Watch storage is a problem with myriad solutions. A dresser drawer would be one option. Another would be a burly built-in safe with biometric locks and a fleet of winders to keep your watches wound and ready to wear. My current fix lies somewhere in the middle. It's simple, flexible, and low-profile, offering ease-of-access without sacrificing security.
Over the years, I've tried using the original boxes (a pain for access and for storage, no real improvement in security), watch rolls (I've found these are good up to 4-5 watches, but have never liked how the watches touch when the roll is rolled up), and inexpensive display cases (good handling and access, but limited security, portability, and general protection). In the end, I settled on using an airtight equipment hard case, like those offered by the American brand Pelican.
While no solution is perfect, I think a decent-sized hard case is pretty close to ideal if your concerns mirror my own. For watch storage, I'm primarily concerned with the following:
Protection – I want to keep the watches from touching each other, and insulate them from environmental factors like water and pests.
Security - The container should not outwardly communicate what’s inside, and it needs to be easily hidden, even in your own home. The last thing you want is to throw a party and have some random guest of a guest rummaging through your watches.
Portability - The storage case should also be portable for social needs, such as attending a watch get-together, or taking the case to off-site storage while traveling. Ideally, it'd be small enough that it fits on a shelf and calls no undue attention to the carrier.
Cost – Greater collections may demand more specialized solutions, but average watch enthusiasts don’t need to break the bank to give their watches a thoughtful home.
The plus of the larger size and considerable thickness is that you have more space for activities! Want 24 watches with space under each for a strap or a rolled-up NATO? Go for it. Want to do 16 watches and space for tools and straps, you can do that, too! All you need is a bit of planning, a box of toothpicks, and a knife that's long enough to go all the way through the central block of foam.
How To Customize Your Pelican
Grab your toothpicks and mark the far corners of the Pick N Pluck foam (Pelican's foam has a uniform border of solid foam surrounding the pre-divided cells, which is a nice touch). Now that you have your outer limits established, you have to determine the size of each space for the watches. After going through this process a few times, I've found that for watches up to ~45mm (or more, if you don't put your big watches right next to each other) a 2 x 5 square sizing works, and you can easily use a portion of the pulled foam as a cushion upon which each watch can rest.
Then, take the block you removed and cut away some of its depth. How much to cut away depends on the size of your wrist, as you’ll want enough foam to support the bracelet or strap – but not so much that it's a tight squeeze. I cut away somewhere between a third and a half of the lower part of the block, which worked out just fine in terms of mirroring my 7-inch wrist.
