A LITTLE PERSONAL HISTORY:   By now, you all know my buying habits. I, like most of us, am on a limited budget and have decided that I want to obtain one GRAIL watch every year or so with the purpose of creating a small yet fantastic collection of timepieces. While it may be fun to have a huge collection of all types of watches, my budget simply does not support such expenditures and so I had to make a choice. And I did. I now have 6 watches, each one a grail (to someone) and no matter which I wear I am always able to look down at my wrist with awe and pride.

With this type of shopping/spending approach it is very difficult to finally take from the reserves and make any purchase. Even after I have found the one watch to rule them all, I find myself toiling and second guessing until I wear down my own silly defenses and take the plunge. Today I am proud to say I do not own a watch that I am “bored” with or that I want to trade away, because my collection has been carefully calculated. It’s tough, but I suggest everyone who has ever wanted a timepiece that was out of their budget give this a try. Sooner than you think and with just a touch of diligence, you can have your grail!

THE WINDER CONUNDRUM:   So I finally collect this small group of grails, all of which are automatic, and I slowly begin my descent into watch winder hell. Night after night I troll auction sites, watch boards, and questionable e-tailers hoping for a deal or at least a glowing review of a watch winder that will help me keep my collection running and healthy. I find neither. You see watch winders typically fall into two categories: The cheap kind you replace every year, and the kind that are so expensive you would need a second mortgage to afford them. Just last weekend I saw a 4 slot winder at the mall for over $15,000! Additionally, none of them seem able to achieve vastly positive reviews and it is all too easy to find negative feedback on some of the most revered winders. Loud humming, shoddy craftsmanship, even D.O.A. units were spoken of at all levels and price points. It was enough to make me fearful. Apparently, I had good reason to be…

For a time my collection sat in a watch box, wound manually by me (sometimes just shaken about in anger and frustration) so that when I was ready to wear one it would correctly display the day, date, time, etc. and I would not need to fiddle with it before leaving the house.

Then, I seemingly found a solution. A nice looking winder from a reputable company that would fit the bill. I was excited as I withdrew funds from my reserves to make my purchase. A short while after that, amidst the odor of burning wood and the sight of one of my watches sitting roughly against the winder window, I was heartbroken. Not only had all three heads stopped working, but one of my watches (260+ grams) had taken a dive obviously desperate to escape the impending doom and destruction about to befall it’s home. *sigh* Hundreds of dollars wasted, and once again without a winder, I figured it best to go back to the old fashioned way and just wind them manually (read: shake them extra angrily and with more frustration).

To say I was heartbroken is an understatement, because I hate wasting money, and I work hard to add to my watch fund, and this winder not only robbed me of my cash but also of time, energy, and ultimately passion for such things… Or so I thought.

TO BUY OR NOT TO BUY:   Let’s face it; most of us never want to invest in a watch winder. After all, we are capable of winding our own watches, and when we have extra funds we want to use said funds to BUY ANOTHER WATCH!

I felt this way for a long time, and until recently with the purchase of an incredible new winder, you could not have convinced me otherwise!

Now, I propose that buying a winder, a QUALITY winder, is as exciting as getting a new watch. In fact, getting my new Rotolution Quad winder has been every bit as exciting as adding a grail to the collection, and I feel that in it’s own way it deserves a new category to describe this level of excitement and achievement. So from here on out, let’s call this a Grail Winder, so as to outline it’s stature against other winders.

So with that in mind, I wanted document my new winder with pictures and words that will “show you what you get” for your money.

THE ROTOLUTION EXPERIENCE:   Enter Rotolution. I had seen a few articles, read a review or two from Michael, Jim, and others whose opinions I respect, and I must say I was intrigued. I visited the website, poked around a bit, and ultimately reached out to Jason (the owner of the company) with some questions. In fact, I had so many questions, and much trepidation given my first winder experience, yet Jason always replied to my emails promptly. Additionally, he offered suggestions, advice, and support despite the fact that I was not yet a customer and would remain so for a period of time as I continued to investigate. Folks, this is what customer service is all about. Jason and his staff offer service on par with Renato (many of you know what high praise this is) providing support before, during, and after you buy their product.

