run a watch for a few days in advanced before you wear it. helps you rotate, as you can keep the next one to wear in view.