MoT's WDF

Following up on a deal that FTE posted and Split-time posted a follow-up to in that there was an even steeper discount (post quoted below):
Mine arrived today and it's pretty nice! It is bigger than I thought, but it's not an issue. I also like that it has a drawer so I can store some extra watch straps and changing tools. No real complaints, especially for the price.

My only concern right now is figuring out what setting to use. These are the options:

• clockwise 1 min, rest 8 mins
• counter-clockwise 1 min, rest 8 mins
• clockwise 1 min, rest 15 mins, counter-clockwise 1 min, resting 15 mins
• clockwise 5 mins, counter-clockwise 5 mins, rotate for 1.5 hours, rest 10.5hrs

Anyone else get this that has any recommendations? I have it set to that third setting right now.

Link to post: viewtopic.php?p=17975#p17975

Pic (bad nighttime indoor lighting, sorry!):
[IMG]https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201904 ... 4318fb.jpg[/IMG]
I’ve got my Steinhart Ocean 39 “Explorer” and an old Orient Ray in there, but I plan to rotate my Zelos Mako V2 and my incoming Zelos Horizons GMT when it arrives.

For what it’s worth, which may not be much, the third setting is working for me. My winder is still at my office and I have been rotating three watches in it. That means that two have been staying in it over the weekend and haven’t run down. Then again, I have only had it a couple of weeks and haven’t taken time to figure out how many turns per day is appropriate for each movement.

I am happy to hear that you are enjoying yours as well! I was ***this*** close to ordering a second after the price drop and free shipping code.

It really is quite the deal for what you get! Are there nicer winders out there? Absolutely. At this price? That's a tougher call to make.

It's quiet enough that I can't hear it running from the other side of my office and it fits my watches just fine. It feels sturdy too, though it'd be nice if the drawer wasn't so easy to pull out completely. Minor complaint though.

Nearly all automatic watches are good at 650 turns per day and most newer watches can wind in both directions, though there are exceptions. Some watches may wind only one direction or require more winding to stay powered. Here is a list I found online with some examples:

[img]https://picr.me/i/2019/04/30/VeCWsp.jpg[/img]

Generally it is a good idea to start with the lowest setting and then increment up if necessary. Here is an approach I have found to work quite well:

1. Manually wind the watch by turning the crown 30-40 times. Do this because watch winders will not wind a completely dead watch.
2. Set the winder to the lowest TPD setting and bi-directional rotation (third setting in your list). Place the watch in the winder.
3. Turn the winder on and periodically check to make sure the time is correct. Most automatics have a maximum of 40 hours of power reserve when fully wound so if the time is correct after 2 full days, this is the proper setting for your watch.
4. If the time is incorrect, set it to the next highest TPD setting (fourth setting in your List) and try again.
5. If the time is still incorrect 2 days later, then set it to clockwise-only (first setting in your list) and try again.
6. If the time is still incorrect, please set it to counter-clockwise only (second setting in your list) and try again.

Note: If the watch winds while on the wrist but does not in the winder, this may be a sign that it needs to be serviced. The movements a watch experiences in the watch winder are much smoother than when wearing a watch, so if the lubrication inside the watch has congealed from not being in use, the watch may need to be serviced.

Also a similar guide and general information may be found here:
https://www.buywatchwinders.com/blog/ho ... ch-winder/

Thank you FTE! I was sort of hoping you would pop in here

Also, norsairius, my drawer does not pull completely out. I guess manufacturing and assembly inconsistencies go with the territory at this price point.

Split-Time wrote: ↑Tue Apr 30, 2019 9:49 am Thank you FTE! I was sort of hoping you would pop in here

Also, norsairius, my drawer does not pull completely out. I guess manufacturing and assembly inconsistencies go with the territory at this price point.

Hopefully the drawer is not a deal-breaker. If you want something better quality for a bit more money, I absolutely love and recommend these:

• Watch Winder Smith 4 Watch Winder
• Watch Winder Smith 2 Watch Winder

Build quality is high, they make a great display, have multiple settings, and while not totally silent are certainly not noisy. Have had mine now (4-watch version) for two years running constantly with no issues.

Also, “Drop” (formerly Massdrop) posted today a Wolf single winder for $110: https://drop.com/buy/wolf-windsor-watch-winder

FTE wrote: ↑Tue Apr 30, 2019 9:58 am

Split-Time wrote: ↑Tue Apr 30, 2019 9:49 am Thank you FTE! I was sort of hoping you would pop in here

Also, norsairius, my drawer does not pull completely out. I guess manufacturing and assembly inconsistencies go with the territory at this price point.

Hopefully the drawer is not a deal-breaker. If you want something better quality for a bit more money, I absolutely love and recommend these:

• Watch Winder Smith 4 Watch Winder
• Watch Winder Smith 2 Watch Winder

Build quality is high, they make a great display, have multiple settings, and while not totally silent are certainly not noisy. Have had mine now (4-watch version) for two years running constantly with no issues.

Also, “Drop” (formerly Massdrop) posted today a Wolf single winder for $110: https://drop.com/buy/wolf-windsor-watch-winder

Thank you for the recommendation. I will squirrel that away for later. I'm never really sure what I am looking at online with watch winders or where the sweet spot it, so I appreciate you sharing this.

Split-Time wrote: ↑Tue Apr 30, 2019 10:11 am

FTE wrote: ↑Tue Apr 30, 2019 9:58 am

Split-Time wrote: ↑Tue Apr 30, 2019 9:49 am Thank you FTE! I was sort of hoping you would pop in here

Also, norsairius, my drawer does not pull completely out. I guess manufacturing and assembly inconsistencies go with the territory at this price point.

