Looking for a luxury gift for the watch lover who already has it all? Look no further now that Wolf has announced the Rocket.
Rocket, a single watch winder, is a compact, travel-friendly way designed to keep one watch fully wound and ready to go on the go.
Designed to keep the mainspring of an automatic mechanical watch wound, and rotate the watch regularly when the watch is not worn, the best watch winders are large bedside or vanity watch winders. Instead, this is a winder small enough to fit in your weekend bag, ready to top up your watch while traveling.
I know it sounds like an outrageous luxury, but watch fans who like to travel with a watch on their wrist and perhaps another in their hotel room for different activities and outfits For me, Rocket is the place.
(Image credit: Wolf)
The winder is programmed to rotate 900 times a day at a speed of 6 revolutions per minute, divided into clockwise and counterclockwise rotation.
When the clock is inserted, the rocket rotates clockwise 180 times, then counterclockwise 180 times, and rests for 25 minutes. Then repeat this process five times, stopping the clock in the correct direction for 16 hours and 55 minutes before starting again. In this way the watch is wound, after which it is allowed to run for almost a day before the power reserve is replenished.
Woolf, a British watch accessory company founded in 1834 and specializing in winders, claims the Rocket is the world’s smallest travel watch winder.
A cylindrical locket, about the size of a small travel flask, positions the display on the edge of the watch, winds the mainspring, and spins to keep the movement on time.
(Image credit: Wolf)
Rocket is powered by a lithium battery and uses nylon parts in the gearbox to run quietly. It charges via the rear USB-C port, and a series of LEDs indicate the winder’s status, and when finished, the winder returns to the 12 o’clock position to ensure the clock is up in the correct direction. It is also useful as a bedside clock when traveling.
Battery life is claimed to be 45 days, and it takes eight hours to charge the winder, says Wolf.
If setting a time-only watch takes only a few seconds, a watch winder may seem unnecessary. But if you own a more complex watch with multiple complications, such as a day and date function and even a moon phase complication, resetting everything when the watch’s power reserve runs out can be a lengthy process. It can be a process.