Luxury safes from Döttling are imposing works of art that grace any room with their peerless design. The latest creation from the factory in Maichingen, the Fortress Maximus, is no exception, even though its concept is truly exceptional. That’s because it is actually two luxury safes in one: The upper section with its strong round doors is reminiscent of the legendary vaults found in American banks during the Prohibition era. The lower section is a high-tech, high-security safe with an incredibly versatile interior. Both are housed harmoniously in one body to produce a unique masterpiece.

At first glance, it is the solid presence of the upper safe doors on the Fortress Maximus that catches the eye. The smoothly functioning, highly complex locking mechanism opens upon entering a personal code. The door swings open, revealing the elegantly designed interior. There is room for 15 precision watchwinders here, or the optionally available and particularly innovative Döttling Touch & Move precision watchwinders.

The lower section of the Fortress Maximus provides maximum security, meeting the certified security class VdS/EN 3. If required, even VdS/EN 5 is possible. The interior is perfectly protected by a biometric fingerprint lock and can be configured to suit personal preferences. Additional watchwinders can be fitted, for instance, or drawers for jewelry and documents.

Both safe sections are housed in one body upholstered with the finest calfskin. But since individuality is an inherent attribute of a Döttling safe, it goes without saying that numerous other select materials, colors, and configurations are available.

The Fortress Maximus is available in a strictly limited edition of just five safes.

Early this year we wrote about RDI watchwinders on our blog. At Baselworld we met the team of RDI watchwinders and did get a presentation of this very exciting watchwinder brand. Now we have interviewed the owner of RDI, mr. Charles Kaeser. 

Could you please introduce yourself and describe your function at RDI watchwinders?

RDI Charles Kaeser CEO, I started my career 40 years ago. I worked for multinationals in the cosmetic and dental field. I developed also a unique injection moulding process for multinationals. RDI-Charles Kaeser society is also producing automatic units and equipment for the production and packaging of homeopathic products. For about 3 years, I did my true entry into the horological world, with the launch of the Safe-Lift. After the Safe-Lift, I did the launch of a luxury watchwinder range for the watch collectors.

How would you describe the RDI company?

RDI-Charles Kaeser is a family society based 10 minutes far from Lausanne. The society is in charge for the new products. All stages of the manufacturing are done in RDI-Charles Kaeser society, except the workpieces that are subcontracted.

RDI values are; quality, know-how, client satisfaction. Ask for your personalized watchwinder, RDI-Charles Kaeser will do it.

How would you describe the RDI watchwinders?

Just a few words for telling what are RDI-Charles Kaeser watchwinders: outside: elegance and simplicity, inside: sophisticated. An exceptional watchwinder for an exceptional watch.

RDI watchwinders have 16 programs. They consist of an economical motor protected by a clutch system which keeps them safe in the event of inadvertent mishandling. Their mechanism is considered to be one of the most silent in the world and ensures optimal user friendliness. Their distinctive design enables them to hold all kinds of models, from the most avant-garde to historical pieces.

Can you tell us more about the production proces?

Produced with high quality material they can be used with batteries or mains.
The Safe-Lift is a unique piece made of gold, palladium and ruthenium. He is activated by a remote control. Users can at will bring up the lift, open the doors to access the watches and then close them again.

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

The main markets are direct sales to customers or sales done by our distributors. We also have some of our watchwinders in some selling points. Internet sales is a strong point. In fact, it is a complement to direct sales. We want to develop this type of sale. We want to develop this sector.

Our project is new creation. We also want to develop our internet sales.

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

Our goal: RDI-Charles Kaeser: your choice for your watchwinder.

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

The comparing brand would be Buben Zorweg. Why Buben Zorweg? Because Buben Zorweg is for us the upscale picture we want to give.

What new projects can we expect soon? 

We are working on a new watchwinder, a new RDI watchwinder creation.

Why should we buy a RDI watchwinder? 

Why buying RDI watchwinder? Because: You want to treat yourself

You are looking for quality
You are looking for beauty
You are looking for art in your watchwinder
You are looking for a custom watchwinder
You are looking for the watchwinder out of ordinary

We love to present (new) watchwinder brands with passion for quality, finish and fine materials. Good examples are Chronovision, Heisse & Söhne, Swiss Kubik, Wolf, Rapport etc etc.

On the other hand we like to be critical about “brands” which offer low quality products and pretend if the consumer buys a high quality watchwinder for a firm price. Aevitas watchwinders is such a brand. The website of Aevitas watchwinders looks professional and stylish. Neverthless the watchwinders are made in China with low quality materials and old fashioned technique. The trick to present high-end Swiss made watches in the watchwinders is to mislead consumers.

We all know that after some time the first signs of defects will appear; more and more noise, shaking watch holders, electronical problems, defective motor(s) etc etc. You better spend a little more money and buy a good watchwinder which you can enjoy for years.

Based on our experience and visits at several Chinese watchwinder factories it’s fair to say these Aevitas watchwinders aren’t probably worth more than 30-40% of the listed prices.

It’s like a Chinese factory owner told us; “if they want a cheap watchwinder, they get a cheap watchwinder”.

Jebely engaged in watchwinder business for many years, and they are always trying to create something unique. The brand spent a lot of time in research and development of watchwinders.

Daniel Lu who is the product designer of JBW092 enjoys traveling around the world, and taking pictures to capture every moment of his life. It inspired him to create this watchwinder with the shape of a camera lens. In order to provide better products, the designer focused on every detail to ensure the Jebely JBW092 watchwinder can meet the demand from the users.

Just like the previous successful product of Jebely, such as JBW090 and JBW091, the brand combined the materials of metal and plastic together to create a modern and younger style. Black represents elegance and silver is associated with prestige. The blue light of LCD panel creates a more high-tech and maturity appearance. It is just like a gentleman who focused on his work and that is exactly the reason why Jebely named this watchwinder “Noble One”.

The special part of this watchwinder is the cover, different from other watchwinders which use traditional bearing, Jebely did change the method of opening. This idea came from the action when you remove the cap/cover of a camera lens. It also looks like a camera lens when it zooms in and out.

The elevation angle of the Noble One watchwinder is 15 degrees which is the best viewing angle if you place it on your desk or bedside table. Some users may place the watchwinder into their safe or some other place without AC connection. The watchwinder includes two kind of power settings; battery and AC adapter. Currently, Jebely is keen on improving the power supply, like USB charging.

Jebely did choose a soft and adjustable pillow to fit all kinds of watches. And it also protects your watch from scraping and scratching. Most of the traditional watchwinders are available with 4 modes. But it can’t meet every watch rotation setting. The JBW092 offers stepless TPD from 650-3000.

Jebely also made some efforts to the product package which is important. The development of cover faces had several problems; for instance, the loud noise when opening the cover and the material selection. The result of continual development, testing, modification and retesting, Jebely decided to use rubber to cover the bearing and lower the sound when opening. Jebely also thinks about using the glass for the cover, but it leads to the concern of safety and results in weight increase. Jebely finalized the cover with thermoplastic which is easy to use.

The Taiwanese watchwinder brand Jebely will move on the way for different material combination and more stylish Jebely branded design. The brand does focus to change the image of watchwinders which is not just the accessory of mechanical watches. Jebely expects they can make watchwinders more stylish and create own value. 

Mid April we wrote an article about the new Black Series from the Dutch watchwinder brand Benson. Last week Benson informed us that they presented a video about their new line of watchwinders.

Of course we will share it with you, take a look at the Benson Black Series watchwinder video.