Recently we had the chance to interview mr. Mark Lampkin who is the president of Orbita watch winders. Of course we were very curious about his point of view regarding the watch winders Orbita produces, future plans and vision.

Could you please introduce yourself and function at ORBITA?

My name is Mark Lampkin, and I am the president of Orbita Corporation. Orbita is based in Wilmington, North Carolina and was founded by my father-in-law, Chuck Agnoff, in 1996.  His wife, Evelyn, had given him a Rolex wristwatch as a retirement gift, and not wearing it for a few days caused him to have to reset the watch complications.  He was annoyed by this, hence the invention of his version of the Watchwinder to keep his watch wound.  The winder worked so well he decided to postpone retirement and start a new company of which was Orbita Corporation.  So, as CFO of the company from the start, transitioning to President was easy.

How would you describe the Orbita Company?

From inception, Orbita's Company philosophy has been to create products of lasting value with exceptional attention to detail; products that people enjoy owning because of their ease of operation and aesthetic value.

It has always been our main concern to make sure that we deliver a product that our customers can be assured is built to the highest American standards, as well as backed by a strong warranty, unlike other brands that consider their winders to be disposable. We are able to repair all of the winders we produce, which insures many years of enjoyment.  As a company, we also have been able to assemble a staff that is committed to delivering excellent customer care and are committed to their work, as is shown by our employee’s length of stay at our company.  Many of our employees have been with us since our inception and our newest employee is coming up on their 7th anniversary.

How would you describe the Orbita watch winders? 

We have many different styles and series of watch winders to fit the needs of most all winding requirements, ranging from entry level models to very elite, signature pieces.  In other words, our same, patented winding mechanism can be fitted in an entry level model or incorporated in an exquisite, exotic wood case, ranging in price from $295 up to and beyond $60K (we offer customized cases and winders for anything above our standard lines).  Therefore, we have a winder to meet all budgets which allows us entry into a vast range of markets.

Can you tell us more about the production process? 

At Orbita, we pride ourselves on proprietary developments, creating leading edge winding technology based on fresh ideas, innovative systems, and superior components. Our drives, gears, and controls are meticulously designed and fine tuned for the precise needs of every watch movement produced today. Additionally, we carefully select only the finest, timeless materials for our products, including handcrafted and detailed marquetry, the best grades of leather, sophisticated multi-layered lacquering, and the most modern carbon fibers.

Orbita has two main winding mechanisms to choose from; the fully programmable winder or the rotorwind winder.  The fully programmable winder allows you to program the number of turns per day as well as the winding direction.  The rotorwind winders are self-programming, mimicking human wrist movement.  Therefore, we have a winder for watch aficionados who want the capability to program settings for their particular watch, or we have the rotorwind winder for the collector who just needs to get the job done. 

Also, recently we upgraded our rotorwind power source from alkaline batteries to long-lived lithium batteries, that can provide up to five years battery life.

What are the main markets for Orbita? And can you tell us more about the business structure; do you have distributors, dealers or do you sell directly to consumers?

Our largest market involves our worldwide network of jewelry dealers and distributors.  However, our business partnership with Brown Safe Company and the incorporation of our modules into their safes, has expanded the watch winder markets into not only custom safes, but custom cabinetry and closets by interior designers as well.

Orbita’s strongest representation lies within the USA dealer network, but we also have distributors in Japan, Australia, South America, Canada, and several European countries for as long as we have been in business.  We encourage our customers to purchase our winders from an authorized dealer but consumers can purchase direct from Orbita at the full retail price.

In which way will Orbita develop the coming years? What will be the focus?

Our engineers and product development team are constantly entertaining new ideas and concepts for winders and luxury items.  Although watch winders are our main product, Orbita has had many other high-end, luxury items over the years, such as our LED flashlights, our Ernst Benz Pilot watch series; we partnered with Agresti, the fine jewelry chest producers, and incorporated our winders into their cases, and we also offer our own line of accessories, such as our Italian leather storage cases.  So our goal is to constantly refresh our product line with new products and ideas.

If you would compare Orbita with another brand, which brand is this and why?

There really is no comparison with winders to winders.  I mean, Orbita has its own patented mechanisms that incorporate quality parts and materials, PC Boards and iron core motors; and other brands have their own methods of winding.  The watch winding industry has changed significantly in the last ten years.  We have had a lot of brands enter the marketplace that have tricked consumers into buying sub-grade units that promise to keep their timepieces wound, only to find out that they don’t work, resulting in the end user discarding them because of lack of being serviceable. That’s one of the main reasons we continue to focus on advertising quality and dependability as well as made in America to allow customers to feel secure in ordering a high quality product that not only is built in America but can be serviced.  Our winders make for a good investment.

What new projects can we expect soon?

