Eilux Wood Watch Winder Review
By: John B. Holbrook, II
August 29, 2003

For those who don’t like to read lengthy reviews, I’ll go ahead and cut right to the chase: Out of all the assorted winders I’ve seen, the models from Everwell Instruments, Ltd. have proven themselves to be the best functioning. In my personal opinion, their winders have no functional peer. Everwell asked me to review their brand new Eilux line of wood winders, and having spent time with their new wood two-watch winder, I can confidently say that it’s my personal favorite of any in the Eilux line. The prospect of having a winder which incorporated Everwell’s ingenious engineering in a classic and beautiful wooden exterior was most welcome indeed. The Eilux wood winders come in three sizes – single, double, and triple head configurations. Here are some pictures of the two and three watch winder models (pictures courtesy of Everwell). The two-watch model is mahogany in color, and the three-watch model is in cherry :


Everwell sent me a two-watch winder in the new cherry colored wooden exterior, and I was immediately impressed by its appearance. Here is a picture of the winder I was sent:

I’m happy to report that the mechanical and design aspects which make all of their other winders function so well have been incorporated into the wood models. Here’s an overview of the functionality offered in the Eilux wood winder line:

The winder is powered by either 2 “D” cell batteries, or the included AC adaptor. All Everwell Instrument winders incorporate their own patented power conservation circuitry, so either option will be easier on your wallet then comparable models. I plugged the winder in, switched it on and head the same sweet nothing that is heard from every winder by Everwell. Whoever coined the phrase, “silence is golden” must have had watch winders in mind. I’ve said it before, but the point bears repeating – one would think that making a noiseless winder would be a pre-requisite for ANY manufacturer when making a watch winder as most will reside in the owner’s bedroom. However, Everwell Instruments is the only winder manufacturer I know of who has succeeded in this endeavor. Even winders from high-end (and much higher priced) manufacturers like Orbita and Scatola del Tempo emit some noise while running. So if you’re a light sleeper, the Everwell’s Eilux winders really are your only choice. But the power conservation capabilities and amazing silence of these Eilux winders aren’t the only innovative and distinctive features they have to offer. One of the more unique and brilliant design features employed by the Eilux winders is the spring loaded watch holder mechanism which holds the watch placed in the winder. This beauty of this design is that the watch in question is held extremely securely with no danger of damage to the watch. I’m surprised by the number of watch winders out on the market which don’t hold a watch securely in place, making it easy for the watch to fall out of the winder! (I’ve actually had this happen to me in other non-Everwell models I’ve used) The spring loaded bottom of the holder unit automatically adjusts to accommodate any watch bracelet diameter placed in the winder. A simple but effective snap on attachment means that even the largest of watches can be used in the winder.

The winder mechanisms themselves offer maximum programming flexibility and incorporate “fuzzy logic” controls to keep your watches wound via two separate user selectable cycles. The user also has three separate rotation directions to choose from (clockwise, counter clockwise, and bi-directional), and each rotation unit in the winder is independently programmable. For example, you could have a watch on the left running on a clockwise rotation program, and the watch on the right running on a bi-directional rotation program). The end result is that you can set up the rotation program to provide optimal maintenance for virtually any automatic wrist watch. These pictures show both the Everwell spring loaded watch holder mechanism, and the programmable controls:



Of course, as brilliant as Everwell’s engineering is that goes in to their winders, it’s the aesthetic qualities of the new wood exteriors that have me really excited! The high-gloss, lacquered (8 coats applied by hand) finish over the cherry stained wood is absolutely gorgeous! The brass hardware accents on the winder are a perfect choice as well. Of course, Everwell realizes that the real eye candy of a watch winder is the watches contained inside. As such, the winder has a display window mounted on the front of the winder gives a perfect view of the watches inside. The overall effect is a truly classy and gorgeous piece of furniture which you can use to display your prized watches with pride. The interior of the winder is attractive too – a nice beige suede-like interior lines the watch. At the top of the inside of the winder, you’ll find a removable drawer which provides both storage for additional watches, and a nice cover for the batteries and controls contained underneath. Here's a picture which better shows the interior of the winder:


Once again, a beautiful blend of both form and function. With the addition of these wood exterior winders, Everwell’s Eilux winder line truly offers something for every watch collector, no matter their taste or décor. Being the best usually means being the most expensive, but with a retail price of $600.00 for the two- watch model, and $745.00 for the three watch winder, they offer price points hundreds of dollars less than similar offerings from their competitors.

NOTE: Everwell Instruments has asked me to supply the following contact information for those interested in purchasing an Eilux watch winder:
 

EILUX INTERNATIONAL LTD.
E-MAIL : EILUX@TELUS.NET

CONTACT PERSON : MR. FRANKIE SIU


*All text and images contained in this review are the original work of the author, John B. Holbrook, II and are copyright protected. Use of any of the information or images without the permission of the author is prohibited.

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