Introducing the Barrington Watch Winder
When you come to buy a watch winder make sure you make the right choice. Some watch collectors use them to keep their other watch on time, some buy one because they can afford it. But first you have to know what exactly a watch winder is.
A watch winder is a device used to keep automatic watches running when not worn. It holds the watch and moves it in a circular patterns to emulate the necessary parts of human motion to operate the self-winding mechanism. A watch winder cannot over wind an automatic watch, since all automatic watches are protected by a mechanism that disengages the winding process when the mainspring is fully wound.
Watch winders come in all kinds of variations and combinations. The one we will be reviewing is the single winder from Barrington Watch Winders. Barrington is a British brand with a product line that stretches from single winders to multi watch winders. They sent us a red model for review, and it’s really very attractive. Barrington offers these single winders in 7 colours.
The Barrington winder comes well packed in a neutral cardboard box which contains a power adapter, a user manual and the winder itself sitting inside a dust bag. All is being held by foam transport protection. It has a very sleek appearance and the brand ‘Barrington’ engraved on the side in white. The Barrington watch winder is incredibly non-bulky and you would happily have it on display in your living area, bedroom or office.
We used the winder for one week and really like it. It turns slowly for one minute and will then pause for a period, depending on the rotation setting. This cycle continues for 12 hours and the winder will then rest another 12 hours before beginning this program again. Operation is really quite and hardly audible.
The Details of the Winder are:
Measures just 11.5cm (W) x 12cm (H) x 16cm (D)
Can be operated either by AC mains or two AA batteries.
NEW: Barrington 'Jump' feature allows multiple winders to be connected together via connecting cable (supplied) and powered from one AC power source.
Ultra-quiet Japanese motor
Multiple rotation settings: clockwise, counter clockwise or alternating
Multiple Turns Per day (TPD) settings from 650, 750, 850, 1,000 or 1,950 to suit any weight of watch
Choice of cushions: either Standard (suitable for watches with a strap/bracelet circumference of 19cm to 24cm) or Flex (suitable for watches with a strap/bracelet circumference of 14cm to 20cm) NB The standard cushion suits approx. 70% of our customers and Flex is preferred if wrist size is slightly smaller
LED light when operating
Comes with British 3 pin power adapter as standard (US or European adapter also available and shipped by default if the order is going to one of these areas i.e. if you live in North America they send you a US adapter or if you live in the EU they will send an EU adapter)
How it Works
This single watch winder operates on a basis of gentle rotation to wind watches. Older generation Watch Winders were programmed to be always on in an effort to wind the watch as quickly as possible. This can lead to over-winding of a watch and potential damage to the main spring. Gentle rotation ensures a consistent movement over a longer period of time that won't over-wind your watch.
When initially turned on the rotor turns for 1 minute before pausing. The length of the pause is determined by the Turns per Day setting (a lower TPD setting will mean a longer pause and vice versa) and once it is completed the rotor turns again for just 1 minute. This cycle continues silently for 12 hours, then rests for 12 hours, before beginning again and so on until the watch winder is turned off.
If the Direction setting is set to clockwise then the rotor will always rotate in a Clockwise manner; the same principle applies if the Direction setting is set to Anti-Clockwise. However, if the Direction setting is set to the third setting, Alternately Clockwise/Anti-Clockwise, the first 1 minute rotation will be Clockwise, the next 1 minute rotation will be Anti-Clockwise and so on, ensuring your watch gets a balanced, yet gentle, rotation.
It costs only £125 and the price is well below absurdly expensive models. So, if you’re looking for a watch winder that it is affordable, reliable and well manufactured, consider the Barrington.
www.barringtonwatchwinders.com