When you’re young, you want a great timepiece. But what you don’t realize is that in having a great watch, you also have to invest time maintaining it. Though they are never referenced in rap videos or on red carpets, a quality watch winder is key to extending the life of your watch and ensuring optimum performance.

Adult sensibilities aren’t sexy, but damn it, they win out if you’re doing it right. Once you drop some coin on a watch, keeping it wound is essential. A watch winder is used to keep automatic or self-winding watches running when not worn.

So, how does a watch winder from Barrington work?

Automatic watches operate by winding themselves using a moving weight inside the watch. The weight moves around while the watch is worn and turns the winding mechanism inside the watch.

The winder from Barrington operates on a basis of gentle rotation to wind watches.

Older generation watch winders were programmed to be always on (i.e. rotating without a pause) in an effort to wind the watch as quickly as possible. This can lead to over-winding of a watch and potential damage to the main spring. Gentle rotation ensures a consistent movement over a longer period of time that won’t over-wind your watch.

When initially turned on, the Barrington rotor turns for 1 minute before pausing. The length of the pause is determined by the Turns Per Day setting (a lower TPD setting will mean a longer pause and vice versa) and once it is completed the rotor turns again for just one minute. This cycle continues silently for 12 hours, then rests for 12 hours, before beginning again and so on until the winder is turned off.

If the direction setting is set to clockwise, then the rotor will always rotate in a clockwise manner. The same principle applies if the direction setting is set to “Anti-Clockwise.” However, if the direction setting is set to the third setting, “Alternately Clockwise/Anti-Clockwise,” the first one-minute rotation will be clockwise, and the next one-minute rotation will be anti-clockwise, and so on, ensuring your watch gets a balanced, yet gentle, rotation.

The movement provided by the Barrington watch winder is exactly what is needed to keep the watch’s perpetual motion function going.

This winder does exactly what it should for the price (£99 GBP, or about $155). It’s easy to use and dependable, and the design is simple yet functional. There are multiple settings for Turns Per Day (650, 750, 850 or 1,000 to suit any weight of watch) and direction, thus making a worthwhile purchase.

The sleek, smooth design just looked cool. It’s so nice, in fact, that should you see a fingerprint on its surface, you’ll feel compelled to wipe it off immediately with the provided cloth.

The winder from Barrington is lightweight and its size (11cm x 11cm x 15cm) makes it easy for travel, not to mention its quiet mechanism will not become a nuisance like other inferior winders. Though small enough for travel, the overall sturdiness lends itself to continued, consistent usage.

For ordering information, visit the Barrington website via this link.