Ten Tips On Caring For Your Watch

Designed to be worn pretty much every day, a watch is not only great for telling the time, but is often filled with personal stories and bought for sentimental reasons. Supreme instruments carefully crafted by watchmakers, there are so many good reason to look after your watch and keep it ticking for as long as possible.

A luxury Swiss watch can last for your entire lifetime (and beyond) if it’s cared for properly. Designed to stand the test of time, they make the perfect heirloom for future generations to come.

Every watch is different though. Whether you have a fashion watch or a luxury timepiece, we’ve pulled together our top ten tips on how to care for your watch.

1. Clean your watch as often as possible

Why should you clean your watch? Well, overtime oils and dirt from daily wear can create a dull appearance. In some cases, a build up of dirt can damage a watch, wearing down the links or blocking the crown. It’s especially important for plated or embellished watches to give it a clean - we recommend at least once a month.

• Connoisseurs Jewellery Beauty Wipes are perfect for using anytime, anywhere. With an anti-tarnish shield to help your watch look as good as new, one pack contains 25 wipes for long-lasting use. If you don’t have any to hand, you can also use a soft slightly damp cloth.

• Avoid getting leather straps wet, as moisture can damage the appearance of the strap.

• Don’t immerse your watch in hot water. Even if your watch is water resistant, hot water can damage the gaskets.

• Diamond embellishments can be gently cleaned with a Diamond Dazzle Stick. Using a cleaning gel that contains micro-fine cleansers and polishing agents, and a special polymer that's designed to fill tiny scratches in the settings, your diamonds will sparkle like new. No Stick? No problem. Gently scrub your diamonds with a soapy brush.

• You can also pop into your nearest store to get your watch cleaned by our expert team. Find your nearest one here.

2. Service your watch regularly

Like a high-performance sports car, a Swiss watch needs to be serviced every now and then. Depending on how often the watch is worn and how it is stored when it’s off the wrist, your watch requires maintenance to keep its performance.

You might be wondering what a watch service entails. To put it in basic terms, the watch is opened up, taken apart, cleaned, and polished. This shows the watchmaker any parts that might have wear and tear so they can be replaced. The movement is then reassembled, the gaskets (a tiny ring that forms a seal) are also changed to ensure that water resistance is guaranteed and then the watch is tested for accuracy.

The general guidelines are around every two to three years for a quartz watch, and three to four for a mechanical. However, the frequency with which we would recommend servicing your watch will depend upon the brand as well as your own personal use, so it’s always best to visit your nearest Beaverbrooks store where we can advise you in more detail.

3. Avoid magnets

Magnetism has always been an issue in the mechanical watch world. Electric motors (or even the smallest magnets) like to trouble the tiny components ticking inside your watch, making it run fast, slow or stop the time altogether.

Although not permanently damaging to your timepiece, they are definitely a nuisance. If you think your watch is magnetised, place your watch near a compass. If the compass needle moves, your suspicions are correct.

Unless you own an anti-magnetic watch, such as this OMEGA Speedmaster Moonwatch Professional Co-Axial Master Chronometer Chronograph Men's Watch, we recommend to not leave your watch near strong magnetic fields like speakers, refrigerators, mobile phones, or magnets on handbags. A watch can stop working at 60 Gauss, and to put it in perspective, the magnet on a fridge door is 50 Gauss!

4. Know your watch’s water resistance

Each watch has a different water resistant and it’s important you’re aware of this so that you won’t accidentally water damage your watch. Always make sure your crown is pushed or screwed in - it’s an easy way for water to creep in if not. On the case back, there’s an ATM stamp which tells you how resistant it is to water at different pressures. We’ve listed them out below for you:

• 3 ATM / 30m: Splash proof and waterproof in small amounts of water.

• 5 ATM / 50m: Can be submerged in water. Suitable for shallow swimming.

• 10 ATM / 100m: Suitable for swimming, snorkelling and water sports.

• 20 ATM / 200m: Ideal for scuba diving.

• 30 ATM / 300m: Professional and deep sea diving.

And so on… However, the water resistance of your watch may not be permanent as over time the seal may be affected by wear or accidental shock to the crown. We'd recommend you have the seals of your water resistant watch tested annually.

5. Protect the crystal glass

An obvious tip maybe, but try to avoid banging your watch where you can. They may be designed to withstand a lot, but they’re not invincible - especially the crystal glass. Fashion watches are often fitted with a mineral glass, meaning it’s been heat treated or chemically treated to withstand scratches. While it is not as scratch-resistant as sapphire, it is more scratch-resistant than plastic.

Luxury Swiss watches are fitted with a sapphire crystal glass, meaning they’re basically scratch proof. Extremely strong, it is the more expensive of the glass crystal choices and has more ability to withstand cracks.

So, what happens if you break the watch glass? A broken crystal glass could mean tiny shards get caught in the hands as they tick around the dial. This can then leave marks across the watch face or bend the hands. Don’t worry though, if you visit us in-store we can help sort your watch out for you.

6. Store your watch safely

When not wearing your watch, it's best to keep it in the box it came in. If you lay down the watch on its side or on the crystal, it could get scratched. If you don’t have the watches original box, a WOLF Watch Box is great - especially if you have multiple watches. If you’re travelling with your watch, but not wearing it, a WOLF Watch Roll is the perfect home.

Watches with an automatic movement rely on movement of your wrist and can stop when it’s not been worn for a certain amount of time (check your watches power reserve). A watch winder is designed to keep your watch ticking away when you’re not wearing it and these WOLF Watch Winder’s not only look luxurious, but keep your watch healthy.

7. Keep sunlight to a minimum

Prolonged time in direct sunlight can fade the colour on your watch - especially if your watch is plated or has a leather strap as it can discolour. Heat can also shorten the battery life, so it’s best to prevent your watch from being placed in direct sunlight.

8. Avoid contact with chemicals

Just like sunlight, chemicals can damage watches with any coloured platings or leather straps. Perfumes can discolour or remove the plating, whilst leather strap will become weaker, potentially causing them to tear. When cleaning or spraying perfume or cologne, let it completely dry before placing the watch on your wrist.

9. Don’t open the watch by yourself

Unless you’re very experienced with watches and know exactly what you're doing, opening the watch will expose it to dust, dirt and other particles that can get inside the movement and damage it. As mentioned before, pop into your nearest store and we can help.

10. Read your watch manual

These general tips will apply to all watches, but it’s definitely best to read the manual your watch came with for specific tips for your particular watch. And if you have any questions, we’ll be more than happy to help!