Watch Storage Cases
If you’ve taken the time and trouble to invest in a designer watch, you want to make certain that it works properly and looks its best at all times. This is particularly true if you have purchased a high end model that includes gold, platinum or diamonds. These are fine pieces of jewelry, and you’re not doing them or yourself any good if you just throw them in a drawer somewhere. They may strike other objects and become scratched or damaged and you’ll end up with something that’s less than what you’d expect from a luxury timepiece.
If you own but a single designer watch, you should find a cool, dry place to store it where it isn’t likely to come in contact with other hard objects. You should keep it away from strong magnetic fields, and avoid exposing it to caustic chemicals or temperature extremes. If you don’t have a suitable place to store your luxury watch, you should probably just keep it in the original box, which was intended to protect it from damage during shipping from the factory when it was new.
If you own many designer watches, and lots of people do, then a better solution would be to buy a storage case that was designed especially for storing wristwatches. There are many different types for sale, and you can probably find them at any fine jewelry store or at a number of online retailers. Many of these cases are handcrafted from fine hardwoods and feature either a lacquered finish or a leather covering and display quite nicely. They come in different sizes; you might find one for sale that holds as few as five watches or as many as two dozen. While they may be crafted from wood on the outside, the inside will generally be soft and plush, with a separate compartment for each timepiece. Some include an extra drawer to store such sundries as cufflinks or tie tacks. Some models have a hinged lid, while others use drawers or a combination of a hinged lid and a drawer. These are nice looking cases that should look great on top of your dresser or chest of drawers in your bedroom.
For those who like to travel, portable watch cases are available. These resemble briefcases, and the best of them are made from aluminum and have reinforced corners. Most people probably don’t need to take a number of watches with them when they travel, but if you do, Tech Swiss makes a nice travel case that’s available at a reasonable price (under $50.)
Most watch cases, even the nicer ones, are affordably priced and can be purchased for under $100 giving you a nice looking item that will protect your precious wristwatches at minimal cost.
Watch Winders
Watch cases work just fine if you have models that utilize quartz electronic movements. These timepieces will run for years without the need to replace the battery and as long as they are stored properly, they’ll be working just fine when you take them out of the case to wear them. That isn’t true of watches with mechanical movements, which need to be wound before use. You can store those in a regular watch case; you’ll just have to wind them and set the time when you put them on. If you have a watch with an automatic movement, however, you’ll have a different problem. These timepieces are self-winding; they keep working by using a weight inside that moves when your arm moves, which puts tension on the spring that drives the timepiece. It’s best if you keep these running all the time, but what can you do if you aren’t wearing it? Even the best automatic movements will run out of power after 48-72 hours, leaving you with a run down timepiece that’s not ready to go when you are.
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That’s where a device known as a watch winder comes in handy. These are storage cases, but they contain sophisticated electronics inside that will actually move your watches, independently of each other, in order to keep them running and accurate. These devices are surprisingly complex, as it is possible to damage a fine mechanical wristwatch by overwinding it. Each make and model has its own requirements for optimal winding, and the best of these watch winders will allow you to program the device for each individual timepiece you have stored within it. On the more expensive models, you’ll have microprocessor controlled winding features, which allow you to choose whether to rotate the watch clockwise, counterclockwise, or both. In addition, you can program these devices for multiple cycles per day, if necessary, and you can adjust the duration of the cycles for the number of turns per day that each wristwatch is to receive. Many of these units are crafted from fine hardwoods such as briarwood or rosewood and are beautiful pieces of furniture in their own right. Many of them also include security features in order to protect your investments.
Models are available in a variety of prices, depending on features, materials from which they are made, and the number of watches they can store at one time. Inexpensive models with limited features that wind a single wristwatch can usually be purchased for $50-$100. More expensive models that store several dozen watches can easily sell for $50,000 or even more, with other models falling in between. If you only own a single watch, it’s quite affordable to buy a watch winder in order to keep your timepiece running accurately.
While spending that kind of money on a watch storage device may seem excessive, keep in mind that many luxury watches can sell for six figures, so spending $50,000 to store dozens of timepieces isn’t necessarily outlandish if you happen to own multiple high end luxury watches. Fortunately, for most people, less expensive and more affordable options are available. and it’s certainly possible to spend under $100 to find either an acceptable watch winder or an attractive storage case that will allow you to store your designer watches without having to worry about them becoming damaged.