Everlasting Investment: Watch Care Tips for Your Timepieces

Are you a watch aficionado who loves to collect and buy timepieces? If so, you may be aware that a good and reliable watch is a valuable and timeless investment. Thus, to make your money worth it, you must start to pay attention to the watch care tips to keep your timepieces in shape.

With the knowledge of proper watch care, you can keep your timepieces in shape and functioning at their best. Therefore, we have compiled some tips to help you do your watch care at home. 

The watch care tips include tips for storing, cleaning, and maintaining your timepieces to extend their lifespan. So, prepare to discover how to maintain your timepieces with our watch care tips.

General Watch Care Tips

In taking care of your timepieces, there are a few basic things you should be aware of. Those are related to the dos and don’ts of cleaning and keeping them.

To that end, we have compiled a list of general watch care tips, including what to do and what not to do. The general watch care tips are as follows:

1. Clean the Watch Using A Soft Cloth Every Night

Keeping your watch’s dial, bracelet, or strap free from dirt and dust is a simple process, but the cleaning method varies depending on whether the watch is water-resistant or not.

For non-water-resistant watches, it is suggested to use a soft cloth to wipe them clean. Nonetheless, you still need to be careful while wiping it; try not to apply too much pressure to avoid damaging the watch’s face.

On the other hand, if the timepiece is water-resistant, you may use water or the water solution that usually comes in the watch care kit.

To clean the water-resistant watch, use a soft cloth or brush with soft bristles that are already wet, and then gently clean the bracelet and other parts. While doing this step, ensure the watch crown is in its correct position to prevent water from penetrating inside and causing irreversible damage.

2. Avoid Using Soap while Cleaning the Watch

Maintaining the watch’s cleanliness is crucial to ensure its visual appeal and prevent the accumulation of dirt particles within it. However, it is important to avoid using soap while cleaning the watch.

A microfiber polishing cloth is sufficient to remove any dirt buildup on the watch’s surface. Water while cleaning is safe as long as the watch crown is firmly secured and the leather strap remains dry. 

Using soap mixed with water is not recommended, as the soap molecules can work their way into tiny spaces within the watch and cause more harm than good.

3. Take off the Watch Before Showering

It is strongly advised to remove your watch before taking a shower. Even though your watch is water-resistant, some wristwatches are not built to survive the temperature of hot water.

At times, heat causes the watch’s gaskets to expand. The expansion loosens the seals that keep water from getting into the watch. The damage is often not noticeable until you start seeing fog formations on the dial. Therefore, it is preferable to refrain from wearing a watch while showering.

You Might Also Like: How to Set a Time on a Watch: Tips for Mechanical Timepiece

4. Handle Strap Changes with Care 

One common way to cause scratches on the watch lugs is during strap replacement. To replace a watch strap, it is essential to learn the proper technique by seeking guidance from someone knowledgeable or watching instructional videos online.

While changing the strap, it is highly suggested to use the appropriate tool, like a spring bar tool, and never use a knife as the tool. Further, it is highly recommended to use high-quality tools that have thinner forks.

If you are not confident about the process, it is best to practice on a less valuable watch first. When working on the watch, it is advisable to start from the backside to make any slips or scratches less noticeable.

Additionally, to avoid accidental scratches, consider placing masking tape on the watch lugs before beginning the procedure.

5. Avoid Storing the Watch for Extended Periods of Time

A timepiece is meant to be worn regularly, not stored away in a safe. It is designed to function when used and not left unused. 

Especially for a timepiece like an automatic watch that requires movement to accumulate energy and work efficiently. Therefore, wearing it daily ensures it stays wound naturally, allowing it to operate properly.

Special Watch Care Tips for Mechanical Timepieces

After learning the general tips for taking care of your watches, let’s move on to the watch care tips for mechanical timepieces. The tips are as follows:

1. Service the Watch Regularly

Generally, a mechanical timepiece must be serviced once every two years. 

A timepiece is built up with multiple components created and designed with precision. 

Additionally, your timepiece undoubtedly requires detailed attention after being used daily.

Servicing the watch will maintain each component that built up the watch and keep it functioning properly.

You Might Also Like: 7 Irresistible Mechanical Watches for Women Worth Your Time

2. Keep the Watch on Wound

To keep your mechanical timepiece everlasting, you must consistently wind it up. And, the best way to wind an automatic watch is to wear it daily. 

Please note that wearing a watch daily is caring as your automatic watch needs to be worn on your wrist more often than it needs to be kept in a box. However, if you cannot wear the watch daily, the best action is to carefully wound it yourself. 

If it is a self-winding watch, you can turn the crown, or if it is an automatic watch, you can gently shake it while wearing it.

Further, if you decide to wind the watch using the crown, ensure it is positioned correctly before turning it for 20 or 30 spins. To avoid accidentally damaging the mainspring, do not overwind it and stop rotating it if you encounter resistance.

On the other hand, if it is automatic, you can gently shake it a few times with the dial facing up until the hands move again. You can also put it on right away and move your wrist later.

3. Avoid Winding the Watch on Your Wrist

Winding the watch while it is sitting on your wrist may threaten your timepiece as it can cause tension that damages the watch. Thus, to avoid that, you should practice winding when it is a rest. 

Closing

Finally, we have come to the end of our guidelines about watch care tips. Taking care of your watch properly can extend its lifespan, so don’t forget to maintain your timepiece regularly. We hope that with our watch care tips, you can keep your timepiece in shape.

You Might Also Like: Quartz vs Mechanical Watch: Understanding the Differences