Suggestion for watch box/rolls?

[Bitmover]

Originally Posted by VonSomething

It really depends what you're looking for in a watch roll and how you're going to use it. I have tried just about every watch roll on the market.

Is leather quality a priority to you? Do you want real proper European leather with natural suede lining or are you happy with plastic fake leather and a fabric interior?

Even between real leathers there is a huge difference in quality depending on the origin of the cows. European leather is highly regarded for its quality.

90% of the market for watch rolls is flooded with Chinese product that cost $13 in production and is re-sold anywhere from $60-300. If you're just looking for the cheapest solution to put your $30,000 watch collection in, don't care about quality materials, then you might be fine with these.

If a brand-name includes the word "luxury", or sounds generic, there's a pretty high probability this will be a Chinese made roll.

If the origin of manufacture isn't disclosed, there's again a high probability you are buying a Chinese made roll, either using fake leather (or low quality Asian bovine leather) and cheap fabric/velvet/microfiber for the inside lining.

Most Chinese made rolls will also come with a very strong chemical smell, due to low quality non-water based glue. This should go away but will probably take a few weeks/months in some cases.

Then there's the whole sizing issue, if you have slim wrists or overly large wrists the pillows may either be too small or too big for your watches. The watches themselves might also be too big for some rolls. I've tried a few rolls that wouldn't fit AP Offshores and others where an Omega clasp was too bit to fit under the pillow.

When the inside uses fabric/velvet instead of real suede, the watches won't "stick" to the pillows and easily slide around (if the watch doesn't have a tight fit on the pillow).

Will you actually use the watch roll for travel or just for display? If you plan on packing your roll into your bag, you might not want to look for watch rolls where the end-pieces of the walls are like this:



With the wrap-around leather sticking out like this, the edges are quickly going to wear out from rubbing against other stuff in your bag. If you're a true traveler, ideally you would look for edges that are sticking out or the very least are flush. When the side walls poke out a bit, it might look less "perfect" but it's an added buffer to protect the longevity of your roll.

Do you want buttons? Do you want a slide system? The slides are smart and practical but after enough use you eventually will start to tear the fabric on the sliding system (there are a few videos on youtube about this)

Some rolls also just come with a long soft cylinder to wrap your watches around (Louis Vuitton) and this causes the watches to bang against each other. You might want to reconsider those kinds. Wolf has a smart system with a divider but every time you want to access the middle watch, you need to take out the watch next to it which can be bothersome.

My advice: If you care about quality (which I guess most of us do here on a Rolex forum), look for brands that disclose where their product is made, what kind of leather is used and what the interior material is.

Prices for a high quality watch roll typically start at $230-400 and there's a very good reason for that. The difference in material quality is staggering and that of course comes at a higher cost. If that's important, there's no way around it.

Personally; The bigger price point is worth it to me as I find great pleasure in grabbing a watch roll, that is made of soft Italian leather, with a quality feel to the touch and a nice smell of natural leather. After all, watches are luxury items, why shouldn't they be stored in a luxurious way.

Hope this big write-up helped some of you.

Thanks for this! This is exactly what I’ve been struggling with. Do you have any recommendations based on your experience for a roll and a watch box?

[VonSomething]

Originally Posted by Bitmover

Thanks for this! This is exactly what I’ve been struggling with. Do you have any recommendations based on your experience for a roll and a watch box?

Sure I do, but first my recommendation would depend on a few factors:

1) Wristsize

2) Watches you plan on using it with, how many slots needed? (Some rolls only support up to 11mm thick watches, others max 45mm diameter pieces)

2) For travel or for display around the house?

3) Important to have real leather? Preference to interior? (Natural suede, alcantara, velvet?)

4) Budget? - Budget is probably the deciding factor in terms of point #4

Feel free to send a PM instead if you're more comfortable with that.


Bospherus, as many mentioned, is a good product. Decent leather quality (the leather is not super high-end but i guess 'OK').

I'm not a big fan of how the wall-pieces are attached. Meaning that the ends flap down when not connected and that the middle pieces aren't fixed -i.e. you can remove it completely out of the roll. That's just my own personal preference though.

They smell great, but that is more attributed to the tanning process, than it is the leather quality.

A plus is that the pillows are stitched as opposed to some brands just gluing them. (Cheap chinese rolls... and even Patek..)

[Bitmover]

Originally Posted by VonSomething

Sure I do, but first my recommendation would depend on a few factors:

1) Wristsize

2) Watches you plan on using it with, how many slots needed? (Some rolls only support up to 11mm thick watches, others max 45mm diameter pieces)

2) For travel or for display around the house?

3) Important to have real leather? Preference to interior? (Natural suede, alcantara, velvet?)

4) Budget? - Budget is probably the deciding factor in terms of point #4

Feel free to send a PM instead if you're more comfortable with that.


Bospherus, as many mentioned, is a good product. Decent leather quality (the leather is not super high-end but i guess 'OK').

I'm not a big fan of how the wall-pieces are attached. Meaning that the ends flap down when not connected and that the middle pieces aren't fixed -i.e. you can remove it completely out of the roll. That's just my own personal preference though.

They smell great, but that is more attributed to the tanning process, than it is the leather quality.

A plus is that the pillows are stitched as opposed to some brands just gluing them. (Cheap chinese rolls... and even Patek..)

