A little everyday care can go a long way towards keeping your watch looking good and performing as it should.
While mechanical servicing and repairs are best left to a professional, there are plenty of simple things you can do at home to protect your watch between visits to the workshop.
1. Keep it clean
Watches naturally collect dust, perspiration, sunscreen and everyday grime — particularly around the caseback and bracelet.
For suitable watches, gently wiping the exterior with a clean, soft microfibre cloth can help prevent build-up. Take extra care with vintage watches, leather straps and watches where water resistance is unknown.
When in doubt, keep the water away and stick to a dry, soft cloth.
2. Don’t assume it’s still water resistant
Water resistance isn’t necessarily permanent.
Seals and gaskets can deteriorate with age, and damage or previous work can affect the integrity of the case.
If you regularly swim with your watch, consider periodic pressure testing rather than relying on the water-resistance rating it had when new.
And if you see condensation beneath the crystal, have the watch professionally assessed promptly.
3. Avoid extreme heat and sudden temperature changes
Leaving your watch in very hot environments, such as on a car dashboard, isn’t ideal for the movement, lubricants, seals or battery.
As a general rule, if the conditions seem extreme for you, they’re probably not particularly friendly to your watch either.
4. Be mindful of magnets
Magnetic fields can affect the performance of some mechanical watches and may cause them to suddenly gain or lose time.
Everyday electronics and accessories can contain magnets, so avoid deliberately storing your mechanical watch directly against strong magnetic sources.
If your watch suddenly begins running significantly faster or slower than normal, magnetism is one of several possible causes worth investigating.
5. Don’t force the crown
If winding, setting the time or adjusting the date suddenly feels unusually stiff or rough, stop.
Forcing a crown or mechanism can turn a relatively minor issue into a more substantial watch repair.
If something doesn’t feel right, let a watchmaker take a look.
6. Store your watch thoughtfully
When you’re not wearing your watch, keep it somewhere clean, dry and protected from knocks and scratches.
A watch box or soft pouch is ideal, particularly if you own several watches. Avoid throwing watches together in a drawer where cases, bracelets and clasps can scratch against one another.
7. Give leather straps a little extra care
Leather and water aren’t great friends.
Try to keep leather watch straps away from excessive moisture, sweat and prolonged sunlight. Allow a damp strap to dry naturally rather than applying direct heat.
Rotating straps can also help extend their usable life.
8. Avoid DIY repairs
Changing a strap is one thing. Opening a fine mechanical or vintage watch and investigating the movement is another.
Without the correct tools and experience, it’s remarkably easy to scratch a case, damage a seal or introduce dust and moisture.
YouTube makes many things look easy.
Watchmaking isn’t necessarily one of them.
9. Pay attention to changes
One of the best watch-maintenance tools you have is familiarity.
You know how long your automatic watch normally runs. You know how the crown feels. You know roughly how accurately it keeps time.
If something changes noticeably, don’t ignore it.
Early assessment can sometimes prevent a relatively small issue becoming a larger repair.
10. Enjoy wearing it
Finally, don’t become so concerned about protecting your watch that you stop enjoying it.
Good watches are made to be worn.
Look after it, keep it clean, pay attention when something changes and have it professionally serviced when required.
The occasional scratch along the way?
That’s often just evidence of a watch doing what it was made to do!
Remember when it comes to professional watch servicing and repair we are here to help.