Count the automatic watches you would genuinely be annoyed to find stopped, not the number of watches you own. For most collections that number is two or three, even when the collection runs to a dozen. Buy rotors for those watches and store the rest in a box.
How do I work out how many rotors I need?
Work through your collection and put each watch in one of three groups.
- Worn most weeks. These do not need a rotor. Your wrist winds them.
- Worn occasionally, simple to reset. A three-hand watch with a date takes seconds to set. These do not need a rotor either, unless you want them to.
- Worn occasionally, tedious to reset. Perpetual calendars, annual calendars, moonphases, and any watch where the manual comes out. These are what rotors are for.
The third group is your rotor count. Add one if you expect to buy another complicated watch, because a winder is easier to size generously once than to replace later. That is the entire method, and it usually produces a smaller number than people expect.
Should I buy a rotor for every watch I own?
No, and we would rather say so before you spend the money. A twelve-watch collection almost never needs twelve rotors. Watches sitting stopped in a box are not deteriorating, and running all of them adds motor noise, running hours on every movement and a considerably larger object on your furniture, in exchange for saving you a few seconds of date-setting on watches you rarely wear.
The exception is a collection where the majority are complicated. If you own six perpetual calendars, the calculation genuinely changes, and a six-rotor unit earns its place.
What does a larger winder actually cost per watch?
Rotor count and price do not move together in a straight line, because case material and construction matter as much as capacity. Our six-rotor Ravenscourt is £379.90, which works out at £63.32 a rotor. Our single-rotor Whitmore is £99.90. On cost per rotor alone the large unit is well ahead.
That arithmetic is only relevant if you actually need six rotors. Cost per rotor is a poor guide to what to buy, because rotors you do not use cost you their share of the price and give nothing back. The useful question is what the whole unit costs against what you will use, not what each rotor costs in isolation.
| Watches you want kept running | Sensible choice |
|---|---|
| One | A single-rotor winder |
| Two | A two-rotor winder |
| Three or four | A four-rotor winder |
| Five or six | A six-rotor winder |
| More than six | The nine-rotor Belgrave, or two units, which is the easier arrangement to change later |
Is it better to buy one large winder or two small ones?
Two smaller units are worth considering when the watches live in different places, when you want to keep the noise out of a bedroom, or when you would rather not have a single large case on display. Two Camborne units can sit in two rooms. One four-rotor unit cannot.
One larger unit is better when everything lives together, when you want a single lead rather than several, and when you value the look of one considered object over two smaller ones. The Kingsley exists for exactly this: four rotors in a case of 24.5 × 18 × 27.5 cm, for a shelf that will not take a six-watch cabinet.
Do I need to buy for the collection I will have later?
A little, but do not overdo it. Buying one step up from your current need is sensible, because collections grow and winders do not expand. Buying three steps up is buying an object you will look at for years while most of it does nothing.
The middle path most people are happy with is a winder sized to today's complicated watches plus one spare rotor, with a watch box alongside for the rest of the collection. Boxes are the inexpensive part of this, and we do not sell them — the reasoning is set out in watch winder or watch box.
Does capacity change what will fit?
No. On the walnut and Harcourt ranges any winder holds cases from roughly 38 mm to 46 mm on leather, rubber, steel or a bracelet; the Marlow takes cases up to 50 mm. What capacity changes is how much room there is between watches when you are loading them, which is noticeable if you are running several large divers together. Fit is covered properly in will a watch winder fit my watch.
Can each rotor be set differently?
Yes. On our multi-rotor winders, rotation direction and turns per day are set per watch rather than shared across a single factory default. This matters more than capacity for a mixed collection, because a unidirectional watch next to a bidirectional one will want a different programme. If you are buying a multi-rotor unit, independent settings are the feature to check for, not the rotor count.
A six-rotor unit such as the Harcourt 6-Slot at £419.90 gives six independently set positions in a premium PU leather case. The same capacity in walnut veneer, the Ravenscourt, is £379.90, so decide on capacity and finish separately rather than treating them as one decision.
What if I get the number wrong?
Every Stillwood piece comes with free 30-day returns, and prices include all UK taxes. If you are unsure between two sizes, email hello@stillwood.uk with what you own and we will tell you which one we would buy, including when the answer is the smaller one. It is also worth confirming that you need a winder at all, which is the subject of do you actually need a watch winder.
Frequently asked questions
How many watch winder rotors do I need for a collection of ten watches?
Usually two or three. Rotors are only useful for automatic watches that are tedious to reset and are worn infrequently. The rest of a ten-watch collection is better stored in a box, where it costs less and takes up less space.
Is a large-capacity watch winder worth it?
Only if you have close to that many automatic watches that you want kept running and set. Cost per rotor is lowest on a large unit, but rotors you do not use return nothing, so match capacity to what you will actually run. Our range runs from one rotor to nine, and most buyers are right to stop well short of the top.
Can I run different watches on the same winder?
Yes. On our multi-rotor winders each position has its own rotation direction and turns-per-day setting, so watches with different requirements can share one unit without compromise.
How long does delivery take?
Orders are dispatched within 48 hours and delivered within 5 to 8 business days.