Kunstwinder from the USA produces very special watch winders. Their feeling for art and technique is incredible and now we have the chance to learn more about the man behind Kunstwinder, Valentin Balter. 

Could you please introduce yourself and function at Kunstwinder watch winders? 

I’m Valentin Balter, the founder and president of Kunstwinder. I have a Master’s of Science in Mechanical Engineering and over 30 years of experience working for leading Silicon Valley companies in the fields of disk drive, semiconductor equipment, biotechnology and medicine, high-precision positioning systems, and robotics.

How would you describe the Kunstwinder company?

At Kunstwinder, we combine artistry and functionality to create exceptional watch winders worthy of displaying your most valued timepieces. We don’t compromise function for art, or vice versa, as our methods work together in harmony to produce aesthetically and mechanically exquisite winders. We incorporate references to art, history, mythology, and technology into our designs, making each watch winder a true conversation piece.

How would you describe the Kunstwinder watch winders?

Our style prioritizes craftsmanship and attention to detail. We use top quality materials, such as natural stone like Brazilian Onyx and Sardonyx, in conjunction with state of the art techniques to produce our winders. A new color anodizing process called Anographics, which involves high-resolution printing on an anodized aluminum base, allows for customization of the watch winders; any graphic, photograph, or piece of art can be used. In fact, one of our recent collections features an art piece by Hieronymus Bosch in honor of the 500-year anniversary of his birth. Our emphasis on quality and professional workmanship means that we have a limited series of production and one of a kind pieces, perfect for watch aficionados who want a unique winder to showcase and maintain their own curated collections.

Can you tell us more about the production process?

Kunstwinder is located in Silicon Valley, California, the epicenter of innovation, creativity, and superior production. All of the manufacturing and assembly is performed at the Kunstwinder machine shop, where parts are machined on high-precision CNC mills out of Aluminum and stainless steel. Onyx inserts are also machined in house. Swiss gear motors ensure that our watch winders operate noiselessly and reliably, which completes the refined effect that is a hallmark of all Kunstwinder designs.

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

Due to the level of workmanship and detail that we devote to each watch winder, our market is comprised primarily of aficionados and experts that seek superior quality and artistry. We do have some distributors, such as Stephen Silver, OriginTimes.com, windingtime.com, and Amazon.com. We also sell directly to customers through our website.

With internet upcoming, do you consider to sell online by strong internet dealers?

Yes, we’d like to make our Kunstwinder watch winders more widely available for purchase through strong, and most importantly reputable, Internet dealers.  

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

In the years to come, we will continue to push the creative envelope by exploring the use of new materials and finishes, and we also plan to focus on further customizing our watch winders to cater to niche and demanding markets.

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

I’d compare Kunstwinder to the Döttling brand of watch winders, due to our shared innovative spirit and precision mechanical work.

What new projects can we expect soon?

I’ve always been fascinated by windmills -- the old ones, as well as the new, power-generating ones – so that might be part of a future design or collection.

Why should we buy a Kunstwinder watch winder? 

We are unique for our combination of imagination and craftsmanship; Kunstwinder is the only brand of watch winder that will beautifully showcase your most precious timepieces while also maintaining them at their optimal levels of functioning. We produce top-quality watch winders to suit every taste and collection, from simple and sophisticated designs to more impactful statement pieces, all of which operate with the seamless mechanical precision that is the mark of a Kunstwinder piece.  

The company behind the largest online shop for watch winders, owner of shops as www.watchwinders.com, www.watchwinders.nl, www.watchwinders.de and www.remontoirs.fr (both last not live yet) now also presents a new shop for the UK market; www.watchwinders.co.uk (and www.watchwinders.uk). 

In the most important European markets (Germany, UK, France, Netherlands and Belgium) the company does have online shops now and the future perspectives are looking great. The market for automatic watches is quite big and therefore it's interesting to see the expansion of an online shop with eye for beautiful brands, good collections and formidable service. As official dealer of more than 12 watch winder brands and with more than 2500 watch winders in stock this company is the biggest player on the watch winder market, worldwide. 

The advantage of buying online is that you can choose between many brands and compare individual watch winders. Thereby the prices are interesting. All of these shops do ship worldwide from their warehouse in the Netherlands. Of course you can pay by creditcard, Paypal or wire transfer. 

In the new shop www.watchwinders.co.uk you can find brands as Swiss Kubik, Bernard Favre, Rapport, Wolf, Benson watchwinders, RDI and many more. Curious? Visit their website and check it out.

