Watch Winder Smith Bamboo Single/Dual Watch Winder for Automatic Watches

I've been looking for an automatic watch winder for some time and I'm glad I purchased this one. Many reviews for other winders I've looked at frequently mention lack of build quality and significant noise when running. I'm an engineer, so I do immediately notice build quality first whenever I look at a product. Also, I'm a very light sleeper and am pretty sensitive to noise. This watch winder is really quiet. When I listen with my ear next to the winder, I can hear a soft motor noise and a very slight “thud” sound once a revolution. And no, it’s not my watch making that noise because I checked without my watch installed and the noise is still there. Nevertheless, when I stand more than a foot or two away, I can’t hear anything. The winder weighs in at a real hefty 3.56 pounds according to my kitchen scale and is basically a cube approximately 6.5" on a side. Doesn't sound too big, but you'll still be surprised at the amount of space it does takes up ... you'll definitely want to measure the location where you plan to place it. The bamboo laminate sidewalls are really thick ... about 5/8" ... and very rigid. The hardware holding it all together looks pretty solid. The clear acrylic cover opens smoothly on some nice hinges and has stops with transparent silicone rubber O-rings so it comes to rest silently when closed. In terms of looks, the flat aluminum body panels with flat bamboo sidewalls gives it a very minimalist and "functional/industrial" aesthetic, rather than a "sculptural/artsy" one. It definitely looks "engineered". A really nice feature of this watch winder is that whenever it runs and then comes to a stop, it always stops in the same vertical orientation. Even if when you first insert your watch and it isn't oriented correctly, just turn the control to one of the run modes and then off again immediately and it will continue to rotate until reaching the correct vertical orientation and then stop (see my video). Or just let it run through an entire cycle, and it’ll stop back in the correct vertical orientation … so you can actually read your watch face without tilting your head. I’ve seen some reviews of other winders which don’t consistently stop with the correct watch face orientation, which I’m sure would be pretty annoying. I have a 1969 Bulova SkyStar watch. I don’t wear it very often, and it is a real pain to reset the day-of-week and date indicator after the watch has stopped for more than a day. But I’ve been using this winder for about 3 weeks continuously without removing my watch and my Bulova is still running! And whenever I look at it during pauses, sure enough the watch face is correctly oriented. One thing to note. There are no indicators around the control knob to let you know what mode you are in. Maybe they’ll add markers in a future upgrade. But as of this review, you have to count “clicks” as you rotate the knob to determine the mode. The 4 modes are explained in the manual, but basically, they determine the duration of each run cycle and how long the winder pauses between each cycle. 3 of the 4 modes alternate rotation direction from one cycle to the next. The 4th mode first runs in one direction and then immediately in the reverse direction within each run cycle, and then the pause. At least that’s what the manual indicates … I haven’t tested that one yet. There is a recessed blue LED to indicate off/on which is a little hard to see ... very sensitive to your line-of-sight viewing angle. The light is off when the winder is in the off mode. When in any of the run modes, the light is on steady when the winder is actually rotating, and it blinks on/off about every 3 seconds to let you know when the winder is just paused between cycles. Bottom line ... my Bulova is pretty happy with the winder … so I’m happy. I highly recommend the Watch Winder Smith.

I have used this watch winder for only a few days, and it seems to be doing a great job keeping our Rolex watches right on time. I use my Rolex on a daily basis and my wife uses hers on certain occasions. Great that there are different settings for each watch. The blue light is nice to have it shows that the winder is active. Thought I might not like the Bamboo look, however it looks very nice, and the stainless-steel is a beautiful accent. Very quiet and smooth-running motors, having the different shaped pillows is a great idea. Watches do not move around during rotation. Always stop right side up so you can see time. At this time, I do not have any negatives for this watch winder. Highly recommends spending the extra money.

The winder was nicely packaged. It looks nice, though I would prefer if it was also availble with a more noble wood like walnut, maple, cherry, ... even at a slightly higher price. The construction seems solid and it runs very quietly. The small watch pillow was perfect for my wife's watch (very small wrist), I needed to add a bit of foam on the back of the medium pillow to stabilize my watch, because it would not fit on the large one. I found that the best way to determine the lowest setting that will keep my 2 watches running was to let them run out of stored energy. This can take a few days (2 days for one and 4 days for the other). Then to give them just a few winds to get them started and try if they keep running on the lowest setting (Mode 2 at 576 Turns Per Day). If not, increase the number of TPD's, until they keep running. Both watches are running fine on Mode 3 (second lowest setting at 1548 TPD). If you google "watch winding specifications," you can find the recommended TPD's for various watches. It seems that most of them need about 600-1,000 TPD's, though some of them are requiring more than 1,000. Accordingly, it seems that Mode 3 will keep most watches running without overwinding them. I just bought it a few weeks ago, so I cannot evaluate reliability.

