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If you ask a group of watch collectors how to store watches, you’ll likely get a different answer from everyone. Some people prefer to admire their collection in beautiful boxes and display cases, while others keep security at the forefront of their minds and lock their watches away. In this article, we’ll share our favorite tips on how to store watches as well as the best watch organizers. 

How to Store Watches

No matter where you store your watch, you want to protect it from accidental damage. Always store your watch with the dial facing up, so you won’t accidentally scratch the sapphire glass. Store each of your watches individually so they won’t scratch each other. You might want to store them in a closed environment, like a case or box, so other items can’t touch and scratch the watches. If you’re storing them in a drawer, look for drawer inserts with dividers. 

Where to Store Your Watches

The first decision you have to make is whether to store your watches at home or at a bank. For security reasons, expensive timepieces should be kept in a secured safe or a deposit box. 

If you want to store your watches at home and have a large or expensive watch collection, invest in a high-quality watch safe bolted to your floor or drilled into your wall. After all, if you have a small safe that isn’t secured to the wall or floor, someone could just walk off with it. If you have expensive timepieces, your insurance policy likely has certain safe requirements, and not all home safes can meet these standards. Be sure to check the safe’s security grade before purchasing it. If you live in a warm or tropical climate, you should place silica gel packets inside your safe to ensure the humidity level doesn’t get too high and potentially damage your watch. 

A safe deposit box or vault is by far the safest way to store your watches. Unfortunately, it’s also the least convenient. If you have a very valuable collection, you can rent a deposit box or vault and keep your most valuable watches and jewelry there when you aren’t wearing them. You’ll need something to protect your watches from getting scratched by other items in the box, so a watch box or watch roll is a great idea. 

Long-term Storage

The type of watch you have can also impact how you store it. An automatic watch can benefit from a watch winder, which keeps it wound even when you aren’t wearing it. A hand-wound mechanical or a quartz watch can use any of the watch organizers we detail below. If you have a quartz watch, some people remove the batteries for long-term storage in case they leak or damage them.

How to Travel With Watches

If you’re traveling with one watch, the safest way is to wear it and store it in the hotel safe when you aren’t wearing it. Many safes have trays or are lined in a soft material to protect valuables from scratches. If the interior is metal, place it on a towel instead. 

If you want to bring multiple watches with you, you’ll need a way to travel with your watches safely. Watch pouches, rolls, or even a watch box are great ways to protect your watches while traveling. See below for our recommendations. When traveling with multiple watches, some people prefer to put each in an individual pouch because it’s more discreet than a larger roll or case. Of course, always travel with your watches in your hand luggage, not your checked bags.

Keep Your Paperwork Secure

Don’t lose your certificate of authenticity or warranty information. An easy way to keep them safe is to place them in a fire-proof document bag inside your safe or with your other important files. 

The Best Watch Organizers

Watch Roll

A watch roll is one of the easiest and most compact ways to store your watches. Watch rolls typically hold one or three watches. They’re great if you have a small collection or if you’re traveling. A watch roll will fit in a locked drawer or safe while protecting your watches from scratches. If you are traveling with your watches, look for a watch roll with a sturdy structure to protect them in transit. 

Smythson’s signature Panama leather covers this single watch roll. It has suede lining and a removable padded roll. Royce’s elegant watch roll comes in several colors. Both companies also make larger watch rolls. 

Rimowa’s watch case is crafted from aluminum, just like its luxury luggage, and also holds three watches. Bennet Winch’s triple watch roll looks unlike any other and is made for travel. The Tuscan leather panels hide a flexible Kevlar core, and the interior is lined with suede. 

Watch Winder

If you have an automatic watch, consider a watch winder. True to their name, a watch winder will wind your watch while you aren’t wearing it, so you won’t have to reset it if you set it down for an extended time. This is incredibly convenient for complicated calendar watches, like a perpetual calendar, that have many settings to change after they run out of power. Of course, if you have a watch with an ultralong power reserve, that’s less of a concern. A watch winder needs a power source to keep spinning your watch, so keep that in mind when deciding how to store your watches. Some safes have built-in watch winders that link to an external power source. However, some people don’t use watch winders because they believe the constant motion of this storage solution can lead to automatic watches needing service more quickly.

Rapport London was founded by a clockmaker in 1898, so it’s no surprise that it has excellent ways to store watches. It has a host of watch winders, including this double winder in a polished wood box. Heiden’s single watch winder can be plugged in or powered by batteries, which is handy for putting in a safe. 

