Most watchwinders do look the same; a square box with winding technology inside. But there are watchwinders which do not follow the standard designs. Brands as Buben & Zörweg but also Origin Times do create special watchwinders based on a different theme. Bernard Favre is a person who likes to create extraordinary watchwinders too. 

Born in Neuchatel, the area of watchmakers he develops and produce items for the watch industry. It's a fact that Bernard Favre is a creative person as he is also a jazz drummer in his leisure time. 

Most of time he play to shape and combine different materials in his workshop. One day this brought him to a 3 dimensional spirit item that represent the planet with 3 rings. The following was a game of logical laws of physics and innovation. 

It took several years of cooperation with craftsmen from the watch making sector untill the unique watchwinder was ready; the "Planet" winding system. The watchwinder moves in several directions which is a spectacular sight.

It supplies the automatic watch with energy in a brilliant way. You can even connect a USB cable and set the direction and turns per day. It has all specifications a modern watchwinder should have.

Of course this watchwinder is not for everybody, but the real watch enthusiast will love this watchwinder. In the nearby future Bernard Favre will present new models based on the "Planet" model, suitable for more automatic watches. 

The Bernard Favre "Planet" watchwinder retailprice is 1'290 Swiss Franc, which is USD 1420 or 1050 Euro. All prices incl. VAT. It comes in a high end presentation case with USB cable, adapter, glass shell and travelling case. 

Many watchwinder brands do use modern technology and Eilux is one of the leading brands regarding technical innovation. The Eilux watchwinders do have a quite modern design with materials as steel, glass and leather. But the magic happens inside the watchwinder, with modern solid-state microprocessors which controls the super metal conductor engine. 

Eilux has some special features as super quiet operation, natural winding function, ultra long battery life and an anti-bacterial design. 

The most important quality of Eilux is that they offer their watchwinders for very reasonable prices. With a dealer network in more than 20 countries a Eilux watchwinder dealer is never far away.

Soon we will present a test review about one of the Eilux watchwinder models.

Sometimes we see a great watchwinder looking totally different than any other. The Oil Baron from Origintimes is a great piece of technology. It's an extraordinary method to wind an automatic watch, and also looks beautiful. We can watch hours looking at the special motion. 

There are several models available. In stainless steel and a 24 carat gold plated version (photo). 

All parts of this watchwinder are from solid metal and show the pure craftmanship. This watchwinder is not for a starting watch enthousiast, but more for the real watch lover. Is it so expensive as it looks? Yes........Well done Origintimes!

We all know that Buben & Zorweg is one of the leading producers of watchwinders. Their products are unique and produced by well trained craftsmen.

Buben & Zorweg in Paris

The seventh “Salon Belles Montres“ held at the Carrousel du Louvre in Paris at the end of November 2013 once again attracted passionate lovers of fine watches from around the world. Buben & Zorweg was represented with luxurious watchwinder masterpieces. 

Rapport was founded in 1898 when Maurice Rapport produced his first wristwatch and started his timepiece company. Nowadays Rapport only produces watchwinders and watch boxes to store watches. 

With more than 115 years of experience Rapport is one of the oldest companies, active in the field of watches, producing watchwinders. Since the 1980s designers of Rapport did create a blueprint for a range of watchwinders with advanced mechanics.

Last year we visited Baselworld and did take a look at the booth of Rapport. We spoke with Oliver Rapport (the director) and Brian Barton (sales manager). They welcomed us and gave us an introduction about Rapport watchwinders. We noticed they are very passionated about their products which is quite important. In this economic hard times it's important to believe in your brand and products.

Then we took a look at the current collection. We must compliment Rapport watchwinders with their design and finishing. The materials are beautiful and the design is luxury. Though, we noticed many models have the same design; classical. Only the new Evolution series has a more modern look but is only a small part from the total collection.

It seems Rapport watchwinders does focus on the traditional watch lover using a classical watchwinder. But in our opinion Rapport misses a big part of the watchwinder market, because many watch lovers prefer a more modern design. Brands as Wolf, Swiss Kubik and Eilux do produce modern watchwinders which are quite popular.

If you're interested in a more classical looking watchwinder, Rapport would be your choice. The watchwinders are beautiful, the technique is solid and the retailprices are fair. But don't waste your time if you're interested in a modern watchwinder, except the Evolution series Rapport has not much to choose.

We would welcome a more modern Rapport watchwinder series and are very curious about a design they would choose. Maybe Baselworld 2014 will bring more news.....