I wasted a LOT of time and money buying less expensive winders that didn't last very long at all. I was really disappointed but didn't want to spend several grand for a watch winder either. I felt this one was a little expensive at first but now feel it is well worth the price! As watch collections tend to expand, I now have a second one rollin'. I really like the "Stop when opened" feature and suspect this will help the little motors last longer by not putting pressure on them pulling watches in and out while they are running. I also like the "open forward" lid as opposed to an open up lid. The finish is nice and they seem to be all-round well made. So far I have only used the alternating cycle which turns clockwise for a while, takes a break, then turns counterclockwise for a while then repeats. This seems to be working well which is why I haven't tried any other configuration. I do like the fact that you can set each barrel to its own setting if needed though. Rolex are known to run a little fast on winding machines. So far they are very close to normal and definitely not running as fast as on the last winder I had them in. A couple of 1969/70 Seiko "Pogue" that are in need of tune-ups are keeping time just fine as well as Aragon (Seiko movement), Dan Henry, and Tag/Heuer.These machines are rather big, so if you're very limited on space, you might have problems with one. Other than that, I highly recommend these winders. Save your money and buy this slightly more expensive winder the first time! Get one of these good ones to start with and you will save time and money in the long run.