Hopefully the drawer is not a deal-breaker. If you want something better quality for a bit more money, I absolutely love and recommend these:

• Watch Winder Smith 4 Watch Winder
• Watch Winder Smith 2 Watch Winder

Build quality is high, they make a great display, have multiple settings, and while not totally silent are certainly not noisy. Have had mine now (4-watch version) for two years running constantly with no issues.

Also, “Drop” (formerly Massdrop) posted today a Wolf single winder for $110: https://drop.com/buy/wolf-windsor-watch-winder

Thank you for the recommendation. I will squirrel that away for later. I'm never really sure what I am looking at online with watch winders or where the sweet spot it, so I appreciate you sharing this.

Lol...I totally agree. I think you have covered the most important aspect, which is to have a capable winder for your autos. Being inexpensive, it may not have best build quality or last forever, but it is functional and a go “now” solution. I started with a similar winder before jumping up to a top quality model...which was definitely better. Then I needed to expand, so I tried a few mid-tier models...and suddenly the top quality model I had seemed like a waste of money...the differences were just not drastic enough to warrant spending 10x. I sold it and kept the mid-level models and have not missed it at all. You will find your own best option...just reach out if I can offer any guidance or opinion. I have tried probably 40 different popular models out there before lading on the ones I have.

Thanks for all the info!!

I just checked my watches and they appear to have the correct time after having the winder run on the third setting (clockwise 1 min, rest 15 mins, counter-clockwise 1 min, resting 15 mins). I'm going to keep them in there and see how they look tomorrow evening, which means they'll have been in there for longer than the usual ~40 hour power reserve that both of the watches should have. If they do, then I think it's safe to say that setting will work.

Also, I just checked the drawer and it does have a little stop at the very end when I try to pull it. I admit I only thought it'd pop right out because it seems to open so easily, but I was wrong.

Overall, still really happy with the winder! I look at it every now and then and I get a little kick out of seeing the watches in a different position than when I last looked at it sometimes because it usually means that it's continuing to run nicely and without me noticing. We'll see if the quiet operation holds up over time, but for the price, I'm really pleased with it!

Still impressed with mine for the money spent. As posted in the thread started by Split-Time, I ended up ordering a second winder—at an even lower clearance price. The pair cost me just over a C-note, shipped. I received the 2nd one today and the twins are now nestled on my closet shelf. This should keep me in business with my best autos for a while (I hope). I didn’t want to deal with two AC adapters & cords. So I got a $5 “Y” splitter which allows both winders to run off the same 6V AC adapter. The cord is actually marketed to guitar players to “daisy chain” multiple effects pedals from the same power adapter. But it works just fine on these winders! My math may not be exactly right, but here are my estimates of the TPD for the different modes:
1st position: 1280 TPD CW
2nd position: 1280 TPD CCW
3rd position: 720 TPD both directions
4th position: 1440 TPD both

Thanks again to MOT forum members for getting this deal out there.

ETA: The winders came VERY well-packaged from Ross-Simons.

EDITED 5/25 to re-up photos after the site software update.

For those of you who now have gotten and used this winder, is this still a deal at $60? I passed on this when it went down to $45, but now that I have looked at some winders online (including the single Wolf on massdrop for $100) I see what a smoking deal this was. So good that it still seems pretty good at $60. Thoughts?

Boourns wrote:For those of you who now have gotten and used this winder, is this still a deal at $60? I passed on this when it went down to $45, but now that I have looked at some winders online (including the single Wolf on massdrop for $100) I see what a smoking deal this was. So good that it still seems pretty good at $60. Thoughts?

Yes it’s a great deal at $60.


@robotazky

Great deal, much better than any thing else in this price range.

Boourns wrote: ↑Wed May 01, 2019 5:02 pm For those of you who now have gotten and used this winder, is this still a deal at $60? I passed on this when it went down to $45, but now that I have looked at some winders online (including the single Wolf on massdrop for $100) I see what a smoking deal this was. So good that it still seems pretty good at $60. Thoughts?

I'd say it is. There's plenty of watch winders around that price range on Amazon, but they look cheap and apparently don't last long. I can't speak to the longevity of this winder yet, but it's quiet enough that I can't hear it unless I put my ear up near it within a foot or two. Also, the two watches I put in it two days ago have stayed wound and are telling time accurately on the third setting which tells me that the watch is working exactly as intended. That, and the winder itself feels like it's built well and it looks nice and clean.

Boourns wrote: ↑Wed May 01, 2019 5:02 pm For those of you who now have gotten and used this winder, is this still a deal at $60? I passed on this when it went down to $45, but now that I have looked at some winders online (including the single Wolf on massdrop for $100) I see what a smoking deal this was. So good that it still seems pretty good at $60. Thoughts?

I may not know much about winders, but I have an academic and professional background in probability and reliability...so I can beat myself up with all of the “unknowns” about the motors in these things. My first watch winder was a $20 Jomashop “deal” (maybe it was normally $50). It was sort of loud, my wife hated it, and after about a year I came home and thought my garbage disposal was running . Of course I took it apart then threw it away. I wasn’t upset because it had served its purpose for $20. It was replaced with another single winder that was about $50 (still running). The unknown at this price point is how long they will last. I mentioned in a post that I was shopping in the $50 range for another single when this one was posted. So far I am VERY happy. I will be unhappy if it kicks the bucket in few months, mesmerized if it is going in ten years and shrug my shoulder at anything in between.

I really do appreciate FTE’s recommendation. The price point was a little higher but he is somome who really knows his stuff and has experience with those products. So far the longest any of us have had this model is a couple of weeks.

That may have been long winded (especially for typing with my thumbs ), but I wouldn’t sell mine for $100 right now, if that tells you how happy I am with it. I also have no idea what the qc is like and how two would perform side by side...although someone here does!