Swiss Kubik Watch Winder Box Review
Review

Swiss Kubik Watch Winder Box Review

By patrick_y · Aug 23, 2019 · 40 replies
patrick_y
WPS member · Horological Meandering forum
40 replies14703 views7 photos
f 𝕏 in 💬 🔗

patrick_y delves into the critical considerations for choosing the right watch winder, emphasizing that not all winders are created equal and that an expensive price tag doesn't guarantee suitability. He meticulously outlines the varying winding requirements of different calibers, from Rolex to Patek Philippe, and presents the Swiss Kubik Watch Winder Box as a superior solution for discerning collectors.


 

Watch winders have become necessities for watch collectors like us.  But not all watch winders are made the same.  And sometimes buying an expensive one isn’t the best solution. 

 

Some watch collectors, despite their experience, don’t realize what their watch winding requirements are.  Some watches wind clockwise, some counter-clockwise, and some both.  Some watches require as little as 600 rotations a day, some watches require as much as 2000 rotations a day to keep the mainspring wound. 

 

Winding the watch in the wrong direction could be detrimental to the timepiece.  Winding too many rotations a day could create unnecessary wear.  Winding too little and the watch will stop. 

 

So, let’s say you have a Rolex Submariner or Datejust; this watch winds in either direction and requires 650 rotations a day.  This is an easier watch to deal with. Maybe you have an even thicker automatic watch, a IWC Big Pilot or an automatic Panerai, this watch can handle it! 

 

In addition, let’s say you also have a Patek Philippe with a 240 caliber.  Most Patek Philippes are a bit unusual, they need to be wound Counter-clockwise and at least 800 rotations a day! 

 

Let’s also say, you have both a Rolex and a Patek Philippe and you alternate between the two.  Wouldn’t it be nice to have a single watch winder that could fulfill both requirements? 

 

Finding such a solution isn’t easy.  When you acquire the multi-winder from Scatola Del Tempo (which winds multiples of three watches at once), all three timepieces are subjected to the same program which must alternate from clockwise and counter-clockwise, because when you wind three watches in a connected gear; the middle watch will always wind the opposite direction of the left and right watch.  This means, if your Patek Philippe was in this watch winder, it’d be enduring unnecessary clockwise motions.  On a tense Patek Philippe 240 caliber, the weight may have some tension and swing violently, causing a small amount of wear.  Multiplied by thousands of days, there would be noticeable unnecessary wear. 

 

So, I was in search of a better solution.  Here were my requirements:

1.     Cost effective and financially efficient.  No point at throwing lots of money on a medium problem. 

2.     Small in size, fits in safety deposit box at bank.  Obviously battery operation needs to be possible.

3.     Thoroughly customizable that would compatibly meet the needs of all my automatic watches. 

4.     And a scale-able solution.  The solution must be scale-able for my current small collection but scale to a large collection (one day). 

 





The winder uses two C sized batteries.  These two batteries are compact and allow the winder to be put into a safe.  The two C sized batteries should allow for continuous use of over three years!  SwissKubik designed the motors and their movements are now used by many watch brands such as Audemars Piguet, Patek Philippe, and others. 



Here is a thick watch (approximately 16 mm thick case) on a strap. 



Above you see a thin watch on a bracelet, notice the watch is well positioned on the center of the cuff. 

The watch winder cuff comes in Standard and Small sizes.  They hold bracelet watches and strap watches.  The snap is very secure, but very abrupt for the watch when you remove the watch and winder cuff from the winder itself.  It's held in with a friction system.  If I were to be critical, this abrupt release would be the biggest fault of the product.  Perhaps a better system could be employed here. 



The glass door has an elegant hinge mechanism. 


Using a USB port, the winder can communicate to the computer.  Using the Swiss Kubik computer program, you can program the winder to turn a specific number of rotations per day and also in a specific direction. 


The glass door allows for even thicker watches not to hit the glass door, the watch in the photograph is over 16mm thick!  The glass door is an optional extra and I highly recommend it!  Some watch winders cannot accommodate very thick watches.  Their doors hit the watch!  Not the case here! 



The winder always sets the watch upright.  A cool feature! 


In conclusion, this watch winder box is cost effective, compact, and has all the features I need to ensure the picky watches in my collection are properly wound.  The product meets all of my requirements, I anticipate high overall reliability in the long run, and they're also quieter than my Scatola Del Tempo winders (which were noisy when new and still noisy now).  I highly suggest you try out a Swiss Kubik winder!  I've considered other winders, including more expensive models from other brands.  But the other brand I have in mind is even more expensive, bulkier, and wouldn't fit in the bank's safety deposit box.  Swiss Kubik winders will not magnetize the watch (when you have motors and magnetic fields, this is a big problem, especially with inexpensive watch winders); and they're now the chosen supplier for many brands including Patek Philippe, Vacheron Constantin, Rolex, Audemars Piguet, Piaget, Omega, and more. 

Many thanks to Swiss Kubik and Totally Worth It for arranging the product loan and for introducing me to a new product!  For technical information about this product and to see all the options other than black carbon fiber, please visit www.swisskubikus.com

Key Points from the Discussion

Advertisement
The Discussion
IN
India Whiskey Charlie
Aug 23, 2019

I have three of them and they absolutely great. The batteries last quite a long time too. Although they are quite pricey, they are a high quality product.

SH
sham1
Aug 23, 2019

I shall definitely consider one when I buy my next winder. I currently use a Bernard Favre which has been my best ever winder.

PA
Patekphilippecollector
Aug 23, 2019

My only the Swiss Kubik is that in thus day and age wouldnt it make more sense to use bluetooth versus the usb connector? Even PP uses that on it's current wonders. The other shirt coming and please correct me if I am wrong is that I like a delayed start. As the watch has been worn its fully wound. I therefore like the winder to start say 24/36 hours later. To give it time to wind down versus winding immediately. Does it have this feature? I love the modular nature so you can continually expand

IN
India Whiskey Charlie
Aug 23, 2019

What's the difference between the watch staying on your wrist and continuing to wind on the winder? I don't see a benefit to having a delayed start as you suggest.

PA
Patekphilippecollector
Aug 24, 2019

Again versus being fully wound and then going for 900TPD

JU
Jurry
Aug 24, 2019

I once received a Kubik winder that is branded Vacheron. It’s exactly the same as on this picture and i5 works indeed like clockwork I used it for my Vacheron Harmony Calendar: it fits perfectly in the safe so even when stored my watch remains wound and I don’t have to worry about it being wound too tight or not tight enough The feature that it always puts the watch straight up is indeed a nice touch I’ve not experienced the abrupt snap when you take it out

Advertisement

Continue the conversation

This thread is active on the Horological Meandering forum with 40 replies. Share your knowledge with fellow collectors.

Join the Discussion →