We have one in the works as we speak, called the “Gerstner”, another fine American company based in Dayton, Ohio.  For four generations Gerstner has enjoyed a reputation for unmatched excellence and craftsmanship. They are recognized simply as "the finest chest maker in America." In terms of quality, performance, materials, and workmanship, a Gerstner is in a class by itself. No other chest maker in the world has the reputation of a Gerstner. (and this is going to cost me a lot of shopping for my wife, Karen, for spilling the beans on this one!).

Why should we buy an Orbita watch winder?
Well, we are simply the best!!  Not only do we offer lasting movements, our customer service is second to none.  Our customer service representatives are longstanding with our company, which makes them familiar and very knowledgeable of the winders; they are able to troubleshoot and assist our clients over the telephone as well as electronically.  I am fortunate to have a very close-knit team that really take time and care of our customers.

Oh, and not to forget, our winders are made in the USA!

Also, we, Orbita, are very committed and supportive of community organizations and auctions for the betterment of our society.  My wife has always been, and still is, infamous for volunteering on boards (which her assistant probably wishes she wouldn’t), haha, but we donate winders and items frequently for these functions.  So not only do we make a great product, our company makes a great reputation in our community.

Basically, our reputation speaks for itself, and I always say, “Buy the Best, Forget the Rest!”

The watch winder brand Benson watch winders from the Netherlands has the reputation of creating watch winders with an unique price/quality ratio. With the famous Smart-Tech and Black Series models Benson is a well known name in the industry. Today Benson launches its newest Compact series, a series of beautiful watch winders in different exteriour colours as black leather, dark brown leather and light brown leather. The new Benson Compact 2.18 series offers watch winders with Japanese motors, touchscreen, LED light, adjustable TPD and direction of rotation. Basically it's all you need to wind any automatic watch. 

The big advantage of Benson watch winders is the price. These new Compact series watch winders start at 149 euro for the single watch model, and 199 euro for the double watch unit. We tested one version for 2 watches and must say the finishing, materials and functionality is very good. It's the perfect entry level watch winder for those who don't want to spend too much for a watch winder and also demand good quality. 

We heard that Benson watch winders will also renew their Smart-Tech series soon. We cannot wait to have more photos, details and functions. Once we have it, we will inform you at this Blog. 

Orbita watch winders based in Wilmington, USA, recently presented its new website. The new design, logical structure and visuals are a big improvement. Now it's very easy to check out the newest watch winders from Orbita, but you can also search by collection or capacity. The new website navigates very easy and all functions are working as they should. The big visuals give the website a modern and luxury look and feel. 

Orbita did a good job by creating this new website, which will attract a lot of enthusiasts who are interested in high-end watch winders. 

Check out the new Orbita watch winder website Orbita watch winder

Watch winders are made all over the world. In China, Germany, Italy, France, USA and Switzerland. The most exclusive brands do come from Switzerland. Good examples are Bernard Favre, RDI and with more reasonable pricing Swiss Kubik. The Bernard Favre watch winders are famous because their special way of winding. The Planet series is beautiful in terms of design and made of the best materials. The Swiss motor inside ensures silent winding of all automatic watches. In the south of Switzerland we find RDI, between the mountains nearby the lake of Lausanne. RDI is a special brand with a focus on high-end materials. Quality is their passion. The result is a great line of Swiss watch winders which are suitable for any automatic watch. Therefore these both watch winder brands are perfect for any watch from IWC, Breitling, Omega, Rolex, Patek etc etc. 

When you want the best for your automatic watch there are enough options to choose from, but a Swiss made watch winder will certainly make you, and your watch, very happy. 

Last year we received an email from Robin Decollogny from Switzerland who wrote us he was making a concept watch winder. He sent us a description of his ideas, design and use of materials. Now his first prototype is ready and it looks stunning. 

Robins background is in watch making with restoration as focus. He continued his education as watch designer and in 2 years he acquired a good knowlegde of marketing, designing and prototyping. He learned that the focus should be on the details, as details often make or brake a watch winder.

Robin was surprised that many watch collectors store and wind their watches in a cheap watch winder with Chinese motor. Why would you wind your Swiss made watch in such a watch winder? It's a good question. Therefore he started prototyping to create an unique and beautiful watch winder suitable for the best automatic watches. A collectors item. 

The inspiration in this sculpture watch winder comes mainly from watchmaking, car mechanics, as well as various sculptors and other science fiction films. Robin find some details inspired by car rims, motorcycle belt, industrial pulley, watchmaking mechanics. The size of this sculpture is made to voluntarily furnish, animate large rooms as well as highlight a part of its collection of watches.

The watch winder is still a prototype but the model that will be put into production will be very similar to perfect finishing. This watch winder will be available for sale from 2019, but only in very limited series because all the sculptures will be made by Robin himself. Like 6-10 maximum/per year. The price will be between 13.000 and 17.000 CHF. 

Other smaller and more accessible watch winder will be presented within a few months. With the same inspirations but with only 3 watches holder. The price of this smaller model will be around 2.000 CHF. 

We are looking forward to see the final result. Our compliment for what you achieved already. It looks very promising and we keep following you Robin.