Watch Winder-SWI4

Here is a detailed review of this product: I purchased the 4 compartment model and for the price, this winder can’t be beaten. It’s far from the very finest of watch winders (which can cost as much as a house) but this delivers a ton of value for the dollar. The point of owning a winder is for the grab-&-go factor. If you enjoy the care and feeding of winding and setting your watches, an automatic winder might not be the best choice. If you only have traditional mechanical winding watches, kinetic watches, or quartz, this device will be of no use to you. Yet, this winder will accommodate almost any automatic watch up to 60mm case diameter and the cushions are held securely. Although there’s some debate about using winders, I just plan to turn it off the last week of each month and give all the mechanisms a rest – it’s the best of both worlds that way. The operation is whisper-quiet, not dead silent, but still super quiet. With all 4 motors moving, just turning pages of a book drowns out the sound. Keep in mind that the surface it sits on will resonate so a hollow piece of furniture such as a dresser may amplify the sound of its operation. Overall, it produces a very soft white noise. The motors run hourly to accumulate the total turns per day (TPD) and will run when you hit the play button. For example, at 650 TPD started at 12:15, the motor will turn 27 times again at 1:15 and each hour thereafter. The instructions provided don’t have A+ grammar, but they get the point across; besides, it’s a winder manual, not a doctoral thesis. The manual suggests turning the winder off for 12 hours twice a month to promote longer life of the device. There’s a little confusion as to the numbering of the motors compared to the display… The touch display on top indicates: 1 3 2 4 The actual physical layout of the motors is: 1 2 3 4 Albeit an inconvenience, it’s worth noting. If you’re still not sure where each motor is, just select that number on the display and press the play button to turn it and you’ll figure it out. The display does go to sleep after about a minute or so, but it still shows which motor numbers are set to run. It is also worth noting that the plexiglass door does is not sealed. There is a 6mm gap on the LH & RH sides and a 3mm gap at the top and bottom. Over time, a small amount of dust may enter but it would be negligible. Still, worth noting in case having a sealed door is important to you. The door closes using a detent and not a magnet. It helps to steady the cabinet by hand at the top RH corner while opening the door. A minor inconvenience, but I would rather have a secure closure than a door that a pet (looking at you, cats…) could easily paw open. It would be a good idea to find out if your watches have directional or bi-directional winding mechanisms so you can set the clockwise/counter-clockwise rotations and prescribed TPD as needed. If in doubt about TPD, start low and work up. The motors stop at random positions so if having your watch return to a centered, 12 o’clock position each time is your flavor, this device isn’t the one. If you do have a directional winding movement, the winder should be set to wind the direction given by the manufacturer. If one direction does not wind your watch, simply reverse the motor. However, using a bi-directional winding motor setting is an easy alternative as well. Should the winder lose power, all settings are lost and will need to be reset. Again, a minor inconvenience, but it’s winder from Amazon, not Rolls Royce. It is powered via A/C adapter and does not work with batteries. I presently grade this winder at a solid A and if it lives through its 18 month warranty period, I will gladly upgrade that to an A+

Beautiful winder. Fit and finish are impeccable. Motors are absolutely silent. This review is for the 4-watch winder. I also own a Chiyoda 2-watch winder and am very happy with both. Unlike other reviewers, mine arrived well packed and in very good shape -- and this is after being forwarded from the US to an address overseas. I should add that one of my Chiyoda winders i’ve had for nearly a year and haven’t had a bit of trouble with either the 2-watch or the 4-watch winder. The point of a winder is to keep an automatic watch ticking. Keeping an automatic watch wound and ticking is just better for the internal mechanism. Doing so keeps the lubricants properly dispersed throughout the movement, greatly extending the period between servicing. If you own an automatic, you should own a winder, and these Chiyoda winders are an outstanding value. If you wonder if a Chiyoda winder will work with your watch, go to Orbita’s watch movement database and look up your model. Orbita will tell you the turns-per-day for your movement and whether those turns should be clockwise, counter clockwise, or both. A Chiyoda winder will almost certainly support your watch. The only watch I know of that doesn't play nice with automatic winders are the Seiko automatics. Seiko uses a different type of cam in their winding mechanism. The drawback of watch winders Some people argue that winders are not good for automatic watches. They put forth the argument that running a watch 24/7 causes undue wear on the gear train. This is false. If the watch is properly lubricated, there will be very little wear on the gears and running the watch insures lubricants remain properly distributed throughout the movement. The only time you need to use caution is if you own a vintage automatic. Be mindful that a winder could possibly over wind your main spring, and if this happens, you’ll need to visit a repair shop. In modern automatics this isn’t a concern. Watch makers have been including safeties in their movements for years that prevent over-winding. In any event, the Chiyoda winders offer enough turns-per-day options that over-winding can easily be avoided. If in doubt, err on the side of caution — set it for fewer turns per day. Chiyoda winders are a great value for the money. Couldn’t be happier and wouldn't hesitate to buy another.

Shipping was quick, price point was great, control panel easy to use. My only minor complaint was that some of the edges were rough. Also note, on the main panel, which looks very nice, there are four holes (2 on the left side and 2 in the right sides). These holes are covered up with stickers in the same pattern as the main weaved looking panel (see attached pics). I assume they cover up screws so you can access the motors. They even include an extra set of stickers. These holes are not shown on the product pics so be aware. Overall, it's a nice winder for the price point. You're not paying for a Wolf or Orbita so don't expect that. The stickers, though, look tacky to have on such a nice display panel.