Wolf makes watch winders for every collection. Some hold a single watch, while its elegant watch winder cabinets and safes hold 16. Dunkwin’s high-tech watch winders are meant to be seen. They come in a variety of sizes, and some can only be opened with your fingerprint. 

Watch Box

There are many handsome watch boxes to store your watches. Some have clear tops so you can admire your collection, while others have solid tops. Watch boxes come in various sizes, from six to 15 or more timepieces. Some have drawers for jewelry or paperwork. Many are lockable for a little added security, but a watch box is not the most secure way to store your watches unless you put the box in a safe.

Scatola del Tempo crafts full-grain calf leather watch boxes that hold four or eight watches. They’re beautiful enough to sit on a dresser but small enough to tuck into a safe. Smythson makes lockable watch boxes in two leathers that come in several colors. 

Watch Pouch 

A watch pouch or pochette is a great way to keep one or two watches safe. They are perfect for travel and more discreet than a watch roll. A pouch also fits easily into a safe to put a watch in storage. However, a watch pouch is not a robust storage technique as it is usually crafted from soft fabric or leather. 

This slim leather pouch from Rapport London fits a single watch. Tumi’s Nassau watch case has the slim profile of a pouch, but it fits two watches and an extra strap. 

Safe

There are various safe sizes, ranging from affordable, small ones that fit a single watch roll and other small valuables to expensive, luxurious safes with watch winders and trays. If you’re renovating or building a new home, you can even commission a custom safe for your space. 

Wolf makes beautiful safes that match any decor. Its large safes have space for up to 20 winders and have additional trays for jewelry and other watches. Mycube makes safes in several sizes, including mini safes, one that fits in a drawer, an in-wall safe, and a tall one for extra storage. They have sleek, minimalist designs, which are tough to find in a basic safe. Some use a keypad, while others have fingerprint technology. 

Jewelry Box

A beautiful jewelry box is a great way to store one or two watches. Look for a jewelry box with individual compartments to separate your watches from your jewelry. Hard gemstones, including diamond, emerald, sapphire, and ruby, can scratch a watch case, bracelet, or sapphire crystal. Of course, this isn’t the most secure way to store your watches, so we don’t recommend putting your jewelry watches or high-jewelry watches in jewelry boxes for long-term storage. 

Aerin’s embossed shagreen jewelry box has curved lines and comes in three muted hues. It has space for your everyday jewels and a watch or two. 

Valet Tray 

A valet tray on your nightstand, dresser, or desk is an easy way to store watches you wear all the time. Look for one made of a soft material, like leather, rather than ceramic or porcelain to protect the watch from scratches. A valet tray is safer than leaving your watch on a table because a loose watch could easily get knocked to the floor by accident by you, your children, or your pets. Some have integrated stands that keep your watch even more secure. 

Rapport London’s elegant black leather watch stand has a tray and space for one watch. Giobagnara, an Italian leather company, makes a beautiful valet tray in a rainbow of colors. The leather is covered with resin, so it’s waterproof and scratchproof. 

Drawer Inserts and Trays

Some vanities, dressers, and closets have velvet-lined drawers for storing watches and other valuables. You can also buy inserts to convert an ordinary drawer into a luxurious one for your collection. However, this is not a very secure way to store your watches. 

Stackers makes jewelry and watch trays in many sizes. This supersize deep tray has 11 sections for watches and jewelry. The larger sections fit unusually shaped watches, like the Bulgari Serpenti. True to its name, these trays easily stack, so they’re great for putting in a safe or a deep drawer. This Oirlv velvet organizer has 12 spots for watches and jewelry, each with a velvet pillow. 

Watch Trunk

Some companies create beautiful custom watch boxes and trunks. They can even transform a favorite briefcase into a luxurious watch case. 

Louis Vuitton’s Malle Horlogere is one of the most opulent examples. This enormous trunk has seven display watch compartments and 14 drawers to store additional watches. It also comes with three additional watch cases that house three and eight watches. Rapport London makes smaller watch trunks with beautiful designs. This one has a striped leather exterior, four compartments, two removable watch rolls, and a drawer. 

Presentation Box

Watch brands craft beautiful presentation boxes for their watches. Keeping the presentation box is a good idea for resale value, as a watch with the original box and papers will command a higher price than one without. The boxes are frequently larger than they need to be, and if you have several, they will take up a lot of space in your closet or safe. However, they were designed specifically for your watch, so they are an excellent way to keep it secure if you have the space. If you don’t want to use your presentation box to store your watch, tuck it away on a high shelf or in a storage unit.