I am quite a big fan of watches. Ask anyone that knows me and they will tell you that watches, along with golf and football, are one of my biggest passions in life. To say I have an obsession with them is putting it lightly to say the least. I have watches of all kinds, but one of my favourites is my Tag Heuer mechanical watch. I love the intricacy in the design and the artistry involved. But more than all that, I just think the Tag Heuer looks great and is the perfect accessory for a wide variety of different occasions and situations.
As good as it is though, the one thing I would say that causes my headaches at times, and to be honest is not really Tag Heuer’s fault as such as it is the same for any mechanical watch, regardless of brand, is the fact that if I have not worn it for a number of days, I have to start it again. So, I was excited when I was offered the chance to try out this Barrington Single Winder in exchange for a review.
About Barrington
I had heard of Barrington before receiving this product to review and was always planning to try out one of their products. They have been in business since 2009 and were formed with the view to providing mechanical watch owners with a watch winder that was different to the existing products, that were cheap and ineffective or functional but too expensive. They now have numerous different watch winders and other accessories, but the actual model I was sent to use and write this review about is their classic, flagship single watch winder.
Compact and Stylish
The first thing I noticed when I took the single winder out of its box was that it had all the hallmarks of great Barrington design and style. The colour is called Shadow Black (you can check it out here) and it definitely is a good-looking winder, that measures at just 11.5 by 12 by 16cm, so is incredibly compact. You even have the option of two different sizes – Standard, for watches with a bracelet/strap circumference of 19 to 24cm or Flex for watches with a bracelet/strap circumference of 14 to 20cm.
When it comes to the size and aesthetics, which really make it look and feel like a good quality product that will provide me with many years of use. Though, only time will tell on that front, it certainly has a robust and durable design. Now that I have discussed the size and looks of the product, it’s time to get down to the nitty-gritty and talk about what I thought of the main features.
Main Features
Considering the price that this single winder retails for, at under £130, and Barrington’s sterling reputation for designing functional and practical winders, I was expecting a lot of great features to benefit from with the single winder. I was not disappointed.
Quiet Running Japanese Motor
I have never really used another watch winder until I received this one, so I really can’t compare my experience with others available on the market. However, I do know from reading online that many people have problems with some winders being rather noisy. So, I was interested to see how quiet the Barrington Watch Winder would be. The good news is that this winder comes with a Japanese-designed and constructed ultra-quiet running motor. It is so quiet in fact, that once you get used to the sound of it working away, you will hardly notice it is turned on at all.
Multiple Rotation Settings
As well as the ultra-quiet motor, the Barrington Watch Winder also offers a versatile range of functions. when it comes to the rotation options, for instance, there is the choice of clockwise, counter clockwise and alternating. So, whether you need to reset the time and wind it backwards or wind it on a little, you can with this great range of choices. I found that this was exceptionally helpful for resetting my watch to the correct time.
MTD or Multiple Turns Per Day
Further to the above, there is also the option to set the Barrington Watch Winder to the appropriate amount of turns per day, depending on the weight and size of your watch. With the Barrington single winder there is the choice of 650, 750, 850, 1,000 and 1,950.
Jump Feature
One of the best things about this particular watch winder though, that as a big watch lover I was very intrigued by, is the Jump feature. Barrington have basically designed the single winder with the ability to have several winders connected up together using the same AC power source. I have yet to try out this feature, but from what I’ve heard it is very useful and works a treat. You get the connecting cable and the AC power source and then you just have to invest in more single winders as and when you need them. This is a great way to save money, I think.
Powered by AC Mains Adaptor or Batteries
Although I prefer to use the watch winder with the AC adaptor, there is also the option of using it with batteries. It takes 2 x AA batteries and this is great for when you need to wind your watch when you are on the go and don’t have an available plug point.
Handy LED Light Indicator
On some of the less expensive watch winders, you will find that there is no way of knowing if it actually is working or not. However, this is not the case with the Barrington watch winder, because it actually features an LED light indicator that lets you know when it is on.
My Final Thoughts
I have to say that, although I didn’t actually have to pay the retail price for this watch winder, I would, if I knew how well it worked. I would definitely recommend it to others and think it is an excellent combination of a compact size, great aesthetics and functional and practical features.