Thanks!

I’m looking for a box, I’m probably too particular so I’m willing to compromise on the below if necessary.

1) Wristsize

7”


2) Watches you plan on using it with, how many slots needed? (Some rolls only support up to 11mm thick watches, others max 45mm diameter pieces)

6-9 40/42mm sport watch’s mostly, might get a bigger watch one day but doubtful. Mostly on bracelets if that matters.


2) For travel or for display around the house?

Display around the house. It would primarily sit on a shelf around chest height so it would be nice if the watches could be angled or the box could sit vertically. Lid is optional and it would be nice to have a little compartment for straps.

For pillows I like how the Rolex ones have wings so the watch looks snug but not bunched up.

I like a mix of classic but not antique, and modern but not techy, no carbon fiber or swoopy lines.

Yeah, people rave about the Bosporus, but they just don’t do it for me personally.

I probably would have pulled the trigger on this if it was a 6 slot.

https://charles-simon.com/collection...eaton-graphite



I also kinda liked this:





3) Important to have real leather? Preference to interior? (Natural suede, alcantara, velvet?)

Real leather or wood for the box, natural suede preferred or alcantara.


4) Budget? - Budget is probably the deciding factor in terms of point #4

Under $1,000?

Thanks for any advice! I know I’m probably asking for a lot.

[VonSomething]

Originally Posted by Bitmover

Thanks!

I’m looking for a box, I’m probably too particular so I’m willing to compromise on the below if necessary.

1) Wristsize

7”


2) Watches you plan on using it with, how many slots needed? (Some rolls only support up to 11mm thick watches, others max 45mm diameter pieces)

6-9 40/42mm sport watch’s mostly, might get a bigger watch one day but doubtful. Mostly on bracelets if that matters.


2) For travel or for display around the house?

Display around the house. It would primarily sit on a shelf around chest height so it would be nice if the watches could be angled or the box could sit vertically. Lid is optional and it would be nice to have a little compartment for straps.

For pillows I like how the Rolex ones have wings so the watch looks snug but not bunched up.

I like a mix of classic but not antique, and modern but not techy, no carbon fiber or swoopy lines.

Yeah, people rave about the Bosporus, but they just don’t do it for me personally.

I probably would have pulled the trigger on this if it was a 6 slot.

https://charles-simon.com/collection...eaton-graphite



I also kinda liked this:





3) Important to have real leather? Preference to interior? (Natural suede, alcantara, velvet?)

Real leather or wood for the box, natural suede preferred or alcantara.


4) Budget? - Budget is probably the deciding factor in terms of point #4

Under $1,000?

Thanks for any advice! I know I’m probably asking for a lot.

For cases I'm afraid I'm not a huge expert but I know that the Charles Simon ones are incredible. Nothing comes close to those.

Other contenders could be Wolf with their Analog/Shift Collection - It's fake leather though and very obvious to see.

Underwood London could be another possibility but not so many available colours. It doesn't mention what leather is used for the outside but since they're made in Italy I suppose it's a decent quality.

A final alternative could be going on Etsy (Search; leather watch box) and working directly with one of the sellers to customize something for you.

There are actually some decent looking products out there, here are a few that I found (Leather is probably not the best but I imagine getting in touch with the seller, asking for better options, they could find better ones):

[Big Tex Rolex]

Originally Posted by VonSomething

For cases I'm afraid I'm not a huge expert but I know that the Charles Simon ones are incredible. Nothing comes close to those.

Other contenders could be Wolf with their Analog/Shift Collection - It's fake leather though and very obvious to see.

Underwood London could be another possibility but not so many available colours. It doesn't mention what leather is used for the outside but since they're made in Italy I suppose it's a decent quality.

A final alternative could be going on Etsy (Search; leather watch box) and working directly with one of the sellers to customize something for you.

There are actually some decent looking products out there, here are a few that I found (Leather is probably not the best but I imagine getting in touch with the seller, asking for better options, they could find better ones):

These wooden / glass top watch boxes are exactly what I am looking for. What brand are these, may I ask ? I did not find them on the Charles Simon website. Thanks.

[Bitmover]

Originally Posted by VonSomething

For cases I'm afraid I'm not a huge expert but I know that the Charles Simon ones are incredible. Nothing comes close to those.

Other contenders could be Wolf with their Analog/Shift Collection - It's fake leather though and very obvious to see.

Underwood London could be another possibility but not so many available colours. It doesn't mention what leather is used for the outside but since they're made in Italy I suppose it's a decent quality.

A final alternative could be going on Etsy (Search; leather watch box) and working directly with one of the sellers to customize something for you.

There are actually some decent looking products out there, here are a few that I found (Leather is probably not the best but I imagine getting in touch with the seller, asking for better options, they could find better ones):

Thanks for the recommendations, I feel like we’re of the same mind!

I really liked the analog shift boxes, especially the cork one but the A/S branding was a no go. I might be able to buff the logo off the plate though.

I spent a long time pouring over Etsy but either they were too unrefined or they looked like they were just buying cheap boxes on alibaba and reselling them.

Since my last post I did find this which might be an option.



https://www.abpconcept.paris/collect...e-cuir-leather

I also reached out to Charles Simon and they said they were releasing new case sizes too, so I might just hold off till those come out.