Winders - Hyperbole, Hype, and Shitting the Bed

So a now familiar scene here at Tempus Fugit HQ - order new winder, winder arrives and doesn't work, you search for any sort of info that will address the issue.  The "winder company" doesn't bother to explain one key piece of information in either its sales materials (online store) or put any info along the lines of a "getting started" document that might ship with the winder. So you essentially have to figure it out for yourself - apparently the winder must be plugged in overnight before it will work (it is meant to be able to run either by plugging in or using battery power). Long story short, after an overnight the winder worked wonderfully. 

A few months later, it was still working by battery charge, but starting to make a wobbly noise that was a bit disconcerting.  Fast forward a little bit further, and now the winder will not work at all unless plugged in, and it makes a ratcheting noise that gives the feeling the watch might fall out of the winder at any moment. Oh, and then after one series of winds? It powers off.

Now a few important points - in fairness, the winder cost a very affordable sub $50 US (discounted from approximately double that).  So I viewed it as a safe gamble and an affordable way to get a winder and write an unbiased product review. In hindsight, the customer service was a bit iffy (read nearly non existent), and the winder itself crapped out after less than 6 months. Simply put, as cynical as I can be, it seems unfair to air out the details about who made the winder, who sold it and all the low points (along with 1 or 2 positives). It is too easy a target and won't really address what might be the bigger picture.

By and large, very few companies that sell watch winders actually make watch winders.  Now this is not to say that is a universal truth, but it is pretty accurate. Essentially, the winder company is often in a roll not unlike a drop ship fulfillment program. The winder itself is more often than not an off the shelf (not that there is anything wrong with that) item that is then embossed with the selling company's name and packaged in their livery, then shipped. 

And it goes a bit further, these are often "full solution" deals where the winders are packed with (or often without) instructions, etc. in a sealed shipping box. The seller then simply stacks the boxes, and then forwards them to the buyer. And in fairness? As the first customer (of the winder manufacturer) they should reasonably expect that things will work as advertised. The final customer then orders, the "winder company" pulls a box and ships it.

Now let's get into the wonderful reality that is the "Sunk Cost Trap" - as it applies to your old pal, Henki -

Henki is a guy who worked at Tourneau, worked for DOXA, consults with a few brands here and there and likes to think he's been around the block a few times. Henki also knows, to a certain extent, where watches and watch accessories come from. When it comes to winders, the motors (i.e. everything electronic that actually winds the watch) comes from China. Nothing wrong with that. While Henki makes some decent coin in the watch game, he is a Northern Youth, and a full-time educational social worker at his core and prefers not to drop a shit-ton of money on pretty things to sit on his desk or dresser that, at their heart, are simply meant to perform a function - keep an automatic watch wound when not being worn. Henki understands that some more established and expensive brands (Underwood, Orbita and others) cost significantly more, have a more solid track record and tend to offer better customer support. But, again, Henki would like to think that he is savvy enough to know that the motors are, most likely, from the same source. And here is where Henki has learned a very valuable lesson about the difference between what is said and what, in fact, is. 

Long story short - in terms of watch winders, it is now very clear to this guy that you get what you pay for. And now for one of the other glaring oddities about watch folks and how we prioritize our spending -

We have very little problem spending sometimes budget ruinous amounts of cash for YET ANOTHER WATCH, but balk at spending perhaps 3 times the amount of a bargain (read "soon to become useless motorized paper weight") winder on one that will actually work as advertised or be remedied by the company that sold it. It seems to be, if I am very honest, a ridiculous stumbling point. I'll put it another way - I am willing to presume that the difference between an Underwood or Orbita winder and the last few I've purchased is perhaps more than simply good marketing.

So the hunt is on now for a winder that will, I don't know, actually keep a watch wound for more than 6 months. So keep an eye on this outlet, as I am now on a mission - one I intend to report on rigorously.

Stay tuned!

JUVO's Limited Edition Watch Boxes

Something fun to keep your watches in!

Courtesy of Juvo

Already known and appreciated for their winders, Juvo has taken the next step with their new series of watch boxes.  Some with a fun element, such as one dedicated to your pilot's watches (above and below) -

Courtesy of Juvo

And one for the desk divers out there -

Courtesy of Juvo

Both boxes are born out of a collaboration with Teun van Heerebeek of Watches and Pencils.  The box above features a Desk Diver illustration, and the one above it is with a Red Baron (Flieger) illustration. 

Both the boxes are limited to 100 pieces each, and retail price is $299 USD. 

 

A Father's Day Special Deal

From Juvo Luxury!

Juvo Luxury reached out following the review of their winder and are offering a special deal for readers of Tempus Fugit and About Time - the US based print magazine I sometimes write for:

Celebrate Father's Day in style and treat your treasured watch collection to a JUVO watch winder. Go to juvoluxury.com and enter code "ABOUTTIME" for 25% off entire 2016 collection. Limited supplies!

So there you go!

DISCLOSURE:

James Henderson, Tempus Fugit and ABOUT TIME HAVE NOT been compensated to announce this promotion.   We're just nice guys ; )

A Week of Well Wound Watches

This past week (technically going on 2) I  have had the opportunity to test out JUVO Luxury's 3 watch winder here at Tempus Fugit HQ.  

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!

Bitchin' New Winders!

From Juvo Luxury Winders -

Courtesy of Juvo Luxury Winders

So what happens when a self-confessed, watch-obsessed guy and his family decide to make a better mouse trap?  Well, in the case of Watchuseek all-star correspondent Bhanu Chopra, the result is perhaps one of the nicest watch winders on offer for some time.  

Courtesy of Juvo Luxury Winders

These are the two offerings from Juvo Luxury - a three and four watch winder stand.  Now myself, I have always been a bit put-off by the various winder options out there.  They just didn't do it for me, and nine times out of ten they look as if they either belonged on the set of the original West World, or in the work shop of a motorcycle repair center on the outskirts of Bakersfield.  Or the other extreme, they looked as if they were straight out some home in Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous.  There seemed to be no understanding or appreciation of the fact that watch winders would be out on display in actual homes where actual people lived, and that contrary to popular belief, having multiple watches to wind and appreciating a douchy interior design aesthetic were not necessarily mutually exclusive.

Enter Juvo Luxury winders!

Watch winders that, of course, keep your time keepers wound.  But these winders actually LOOK GREAT, and have multiple lighting options so that you can see your watches highlighted in the tower while they power up.


All in all, a very thoughtful design, and a welcome change from what has come before from other brands.

21RT COMBO LCM keeping you safe and wound!

The problem with winders, and why most of us don't own one?  They are usually one, maybe two watch affairs.  So what to do when you have more than a few?

Courtesy of Scatoloa de Tempo

Not to worry, Scatola del Tempo's got you covered!