Like every year Buben & Zörweg will be present at Baselworld, Switzerland, with their beautiful booth containing the most luxury watch winders available. Baselworld is worlds most important fair related to watches and watch winders. The most important brands are present. We will visit the Buben & Zörweg booth and receive a presentation about all new products and innovations of this great brand. We are looking forward to it:)

The head of design at Buben & Zörweg has been honoured by China’s leading online watch retailer Wbiao, with the Design Art Lifetime Achievement Award. Since its establishment in 2011, Wbiao has sold over 400,000 watches and is now one of China’s most influential authorities in the global watch industry.

Design visionary Eberhard Hagmann, already the recipient of over 40 national and international design awards, has carved out a career in the German watch industry spanning over three decades. At Buben & Zörweg, Hagmann has been responsible for the design of numerous innovations resulting in Buben & Zörweg safes, time-pieces and private museums, which are the pinnacle of form, function and high security. The finest woods, exotic leathers and metals, available in a staggering one million colours, are sourced worldwide to produce Buben & Zörweg masterpieces for royalty, heads of state and stars of sport and screen.

Buben & Zörweg's creations are impeccably engineered to house personal and national treasures, ranging from rare watches to antiquities, guns and gold bars. The company’s safes and bullet proof objects also serve as elaborate display cases, incorporating additional functions, from watch winders, to a humidor, bar, weather station or sound system.

You name it, and Buben & Zörweg can create it. That's what makes this watch winder brand so popular and special. See you in Basel!

Early 2016 Benson launched its Black Series watch winders and soon these watch winders became incredibely popular. With distributors in the USA, Canada, Russia, Hong Kong, The Netherlands, Belgium and Israel this brand is growing fast. As mentioned at this blog before Benson was working on a new product, the Black Series Tower.

The Benson Black Series Tower will be available at the end of March (directly after Baselworld) and has some very interesting specs. First of all it's very nice to see a different type of watch winder than then regular models available on the market. A tower is not only a watch winder, but also a nice piece of furniture inside a living room, office or bedroom.

The tower watch winder has the same technical  system as the regular Black Series; a touchscreen, adjustable TPD, led light, power winding and individual rotor selection. The advantage of the tower is the design and extra storage for other watches or jewellery. Both compartments can be locked by a key and through the glass you can see the watches rotating. 

Details are very important and therefore Benson developed the hinges and metal feet so that they can be adjusted. Safety is important as well, and therefore the both compartments can be fixed to each other (with two big screws) and as a whole to a wall (with one big screw).

The Benson Black Series Towers are available for 6, 8 and 12 watches, in colors as black, carbon fibre, macassar and white. We like especially the white version, because it has a great contrast with the black interior. All towers are handmade and have 12 layers of paint and therefore are very special.

Now you think this will cost a lot....yes indeed, a tower watch winder is not cheap...but the Benson Black Series Tower watch winder is a lot cheaper than all competition. You can buy a tower watch winder for 6 watches from Benson for 1349,00 euro (21% VAT incl.) = 1114 euro (VAT free) = 1169 USD. And that's the best thing of all; Benson made a tower watch winder affordable for every watch lover!

These watch winders are already available at www.watchwinders.com

We are proud to welcome Kunstwinder as our new partner at Watchwinder Blog. This beautiful and very special brand from the USA did catch our eye some time ago. We love watchwinders which are original, and Kunstwinder certainly is. 

About Valentin Balter, founder of Kunstwinder

An engineer in Silicon Valley, Valentin Balter’s 30 plus years of professional experience with intricate machinery naturally grew to encompass the world of mechanical watches. As his collection expanded, it soon became impossible to wear each watch for the amount of time it deserved. He tried to find an automatic watch winder that would keep his automatic watches in proper working order and also provide a visually appealing display option for his collection. However, he was disappointed by the options available: most were unimaginative, mere functional wooden or metal boxes meant to hide the timepieces rather than properly showcase their artistry.

Realizing there was a niche in the market for a watch winder that would be appreciated by collectors such as himself, he started work on the initial design in 2007. After years of work, the Oil Baron was finally perfected and ready to be released to collectors. But what to call the newly created company? Valentin’s daughter was studying German at the time and so, after much deliberation, the name Kunstwinder—literally, “the Art of Winding”—was born.

Inspired to continue playfully reinterpreting existing mechanical apparatuses, Valentin soon added the Ferris Wheel and Chronos to the Kunstwinder product line. More than 150 units have been sold worldwide and several new prototypes are currently in various stages of development. Each new model is conceived and designed in accordance with the Kunstwinder mission: to combine superior functionality with imagination and artistry in a watch winder worthy of displaying your most valued timepieces.

About Kunstwinder

Kunstwinder is a family-owned, California-based watch winder manufacturer. They are in business since 2009, and they sold more than 150 watch winders since then. Their philosophy is that a watch winder can be a piece of art on is own and not just a mere functional box. The models are patented and limited editions of at most 300 pieces, you know when you are buying one of our watch winders you are acquiring something truly unique.