Meet the world’s smallest travel watch winder – the WOLF Rocket

Zach Blass

When you think of a watch winder, you typically think of a big and boxy thing that you have to carve out desk or tabletop space for. And, ultimately, these winders are things you do not really ever transport – a strictly at-home solution. WOLF, however, has now developed a portable watch winder that upholds their industry leading quality and technology in a smaller package. Meet the world’s smallest travel watch winder: the WOLF Rocket Travel Watch Winder

 

 

So, just how compact is the WOLF Rocket Travel Watch Winder? It clocks in at 94mm (L) x 157.8mm (W) x 88mm (H) or, for my fellow Americans, 3.62″ (L) x 6.37″ (W) x 3.37″ (H). In layman’s terms, its dimensions will safely accommodate second home or hotel room safes with ease.

The rocket is effectively comprised of four sections: the front cover (to protect the watch inside), the cuff (the cushion on which your watch rests), the drum (which holds the cushion in place during rotations), and the main unit which houses the Micro Gearbox that holds the nylon driving gears and micro sensors. While smaller in stature, the WOLF Rocket Travel Winder is still equipped with many of the manufacture’s patented technologies and systems. In line with their previous winders, the Rocket Travel Winder, thanks to the micro sensors within the main unit, is able to precisely count the number of turns per day (something other watch winders are only able to estimate at best).  You cannot set the winder to a specific number within a TPD (turns per day) range as you can with some of WOLF’s other winders, instead the Rocket has a fixed 900 TPD program that includes pre-programmed pause and sleep phases. Nonetheless, these features will best ensure the winder does not cause any unnecessary stress to the automatic winding system of the watch.

Rotation Program Specification
Turns Per Day	900 Bi-direction (i.e 900 Clockwise + 900 Counter-clockwise )
Turns Per cycle	180
No. of Cycles Per Day	5
Pause Time	25 minutes
Sleep Time	19 hours
Rotating Speed	6 rpm
Charging Adaptor	5V/1A

 

Now, of course a travel winder must take into consideration that while in transit, or stored away in a safe, it will not be able to be plugged into an electrical outlet. Impressively, the Wolf Rocket Travel Winder, after a full eight hour charge, has a battery life of 45 days. I could only dream of vacationing for such a duration, so I think it is safe to say that the power reserve of this winder is more than enough.

Electrical Specifications
Operating Voltage	5V
Power Consumption	110mW
Lithium Battery Capacity	5000mAh
Battery Life	Approx. 45 Days (when fully charged)
Charging Time	8 hours
Charging Port	USB Type C
Charging Adaptor	5V/1A

 

Now I will not pretend that everyone considers a watch winder in any form a must-have accessory, it is a debated topic amongst watch enthusiasts. Some believe that winders can be more harmful then helpful, creating constant unnecessary wear on the movement’s automatic winding system. But, for others, especially those with high-complication watches like a perpetual calendar that can be an absolute pain to have to set manually, watch winders are absolute live savers. Let’s be honest though. While we may romanticise the ritual of winding up a watch each morning, in a world where people own multiple pieces it is not always feasible in our busy lives to keep all of our watches fully wound. Back during my watch specialist days at Piaget, it would literally take an hour or more to wind up all the watches in the cases every few days – so perhaps I have a bit of PTSD in this regard. Whether for an extended vacation, a weekend at a country house, or business retreat abroad, or even an interest in a smaller winder solution for home use, the WOLF Rocket Automatic Watch Winder is the luxury solution to ensure your watches are always running.

WOLF Rocket Travel Watch Winder specifications recap

• Size – 3.62″ (L) x 6.37″ (W) x 3.37″ (H)
• Patented innovation – Every WOLF winder counts the precise number of rotations. All other winders estimate the number of rotations
• Exclusive: 12 o’clock stop/start position
• Rotation: 10 second start delay, 900 TPD (Turns Per Day), patented rotation programs – Intermittent rotation with pause and sleep phases pre-programmed
• Directional Setting: Bi-directional
• Direct Drive Micro Gearbox ensuring reliability and precision
• Sub-surface LEDs – Monitor the status of your Rocket – charging or winding
• Proprietary CPU ensuring accuracy Long-life rechargeable Lithium Ion Battery with USB Type-C charging port (approx. 45 days after full 8 hour charge)

WOLF Rocket Travel Watch Winder pricing and availability:

 

The WOLF Rocket Travel Watch Winder is available now for purchase. You can purchase it from WOLF directly, or right here in the Time+Tide Shop. Price: US$599.00