It's some time ago that we wrote about Rapport watchwinders. Then we were not really convinced about the technique and durability. We heard different experiences from users, and the watchwinders design did look a bit old fashioned in our opinion. Last "Baselworld", world's biggest watch fair held in Switzerland, we visited their booth and talked with them.

Rapport appointed some new distributors which resulted in better sales. Rapport told us that they put a lot of effort in producing watchwinders of better quality, and that new series will achieve that goal. In our opinion the last five years Rapport lost the competition with other brands like Swiss Kubik and Wolf, but it seems they found a way up. This way up didn't result in new series yet, but Rapport informed us they will present new models soon.

The old fashioned look will stay (and maybe we have to say "traditional"), but that doesn't mean that Rapport can't be really successful. We believe there is a big market for watchwinders with a more sophesticated and traditional look. The materials of the Rapport watchwinders do look and feel good. It's a nice accessory for many watch lovers, and will look great in the living room, study room or office.

We expect that Rapport will be successful in its own way. With its "British" look they are an interesting alternative for other watchwinder brands as they offer quality and tradition for an affordable price.

Our blog is about watchwinders, an accessory for automatic watches to keep them running. Normally we write only about watchwinders. It's what this blog is about. The last period we received multiple messages from readers who asked us to combine watches with watchwinders in our articles. We gave it a thought....

We think it's a good idea to write articles about watchwinders sometimes in combination with one or more automatic watches. But our focus will be on watchwinders, and we only write about automatic watches as there is no link between quartz watches and watchwinders. 

We already spoke with a promising Dutch watch brand which will send us a few of their newest watches when they will be available. We will test these watches in combination with the most popular watchwinder of Swiss Kubik. We hope to present you this article within 2-3 weeks. 

When you have ideas, suggestions and tips for our blog please don't hesitate to write us. We learn every day!

Last year we met mr. Chen, owner of Paul Design watchwinders. During our meeting Chen told us about the history, philosophy and characteristics of his brand. We noticed a drive to produce watchwinders which have their own design and modern technique. You would say this is quite normal, but we have seen different from Chinese brands. Many Chinese watchwinder brands do copy designs and offer their watchwinders for low prices. Of course not only the price is different from European or American producers, the quality is also different.

Paul Design produces watchwinders with solid materials, relaible technique and special designs. Chen did show us several models of his latest series and explained about the technique and materials they use. It's not his goal to produce low priced watchwinders which will last for one or two years, Chen's focus is to produce a watchwinder which can be used for many years, and is suitable for all kind of automatic watches.

New Paul Design "Black Shadow" series

After the successful launch of Paul Design's first series which is sold by several dealers worldwide it was time to present a new series. This new series is inspired by the current series but has a new color; "Black Shadow".

These watchwinders have the latest technique but also a new exteriour color. We must say it's beautiful. It gives the watchwinder a complete new dimension, as many watchwinders are just black or brown. 

Within a few weeks we will receive a piece of this new series and then we will test it and write a review about it. We are already very curious:)

Paul Design Optima - an original compact watchwinder

We like it very much that Paul Design goes where others don't go. The new Optima watchwinder is a very good example of this. The Paul Design Optima watchwinder is a combination of a single watchwinder and a clock (temperature function and day/month indication). It's very easy to switch the watchwinder to the clock function and the other way around. It's the result of clever thinking.

The good news is that this watchwinder is quite affordable; 229 Euro / 240 USD. 

At the end of this year we will visit the Paul Design factory. Of course we will keep you posted about this interesting watchwinder brand, and first we will present a review about the Paul Design watchwinder we will receive within six weeks.

Recently Buben & Zörweg presented the new high-end watchwinder Agartos. It took craft, design and technology experts two years to create the Agartos, which is a showcase and watchwinder, which holds five watches and is crowned with its own open-dial tourbillon clock.

It was a project that would involve 4000 hours of development. That’s the equivalent of one person working over 8 hours a day for an entire two years, five days a week, 52 weeks a year. Only the best brands do have the resources to accomplish such a project.

Nomination for a design award

Buben & Zörweg’s Agartos has now been nominated for the 2015 German Design Award, the German Design Council’s annual prize honouring unique design from round the globe, in the Excellent Product Design category. This is a great achievement after so many hours of work.

State of the art five axel CNC machines and 3D printing technology were used to create the fluid, masculine form and flawless finish of the Agartos. Its doors sweep open and closed in response to sensor technology, only when the person touching the Agartos knows where to slide their hands. A transponder can lock the Agartos securely.

The high gloss metallic piano lacquer on the aluminium chassis of the Agartos is a version of the lacquer found on supercars. It took six months to refine the composition of the lacquer Buben & Zörweg now calls ‘stardust’ and which has become the company’s signature lacquer. All sanding and polishing is conducted with meticulous precision and attention to detail, given that the Agartos is far smaller than a supercar.

Buben & Zörweg showing their passion for their clients

One Buben & Zörweg client in Singapore recently ordered a bespoke version of the Agartos asking for it to resemble the Iron Man cartoon character. Buben & Zörweg’s design team promptly rose to the challenge.

The result is fantastic. This special watchwinder was presented at Baselworld last march where we did get a full presentation how this watchwinder works. It proves the fine craftmanship Buben & Zörweg offers its clients.

In a car the motor is the heart which is the most important part of the car. In the world of watchwinders it's exactly the same. The motor, in combination with a gearbox, inside the watchwinder makes the watches turn around.

There are a lot of watchwinder brands using different technology and motors. Most brands are not really open about this topic, but for us consumers it's very important that we know which motor is inside a watchwinder. Because there are so many differences in quality, durability and sound level. 

Motors made in Asia

Most watchwinder brands in the lower price level do have a Chinese motor. In the beginning these motors do quite well, but on the long term the problems will be visible. Known defects are motors which completely stop, rotors which vibrate and increase of sound level. At the end a cheap watchwinder result in a loss of money. We certainly won't advise you to buy a watchwinder with a Chinese motor. 

Much better are the Mabuchi motors from Japan. Most reasonable priced watchwinders have one of those. The Mabuchi motors are known for their quality, durability and acceptable sound level. It's like Japanese cars, they do a very good job but are not the best. The Dutch watchwinder brand Benson and also Paul Design uses Mabuchi motors and both brands are popular brands on the watchwinder market.

For example Swiss Kubik uses Portescap which was a Swiss company but moved their production to India. The question is can they still obtain a high level of quality. The future will tell. At the moment the Swiss Kubik watchwinders are quite popular and our experiences with this brand are very good. 

Motors made in Switzerland and Germany

The best motors are coming from the EU. Especially Switzerland and Germany are famous and considered as the best. For example Buben & Zörweg uses Elma motors which are proven very reliable and are almost making no sound. Therefore these watchwinders are very good to use in a bedroom. 

There are a few watchwinder brands which use Faulhaber from Switzerland, but this brand is less known in the market. More known is Maxon which is one of the best producers of motors worldwide. Maxon is famous because they produce all kind of motors which are also used by NASA in their space projects. Maxon helped mankind to the moon. Maxon motors are used by Italian watchwinder brands as Underwood and Scatola del Tempo. 

It's not just the motor.....

Of course it's to simple to say the motor is the most important part of the watchwinder because there are more components which make or brake the watchwinder. Especially the gearbox is very important too. The level of sound of a watchwinder is mostly the result of the gearbox. Therefore there always must be a perfect combination of a reliable strong motor with a efficient and silent gearbox.