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Winders are a funny thing. Most watch guys (and gals) out there when asked will say that they, in fact, they do not own a winder for their automatic watches. Many more will say that they don't want or need one because they simply grab a watch, set and hand-wind it and go from there. And in a perfect world that would sure make sense.
But the reality is that many of us have watches that have complications that are, well, a pain in the ass to re-set if we don't keep the watch wound (either by wearing them regularly so that they self-wind, or by using a watch winder) and owing to this, we invariably don't wear them as often as we might (i.e. once in a blue moon), and they end up taking up space in desk drawers gathering dust and not being enjoyed.
And to some extent that is where I found myself. I have a few moonphase watches, and it has been an ongoing struggle to keep them hand-wound between regular wearing. Needless to say, I am now a firm believer in the value and benefit of a watch winder.
Okay, visually, the JUVO winder is an incredibly beautiful item. Its smooth, clean lines house (in this case) 3 watch winder ports. Each of these can be independently programmed and can accommodate several different settings (more on that shortly). The winding action is unbelievably quiet, and more than once I have been somewhat startled by just how quiet the winding action is.
What seems abundantly clear is that JUVO sought to address BOTH sides of the winder debate, which for many watch fans was not entirely dissimilar to the old Lite Beer from Miller ads of the seventies and eighties -
Essentially you typically felt that you had a choice to make:
A quality winder that works well but looks like something you'd rather hide in the closet.
or
A good looking tabletop chachki that might (and then again, might not) wind your watch.
The folks at JUVO decided that there was really no reason you couldn't have both.
The winder itself is incredibly easy to use. Plug it in, mount your watches on the pillows, place the pillows in the winder ports.
Then select the direction you want the watch to rotate (clockwise, counter-clockwise, or bi-directional) -
Then select the number of rotations you wish per day with the TPD (turns per day) switch -
These switches are clearly marked and easy to get at at the back of the winder -
And that's it!
In terms of performance, the winder has performed flawlessly and my two moon phase chronographs remained wound and spot on time in between wearings these past few weeks.
So it is fair to say that the beauty of the JUVO winder is more than skin deep. But having said that, it is a very good looking item in its own right!
And it has one added touch that I really, REALLY love -
And that would be that the individual winders have a lighting system that can be switched on offering three different levels of illumination. And you don't need to reach around to the back to activate this feature, you simply tap the lock at the lower bottom left hand side of the glass door!
And this makes perfect sense, because we are into watches not just for the technical aspects, but for the aesthetics. We like the way they look! And doesn't it make sense to create a winder that allows you to look at and appreciate your collection? JUVO Luxury thought so, and I'd have to say that I agree!
So I can honestly and wholeheartedly recommend the JUVO M3 winder. It is a well-made, elegant solution to the challenge of keeping your automatic watches wound and ready. And not only that, it affords you the opportunity to enjoy and appreciate your collection without having to dig through your watch box!
