Why are watch winders so expensive when they seem pretty simple in concept?
Watch winder manufacturers and sellers emphasize the quality, the precision, and their knowledgable design to correctly pamper your watch as the reasons. These do factor in, but only explain part of the cost of these $200-$8,000 devices. But the remaining factor in the cost is that these are specialty items manufactured in relatively low quantities. Although winder manufacturers keep their sales numbers confidential, it is safe to guess that sales are a few thousands of units per year. At this level of production, they cannot achieve the economies of mass production that make items that sell in the multi-million units (such as blenders and toasters) so affordable. So while the prices of the devices may be higher than you might expect, it is not viable for these manufacturers to produce them at prices comparable to mass consumer items. What types of winders are available? There are only a few manufacturers of watch winders. The types of watch winders currently on the market tend to fall
