WOLF 270002 Heritage Single Watch Winder with Cover, Black

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Verified Review: “***** UPDATE, February 27, 2016

Just wanted to update, in terms of longevity, here it is nearly a year later, and this winder is still working flawlessly. Utterly silent, and never has failed under continuous use, 24 hours a day. I will note that my watch does slowly gain time sitting in this, but it’s not a big deal to turn the hands back a few minutes, as opposed to not using a winder and having to totally reset the time and date every time I put it on, between uses.

I’ve since bought a Belocia, and a Heiden, just to compare, and for specific features, and I will say that my Wolf is still the best of all of them, in my experience, although I was not seriously displeased with either of those other brands. Wolf just has an edge for overall build quality, in my opinion. See my reviews of those for my thoughts (Belocia quad winder, Heiden single winder).

I see now that other Wolf winders are not much more in price than this Heritage, and offer more range of turns per day options (this one is fixed at 900 TPD), so that might be a factor for those needing such, but, bottom line, Wolf makes amazing winders, and you’ll be very happy with this, or any choice, in the Wolf brand.

Still five stars after almost a year of use, and would gladly give it ten!

*** UPDATE, May 12, 2015:

Well, had a brief panic, so I wanted to update here on terms of expectation. I mistakenly thought the movement occurred in a pattern of a certain number of hours on then off then on again, which seemed indicated in the instructions. But, it was not doing that. It would be on for a period of minutes, then off, then on again later, and I kept missing when it was back on, so, this being my first winder, and me being worried it wasn’t doing what I mistakenly thought it should do, I contacted Wolf and had an immediate and super helpful response.

I wish I could add an extra star for their customer service. Not only did they walk me through a troubleshooting, but further assured me that they would happily replace it, or refund me, directly through Wolf, since it is their product, if anything was wrong, which is really cool, since I wouldn’t even have to go through Amazon, if it came to that point.

Turns out it was just my ignorance of how it cycles. I knew it was working, since it was keeping my watch wound, but I kept wondering why it didn’t run longer, based on my incorrect interpretation of the instructions. So, for any other new to winders buyer, just know it may seem that it is off, more than on, but it’s still doing it’s job and know also that Wolf customer service is outstanding!

MY ORIGINAL REVIEW:

Having only recently stepped into the world of upper scale watches (but will forever be thankful to humble Invicta for getting me hooked on the love of watches, and for providing me years of reliable joy with their products) I stepped beyond the “affordable luxe” quartz powered ones I’ve invested in, from Certina and Citizen, and purchased my first higher end automatic (the famed Certina DS Action Diver — a sensible investment for a world-renowned Swiss dive watch). So came the question, do I need a winder??

The short answer, after long research, is “not really.” Yes, there is some argument to be made for the settling of oils, etc., if your automatic is kept out of your wearing rotation for months on end, but even my non-luxe branded automatics have never had that issue, so I doubt that a world leading Swiss watch maker’s product, with heritage of the class of Certina, is going to seize up after a few weeks of not being worn. And, given that the watch is so epic, I doubt it will be one that I will let sit even that long, between wears!

However, that being said, in terms of mechanical “need” factor, there is another obvious point — the absolute convenience factor of not having to reset the time or date constantly, or ever, because the watch is kept wound. This makes the answer of, do I need a watch winder, to be an absolute YES, for those who just like to grab their watch and go. Plus, although parts seizing up is not likely, it is better, overall, it is said, for a watch to be kept wound.

So, while you likely don’t “have” to have a winder and the world won’t end if you don’t, it is something that is great to have, for good reasons, if you’re in a position to get one.

And, as an added bonus, what better way to showcase a really sweet watch than with a stunning watch winder case, right?

While “cheap” winders are advocated by many, who say, “Hey, it’s just a winder, who cares about it being fancy, just get it cheap!” my hesitation to buy anything cheap is always a question of quality. It’s not “cheap” if I’m replacing it a few times a year. Plus, why put a beautiful watch in crummy looking winder, especially one that starts to sound like a cement mixer after a few months??

