The 7 Best Watch Winders for Every Collector

In the world of everyday carry, watches are often the most prized, frequently worn, and – let’s be honest – pricey pieces around. These are the EDC items that existed before the colloquial phrase was even adopted throughout the industry; heirloom-worthy timepieces that, like a generational pocket knife, were shared and passed down through the family tree as a right of passage into adulthood.

Clearly, these items boast sentimental value among those who care about the style and technology hidden underneath the handsome dial face. For with each passing second, the watch becomes an antiquity all on its own – eventually serving as a time portal into the past. It’s what makes watch maintenance so important, and why we place so much value on preservice these wrist-wrapping keepers of time. For these reasons, we wanted to present a list of watch winders for any budget that will keep these self-winding timepieces ticking away for years to come.

What Does a Watch Winder Actually Do?

If you’re somewhat confused about what exactly a watch winder does then not to worry, you’re not alone. Simply put, because automatic watches wind themselves when strapped to the wrist – thanks to a moving weight inside the watch – they need to remain in motion while not on your wrist in order to maintain accuracy and continue ticking.

Here’s where the watch winder comes into play. They’re often comprised of a small box and a motor – powered by either a battery or AC power source – that spins the watch in place. Available in various sizes and styles, watch winders often lend themselves more to design-centric aesthetics, and can house anywhere from a single watch to up to 40 or 50 timepieces. Not only do watch winders keep the pieces accurate, but they prevent damage to the watch, extend its overall longevity, and provide trusted storage for collectors.

What to Look for

Capacity: First and foremost you need to know how many watches you’re going to be winding at once. For our purposes, we’ve only featured single-piece watch winders, but many of these options have multi-watch winders available from the companies as well. If you have a big collection or are thinking about expanding, level up your winder.

Watch Size: Not every winder will hold every watch size. Before you get ready to purchase a unit, make sure it can accommodate your 45mm timepiece and that one watch with an unusually short strap.

Materials: External materials are important to consider when displaying but what matters most are the cushion materials that your watch is actually going to be touching. These should be soft, scratch-free fabrics such as suede or

Silence: Some cheap (and expensive) watches don’t do their jobs very quietly. The last thing you want is something rattling or buzzing for hours on end while you’re trying to work or sleep. Look for units that brag about how silent they are.

*Note: In our watch winder review, we focused on single watch winders, but noted below if there were other sizes available within the same series.

Versa Automatic Watch Winder

Best Budget Watch Winder: As a reliable and trusted starter piece, the Versa is a great way to get your feet wet in this world of watch preservation. It’s a true value item, thanks to the handful of luxury features that come stocked with each Versa and the clean design will display your most trusted timepieces the way they’re meant to be displayed. It comes equipped with a Mabuchi Japanese Gearbox that turns your watches anywhere between 350 and 1,050 times per day and with three directional settings. Each Versa also boasts spring action pillows and additional attachments to help house those larger watches and the entire winder comes with a 1-year warranty.

Barrington Automatic Watch Winder

Best Bang for Your Buck: Just about as straightforward as you can get, the Barrington Automatic Single Watch Winder is quite literally a cube with an embedded motor used to turn a single watch at a time. It’s the comfort found in simplicity that draws us to this pick – that and of course, it’s practically silent in operation. The piece also boasts up to five different turns a day (ranging from 650 to 1,950 TPD) and features multiple watch rotation settings. Able to run on either AA batteries or a wall plug, the unit also has a JUMP feature where you can link more than one together and is designed to stop at the 12 o’clock position when it’s done winding.

Scatola del Tempo Rotor One

Best Italian-Made Watch Winder: Often it’s the materials that matter most, especially if displaying is among your primary purposes for purchasing a watch winder. For a breathtaking touch of class, the Rotor One from Scatola del Tempo will keep your guests in awe with its sleek shell wrapped in authentic Italian leather. Powered by a pair of batteries alone, which last for at least 3 years, the unit utilizes a Swiss mechanism for wining and comes in seven different colors.

Wolf Roadster

Best Overall: Wolf is one of the most well know and respected watch winding manufacturers around. Often times their products are sleek, minimalist, and reliable. The Roadster is one of their more popular offerings – complete with a backlit LCD display screen and control panel, and rotation options ranging between 300 and 1,200 turns per day. Additionally, the watch cuff is designed to handle just about any sized timepiece you may own, runs on either a 33v adapter or D-cell batteries, and features an Ebony Macassar wooden veneer faceplate to add a touch of refined style to the winder.

Orbita Sempre

Best for Replicating Hand Winding: Orbita’s Sempre claims to be the only winder for manual watches and will automatically stop once fully wound. If a more timeless and classic watch winder is the preferred look then this handsome wood case – finished with multiple layers of high gloss polyester lacquer bringing the finished case to life – is your best bet. The interior is also lined with luxurious suede and the bottom of the case is covered in suede as well to prevent any unwanted damage to your pricey mid-century nightstand.

Rapport Vogue

Best Carbon Fiber: Successfully bringing watch winders into the 21st century, Rapport has continued to establish itself as a forward-thinking brand in this regard. Take its Vogue Mono Watch Winder for instance. Each piece is outfitted with carbon fiber and comes complete with handsome polished metal feet. The Vogue also runs on a practically silent motor, is powered by a DC adapter with battery backup, offers multiple directional rotations, and boasts fully adjustable watch carriers fitting just about any size.

IFL Orbit Winder

Best Museum Piece: When you’re ready to get serious about preserving and displaying that prized luxury watch, then look no further than the Orbit Winder from IFL Watches. Inspired by the motion of a tourbillon watch, this winder adds a little spectacle to its function, rotating the stainless steel rings like a gyroscope in order to keep your timepiece ticking. Without making a peep, the Orbit is turned on with a single push of a button or a long push for a circadian cycle that’s good for displaying during the day. The speed can also be adjusted with a knob in the back

The Complete Guide to Watch Movement Types

If you’re trying to identify manually- from automatically-wound timepieces, then head over to our guide to the different types of watch movements.