Daniel Wellington WatchDaniel Wellington Watches are a popular choice for women

Whether you have spent tens, hundreds or even thousands of pounds on your wristwatch, you will want to protect your investment. Taking care of your watch is simple and can help to prevent it from breaking down. Here is our watch care advice for keeping your watch looking at its best for longer.

Read the Flipping Manual

watch care
This is probably not a good idea…

Of course, we all know how to use a watch, but reading the booklet that was supplied with your watch can reveal some useful tips. You may find that it is not water resistant in hot water (keep it out of the shower!) and some watches have a special mode that reduces battery wear if you store it with the crown pulled out. Some watch finishes are easily damaged and the manual will give care recommendations.

The service schedule will also be in the manual. Mechanical watches will need to be serviced occasionally to keep them running smoothly, and quartz watches need the battery changing every couple of years. Don’t leave a watch with a battery that has run out. It might leak and damage the watch.

Daily Watch Care Regime

There are some simple actions that should be in your daily watch care routine:

  • Wipe your watch with a soft, lint-free cloth if it gets dirty. Avoid abrasive cleaners.
  • Use a damp cloth to clean the bracelet. Avoid hot water as it can damage the water-resistant seals.
  •  If you have a hand-winding or automatic watch, be sure to wind it every few weeks to stop the oil from clogging up
  • You can buy an automatic watch winder to keep your automatic watches wound, but opinion is divided on whether these are a good idea or not.

Safely Storing Your Watch

Don’t just throw your watch in a drawer when you are not wearing it.  It will soon pick up scratches. We also recommend removing your watch when you sleep and shower. It may say it is water-resistant but that is related to conditions for swimming and not high-pressure jets of steaming hot, soapy water!

 

Watch care: demagnetiser
A watch demagnetiser costs less than £10

You can buy inexpensive watch boxes from Amazon or eBay which will keep any number of watches safe. They also make your collection look great. Don’t keep watches anywhere that is excessively hot, cold or humid.

 

Magnetic fields kill watches – or at least make them run really, really fast. If you have inadvertently put your watch near a speaker or another strong magnet, you can invest in a degausser or watch demagnetiser to remove the magnetism and – hopefully – get it running properly again.

 

Watch Care is Common Sense

Above all, watch care is all about common sense. Treat your wristwatch well and it will give you many years of pleasure.

By Mike Richmond

Mike spends what little spare time he has writing for WRUK; and what little money he makes building up his collection of timepieces.