winder

Orbita Bergamo 40 Watch Winder Furniture

The more automatic watches you get the harder it is to store and keep track of them. Serious collectors end up buying more and more watch winders, but at a point you just want a few massive winders to house your collection (versus dozens of smaller ones). The good news is that a few select companies make high-capacity watch winders, and they are serious invenstments unto themselves. New from US-based Orbita is the Bergamo 40 range of watch winder cabinets.

The Bergamo 40 starts with a very simple concept - a watch winder for 40 watches that can disguise itself as piece of fine furniture. The rear part of this cabinet can raise or lower and contains 40 individual watch winders (that have their own motors and are individually programmable). Via a remote or switch on the unit, the winders can lower into the cabinet - which from the front then looks like just a cabinet. If you want to showcase your watches in an office or room that might have people walking in it, it is a good idea to be able and "hide" your collection. The cabinet itself is made in Italy, and can be ordered in a variety of woods, finishes, and styles. Consultation with Orbita is required to get one, and each is custom made. Prices for the Orbita Bergamo 40 watch winder cabinet starts at about $60,000, and each takes about 3-4 months to make.

Ariel Adams publishes the luxury watch reviews site aBlogtoRead.com.

Gallery: Orbita Bergamo 40

Tags: 40, bergamo, cabinet, furniture, orbita, Orbita Bergamo 40 Watch Winder Furniture, watch, winder

Döttling Colosimo Watch Case Is Tiny Safe

by Ariel Adams (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Timepieces / Watches

Döttling Colosimo Watch Case Is Tiny Safe

Aww, isn't it cute? The hefty sounding name of the Dottling Colosimo is a bit of an irony as this little guy is really a tiny safe. But how cool is it? Really quite a fun little invention, High-end German safe maker Dottling has created a fantastic looking safe for just one watch. It also doubles as a watch winder.

The name "Colosimo" actually has nothing to do with a colossus, but refers to Jim Colosimo who was an early 20th century Chicago gangster and back robber. Safe's like this were built in banks at the time to stop the likes of him. So Dottling thought it fancy to make a 1:13 scale model of one.

The watch case safe is fully functional. Having 16 radially arranged locking bolts and 32 gilged cogs to make it work. The safe is about an 11 inch wide square, but is made entirely from top quality German stainless steel. As such, the small safe weighs about 66 pounds!

To open the safe you need to enter a three digit combination lock entry - just like old times. Inside the Colosimo you can have a watch winder, or optionally a humidity controlled cigar humidor. The safe comes with mounting equipment as well as a luxury finishing, and the quality people have come to trust from Dottling. Price for the Colosimo is $23,800.

Ariel Adams publishes the luxury watch reviews site aBlogtoRead.com.

Gallery: Dottling Colosimo safe images

Tags: colosimo, Döttling, safe, smallest, watch, winder

Orbita Sparta Mini Watch Winder For Women

by Ariel Adams (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Timepieces / Watches

Apparently watch winders were too masculine and needed a more feminine touch for the female watch lover. North Carolina based Orbita has just released a line of women oriented single watch winders, of course available in an array of colors. Unlike the more complex men's watch winder units, the Sparta Mini is 'plug and plug' with no settings to fiddle with - merely a once every 10 minutes rotation. The release marks the first time I am aware of that a company has catered to female owners of mechanical watches. The prior concept being that most women's watches were quartz (or hand-wound to a lesser degree). An apparently growing population of automatic mechanical watch owners who are female has spurred this new Orbita Sparta Mini line into existence.

Available colors on the wall-plug-in (as opposed to battery operated) device are crème, red, blue, pink and white. Each in faux lizard skin on plastic. Orbita promises that the device will not harm or over-wind any mechanical watch. Placing a watch in the unit is pretty straight forward by removing a foam cushion, placing on the watch on the cushion, and then returning the cushion to the device. Retail price is $295.

Ariel Adams publishes the watch review site aBlogtoRead.com.

Gallery: Orbita Sparta Mini Watch Winders

Tags: lady, mini, Orbita, sparta, watch, winder, womans, women

Louis Moinet To Provide Watch Winder With All New Watches

by Ariel Adams (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Timepieces / Watches

Newer high-end watch maker Louis Moinet will begin to provide each new watch with a watch winder. It would seem obvious that luxury automatic mechanical timepieces would come complete with a tool to keep the watches wound, but many do not. Those brands that do are presented with an opportunity to present added value to their watches by providing a branded watch winder (most always supplied by a third party watch winder manufacturer).

One of the top choice companies for luxury European watch makers is actually the US based company Orbita, based in North Carolina. The popular watch winder maker has the facilities to produce relatively high quality watch winders that can be adapted to each manufacturer's tastes. The direction taken by Louis Moinet is a perfect example - whose brand is based on a legendary watch maker. His opus was a book titled "Traité d´Horlogerie" (Treatise on Watchmaking) published in 1848. It is actually still considered a very relevant watch making guide for purists of the art form.

The Orbita sourced watch winders will come inside a book-shaped housing where the watch can remain resting and kept wound while its owner decides to wear other watches. This works perfectly as most owners of high end watches such as a Louis Moinet, possess more than one watch - whose daily winding often proves time consuming. Part of luxury is often convenience.

The watch winders themselves are powered by a lithium ion battery with an approximate five year life span. All you need to do is place the watch in the winder and operate it with the on and off switch. In addition to being a nice accessory with a new watch, the winder solves a problem that seems to irritate watch makers and owners alike. The presentation of new watches is very important, but often loses relevance after you take a watch outside of the box. Having a presentation box that is both attractive and functional is the perfect solution.

Ariel Adams publishes the watch review site aBlogtoRead.com.

Gallery: Louis Moinet Watch Winders