So, trying to learn what winder is worth spending more money for, I found that, just like watches, one can go nuts with a watch winder, and be all about brand, and all about just being rich, and spend a fortune for a very fancy winder made with exotic materials that practically makes your coffee in the morning, and spending that much just because one can afford such things. Not being one of those folks (and likely not buying such, even if I was, since I just think, at some point, it’s just throwing money away) I focused on what people were really buying with higher priced winders, and it seems the main items are the motor, the movement of said motor, and the materials of the winder itself.

One name that kept popping up was Wolf. They make extremely beautiful winders, and other jewelry related cases, and have been doing so since 1834. While they sell some very expensive items, I was amazed to find here, this single watch winder, that has the quality and features of their high end gear, but at a much more affordable price point.

So, quality, heritage, and, while it doesn’t have as many options for cycling as some others, they have taken the bulk of any figuring work out of it as well, so you don’t have to become a watch winder expert to know how to set it. This one rotates 900 rotations per day, which is optimal (although above the “standard” 650 per day, but also below some that are 1240 or more per day). Yes, you can actually look up exactly what the “ideal” number of movements per day is for your particular watch movement, but, given that this winder has built in pause and sleep modes, it seems they have made a fairly universal use winder, which means less fiddling around, frankly — just turn it on and let it do the work, no rocket science required.

And, speaking of turning it on, everything, including the mounting mechanism, dials, and closure, all work smoothly and feel very solid. Use is utterly simple — the watch mount itself has latches, and easily pulls out by slightly squeezing in the side tabs, and then it is just a collapsible pillow to use, and you just close your watch clasp up and fit the watch around the pillow, and then the holder easily pops back in place, and holds your watch firmly in the mounting cup. Just be sure you know which direction your movement “winds” in (and, yup, you can look that up too, for your particular movement), and set accordingly to A, B, or C, which is clockwise, counterclockwise, or both directions.

You can then turn it on, using the 12 hour delay setting if your watch has been freshly worn and fully wound from use, or, to maintain wind, select just the on position and watch your watch twirl away.

It even has the option to use batteries, or the included adapter (which came with all major plug adapters for using it most anywhere in the world) so it could even travel with you, if you wanted to lug it around, using batteries or corded power.

Having now unwrapped it and set it up and having used it for just a few days, like others have said here, I can’t attest yet to longevity, but I will aim to give my opinion on that in six months or so, but, what I CAN attest to, is the absolute SILENCE of this device! I mean, like, seriously, I can’t hear it, at all. There is no hum, no buzz, no cranking gears, nothing. Kind of surreal, almost, seeing it work so soundlessly. There is a very small green light that gives an intermittent (but not at all annoying at night) flash to let you know it’s doing its thing.

As far as appearance, it definitely is a beautiful little piece of furniture and looks GREAT. Yes, it’s faux leather, but it still looks far better than plastic, and, with the real glass face and chrome fixtures, it maintains a very upscale appearance, and is a piece you can be proud to display. It is a bit large, but not intrusively so, with a footprint that is roughly six inches wide, eight inches long, and seven inches high. It’s really just large enough to be noticed, so it’s nice they put a lot of thought into its appearance. Other cheapos may be smaller, but likely that’s because the cheapos are something you would tuck away, rather than display, which is a shame when you have a beautiful watch inside.

All in all, I couldn’t be more pleased! Yes, it was more than I really wanted to spend, but, for getting a piece that carries many of the features of units five times that price, I’m okay with it. Considering it is made by Wolf, it’s kind of like getting a Certina watch, in that you are spending very little, comparatively, for acquiring an item that has all the quality and benefits of of much higher (and one could argue, perhaps even overly) priced product.

If you’re looking to spend not so much, to get a whole lot, you can’t go wrong with the quality, craftsmanship and legacy of this winder. I absolutely and highly recommend!”

Reviewed in the United States on May 6, 2015

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