From the pre-order support, to the thank you email with tracking, the order process was smooth and efficient.

Additionally, Jason remains available and supportive going forward, always available via email to answer questions and offer assistance.

In a word, the experience was “flawless’.

IT’S HERE…AND IT’S NICER THAN MY FURNITURE!   So I unpack the winder (Quad, cherry) and smile as it is not only double boxed, but foam packed with such care, that Ace Ventura could kick it til’ next Tuesday and it would remain unscathed.

Once I cleared the foam, I just sat back and stared at this piece of art. The pictures on Jason’s site, mine, anyone’s really, do it no justice.

SUPER high lacquer finish, exquisite wood grain, and an incredible heft (it weighed 26lbs. on the shipping invoice!) gave me pause. This winder is an heirloom quality piece of furniture, and no matter what you have seen even from brands costing 5 times more, this is the zenith of class and elegance.

The glass door is a thick and sturdy cut, hinged wonderfully, and fitted with hardware that is polished and high quality. No wiggly, squeaky doors here.

The back of the unit has 2 switches (one for general power, the other solely for the LEDs) and a USB input. More on this in a moment.

As you inspect the interior, you find 4 winders, each with an LED screen below it, and a series of drawers running vertically down the center of the unit. Each of the drawers is able to store a single watch of just about any size, and the top drawer is fitted internally with ring holder cushions; A nice touch.

The lining is soft and smooth, and each of the winder heads holds an insert that is gently squeezed to release it from the spinning cylinders. Once out, you simply place your watch onto the insert by depressing the tab on the back. As you squeeze, it clicks into place allowing the watch to slide over it. A second squeeze releases the spring and it slides out to gently apply pressure to the strap/band of the watch, thereby holding it firmly in place. Then you re-insert it into the cylinder, it clicks into the cylinder, and there is no chance of it falling out. Ever.

This unique device is so simply brilliant, it makes you wonder why no one else has ever done this! I for one am ecstatic that my watches will never again “dive” out of their spinning home!

IT’S SILENT.   The winder sits on my nightstand, directly next to my head as I sleep. It is silent. It is SO silent. Not an iota of noise is heard from this winder. The motors on this unit are perfect.

THE LED’s:   Each head has a super bright, green LED display below it. It displays numerous bits of information including turns per day, how long the cycle has been running, how many turns of the full cycle have been completed thus far, and more. I love the LED’s, but if you find they are too bright at night you can flip the switch on the back of the unit and it will shut them off.

SOFTWARE AND SETUP:   This is the coolest feature, yet there is not much to say because Rotolution has made this so darn easy.

You pop in the CD Rom included with the winder. It installs in a minute or so.

Next, you connect your computer to the winder with the included USB cable.

To launch the Rotolution software, you click the desktop icon it creates and a 4 quadrant window pops up, each quadrant representing the corresponding winder head. So cool!

From here, you can click “on” or “off”, and the winders start spinning instantly. It was like STAR TREK for watch geeks! This is also where you enter the number of turns per day you would like each head to make, as well as direction (clockwise, counter clockwise, or both).

This info is stored on flash memory in the unit, so no worries. In fact, just last night we had two power outages and my Rotolution winder didn’t miss a beat!

MY EXPERIENCE SO FAR…   Gang, I love this thing. Seriously, I am more excited about this than I can express! I am speechless each day as I come home and see this perfect and unique machine. It not only has handled what other winders have failed to do (noise, secure fittings, options in settings) but has packaged it all in a way that screams sophistication.

As someone who is so careful and critical about how I choose to invest my money, this is one time where I can sit back and feel confident that my money was well spent, my decision well made, and that my watch collection will be well taken care of.

For anyone on the fence, I urge you to reach out to Jason with any questions, and ultimately try a Rotolution winder. Do not underestimate the pride and excitement you will feel by owning this creation.

It made me feel every bit as special and privileged as any watch I own, and that says it all I think.

Jason and his team are to be commended on their commitment to service and quality, and I hope they continue to innovate and create exceptional products.

If this winder is any hint at what’s to come, then this company better go public because I want shares!

   © 2008 Wind My Watch