Dr. N.
We have seen in the last article three examples of luxury watches to give to a loved one at Christmas.
Here we want to talk about accessories for watches that an enthusiast would be happy to receive for Christmas. Accessories are a not insignificant part of the watchmaking passion: they allow every amateur to live their relationship with the watch in a fully satisfactory way.
The reason we thought we were talking about accessories, rather than watches themselves, is that these elements, while often overlooked, can really change the way you experience the watch. Anyone who starts changing the bracelet on their timepiece, putting on a strap, discovering the appearance of the movement by unscrewing the caseback, discovers that their watch is much more than what can be seen from the outside: enter a world of care the details, of form inspired by function, of new aesthetic combinations… In short, to really know your own clock you have to get your hands on it. And the parties of Christmas they are a perfect opportunity.
That's why now let's find out the most interesting accessories from gift for Christmas to a fan of Watches.
Replacement straps
In the first place among the most useful and desired accessories by those who love to differentiate their watch from others there are certainly straps. Whether in leather or fabric, traditional or NATO, straps are always the best choice for changing the character of a timepiece without making any irreversible changes. The public interest in NATO straps has reawakened in recent years, thanks to their practicality: this type of straps in fact allows you to keep the watch on your wrist even if one of the two spring loops were to jump. This ability is due to the fact that the NATO strap passes over the loop, passes through the caseback and slips over the other loop.
The structure of the NATO strap has the further advantage of physically isolating the watch from the wrist, so that a case that is cold or hot due to the external temperature will not bother the wearer's skin; this feature has made it the choice of many aviators since the Second World War, as it prevents the metal of the watch from burning the skin of the wrist in the event of a fire in the cockpit, allowing the pilot to maintain the functionality of his left hand and thus be more likely to be able to evacuate the passenger compartment.
Kit to remove the handles and unscrew the bottoms
To be able to install a new band, you must first remove the standard bracelet on the watch. Therefore, a tool to remove the pneumatic snaps will certainly be a welcome gift for anyone who loves to dabble in working on their watches or, why not, for those who want to start trying their hand at DIY.
Separate discussion for the tools to open the bottoms. Here it is necessary to keep the utmost caution, so as not to ruin a possibly expensive watch. We therefore recommend giving a simple, but safe, watchmaker's ball, a sort of semi-inflated rubber ball of about ten cm in diameter that allows, by being applied with sufficient pressure on the caseback and exerting counterclockwise twisting, to unscrew the caseback without leave marks.
Charging rotors
We have already covered how winding rotors can improve the life of a watch enthusiast.
If you collect watches with a calendar complication, be it annual or perpetual, the winding rotor it is an essential accessory to avoid having to re-calibrate your complex timepiece every time you wear it, by resetting the day of the month, day of the week, month and year before wearing the watch. But the winding rotor is not only useful for those who own complicated watches: anyone who has a good number of automatic watches and wishes to wear them on the wrist alternating them with each other, will find a useful support in the winding rotor.
Then let's think about female audience, who considers the watch a jewel and wears it occasionally, alternating it with bracelets. This habit leads the watchmakers to mainly offer battery-powered watches to ladies. Thanks to winding rotorOn the other hand, women who are passionate about watchmaking will also be able to appreciate mechanical timepieces without giving up the possibility of wearing them occasionally and without having to put them back on time every time they wear them.