There is a lot to like about the Watch winder Smith, b ut there are also some no-go points. It has a clean and modern look and displays the watches nicely. The one I received ran properly; no problems there. It is certainly quiet enough for my aged ears--I can't hear it. The packing was good enough that mine arrived undamaged; though it was not double-boxed, as are other brands of watch winders I am trying out. Unboxing was easy, too. Last, it's compact in height and depth, giving it a low-profile on the dresser (it is an inch or so longer/wider than, say, the Driklux--but that may not matter to many users). There are a couple of points that need mention; one is fairly major, while the other is just something to be aware of. Let's get that one out of the way first. while this winder--along with the others I have tried--can be run on either batteries, or an AC adapter, some of us need to use battery power at all times because we don't use it close to an AC outlet. Thus it's important that the batteries must last long enough. Some brands, such as Driklux, provide spaces for installing not one, but two sets of AA batteries--that's four batteries in all. That's one way to extend the time between battery changes. (Another winder brand uses D size batteries, which store a lot more energy than AA.) So this is not a defect. I won't be keeping this winder long enough to find out how long the batteries last. Again, it's just something to be aware of. Here are the (for me) deal breakers. Although the foam pads will securely hold all but my largest watches, it won't do so with my big and heavy field watch with metal bracelet. I have a 7 1/4 inch wrist. the foam pillow is too small for the bracelet to close tightly around. The watch and bracelet slips loosely on the pillow with each half-turn of the winder, with a clunking sound. That can be good for neither the watch nor the winder. I don't like the pillows. They are made of a fairly rigid foam material; while they are a bit more compliant than styrofoam, they are not the stuff of nice pillows, but something much stiffer. Some bracelet sizes may not close on them easily; others, not at all--while (as in my case) they slide up and down on the pillow. And on first use, it's hard to slip the pillow between the wafer-thin walls of the space where they are held in the winder. The pillows keep this winder from being an entirely pleasant experience.

I have owned this watch winder for six weeks and am now ready to provide a review. To begin with, the packaging was truly outstanding and the product arrived in perfect condition. No marks, scratches, blemishes, cracks, etc. The winder has functioned flawlessly for the six weeks that I have used it for my two favorite watches: a Panerai and a Bell & Ross (a quick Google search will give you an idea of both the size and value of those watches). This winder functions as well as my previous winder (a Steinhausen which cost two and a half times more than this one). In addition, it is almost completely silent as compared to the Steinhausen which could be heard all night from across the bedroom. I keep the new winder barely 6 feet from the head of my bed and I really don't hear it at all. I have read reviews that critically point out the blue LED lights that are displayed on the front of the unit and that reflect out of several service access holes at the back of the unit. I agree with others that these lights seem to be an unnecessary annoyance but the manufacturer does provide a couple of small adhesive dots to cover the front facing lights. I mentioned this to the manufacturer in an email exchange and I was told that they are working to alleviate that issue. Meanwhile, an inch of duct tape over the rear access ports has cured that issue for me (a small price to pay for an otherwise fine product). In addition, I have read complaints about the "cheap" foam "pillows" that support the watch, but as for my own experience, they are far, far superior to the ones provided with my prior winder which, although spring-loaded and covered in a silk-like material, fell apart rather quickly and needed to be replaced at a cost of about $40 each. Moreover, those pillows allowed my watches to slip and slide enough to abrade the leather watchbands as they rubbed against the surface of the faux-felt interior of the winding cylinders. The foam rubber pillows provided with my new winder are very solid and firm and hold both watches very securely. The winding cylinders are smooth plastic and to date have not caused any damage. (Several extra "pillows" are also provide by the manufacturer). Only time will tell if this product continues to function properly well into the future but as of today it has exceeded my expectations and I am highly satisfied.

I had previously bought another watch winder of the same type, which is why I decided to purchase the bamboo model as well. I am a watch enthusiast, and I must say that this device is very well made, quiet, and reliable.

I like the unit but the watch pillow crumbled. Poor quality! Know my gold Blancpain fifty fathoms watch is on a sponge . Very disappointing. Winder was not cheep . Would not buy again. 160.00 down the drain.

This product costs a bit more than some others around Amazon but the difference can be seen in the build quality and quietness. Operation is straightforward with controls for each side individually allowing you to set the desired winding for each watch. It’s whisper quiet. Compared to my previous Versa winder I can keep this in my bedroom and I don’t ever notice it working. My watches are kept perfectly wound and ready to go whenever I want to wear one. The only knock on it is the pads for the watches. They are cheap looking black sponges and while they work perfectly giving a snug and effective fit, they could do with a bit more premium materials. That said, they are black and disappear in the winder then they’re on so not something that would warrant a complaint really.