With proper care, a watch will provide its owner with many years of pleasure and reliable service. Here are a few tips that will help you take care of your new chronograph watch, skeleton watch, or tourbillon watch:
Water Resistance - Understanding the water resistance limitations of your watch is an important part of protecting it from unnecessary damage. Here are some general guidelines to help you determine the level of caution necessary to protect your watch:
Non-Water Resistant - Watches that are not rated as water resistant should be shielded from water or other sources of moisture, including rain, excessive perspiration, etc.
Water Resistant - Watches that are water resistant but have no specific depth rating can safely withstand incidental splashes from activities such as hand washing, getting caught in the rain, etc.
Up to 50 Meters Water Resistant - Watches rated as water resistant up to 50 meters can be safely worn while swimming in still water, such as in a swimming pool. However, many watch specialists recommend exercising caution when doing such things as diving to the bottom of a deep swimming pool, as the rapid change in pressure may affect watches with low water resistance ratings.
Up to 100 Meters Water Resistant - Watches rated water resistant up to 100 meters are suitable for wearing during activities such as swimming, surfing, snorkeling, or other similar water sports.
Up to 200 Meters Water Resistant - Watches rated as water resistant up to 200 meters can be worn for sport scuba diving and other water sports.
Up to 500 Meters Water Resistant - Watches with this water resistance rating are suitable for use in all types of water sports, including deeper-water scuba diving such as wreck diving, reef diving, etc.
Watches and Temperature Extremes - You should always be careful not to expose your watch to extreme temperatures. Don't ever wear your watch in a hot tub, or leave it on the dash of a car exposed to the sun, as this can damage key components of the watch. Also, if you have a quartz watch, heat may damage the battery, causing the watch to function incorrectly or stop working altogether.
You should also avoid leaving your watch exposed for extended periods to extremely cold temperatures, as this may cause it to keep time poorly until it returns to a more normal temperature range.
Cleaning Your Watch
Dirt, stains, and even water spots detract from the appearance of your watch, and may negatively impact its performance. To maximize the life and quality of appearance of your watch, you should thoroughly wipe it down once a month or so with a soft, dry cloth. A high-quality linen or silk cloth works well, but even a terrycloth wash cloth works fine as long as you take care not to snag the crown or pushers on the terrycloth loops.
We're not big fans of wearing a watch in the shower-soap was meant to clean people, not watches. But should you choose to do so, make sure you rinse it thoroughly to get any soap off of it, and gently pat it dry with a clean towel or cloth. Also, after wearing your watch in a swimming pool or in the ocean, you should make sure you thoroughly rinse it in fresh water to wash away any residual chlorine or salt, and then gently dry it.
Caring for Watch Bracelets and Straps
Leather Straps
With proper care, your leather watch strap will last many years. When wearing your watch, be sure to allow a little space between your wrist and the strap so that moisture can evaporate. The width of your little finger between the strap and your wrist is plenty. Also, it's a good idea to occasionally clean the inside of the strap with a soft cloth dampened with rubbing alcohol to remove body oils, dirt, etc.
Heavy perspiration should be removed by blotting it with a dry cloth or paper towel to prevent the leather from losing its natural oils and becoming dry and brittle.
Salt, soil, and chlorine should always be removed as soon as possible by gently washing the strap with a damp, soft cloth and saddle soap, and patting it dry with a dry cloth or paper towel, and then allowing it to air dry.
Metal Bracelets
Because the bracelet of your watch rests upon your skin, its links or mesh collect body oil, perspiration, and dirt. In addition, perspiration can dissolve accumulated rust and dirt, which can result in stained shirt cuffs and even skin irritation.
Therefore, we highly recommend that you gently clean the bracelet once a month with a soft brush (a soft-bristled tooth brush works great) and warm soapy water. After washing the bracelet, rinse it thoroughly and gently towel-dry it. You should allow it to completely dry before wearing it. Note that if your watch is not water resistant, you should have the bracelet professionally cleaned by a jeweler or watchmaker.
Rubber Straps
Like leather straps or metal bracelets, rubber bracelets also require a reasonable amount of care to ensure that they provide the maximum amount of service and remain attractive. In particular, tanning lotions, oils, perspiration, salt water, and chlorine can, if not removed, cause the rubber to deteriorate.
Basically, you can clean your rubber strap the same way you would clean a metal watch bracelet: using a mild soap, gently scrub the strap with a soft-bristled brush, rinse it thoroughly, and then pat it dry with a clean towel or a piece of paper towel.
Watch Crystals
The most foolproof way to preserve the smooth luster and beauty of your watch's crystal is to simply avoid slamming your watch into things or wearing it in situations where it's highly likely your watch will be damaged: you wouldn't normally wear your best suit to work on the engine of your car; likewise, you shouldn't wear one of your fine watches, either.
All that said, watches are for wearing, not for keeping in the closet, so sooner or later even the most careful watch enthusiast will find himself or herself dealing with a scratched watch crystal. If it's a large or deep scratch, your best bet is to let a professional jeweler or watchmaker deal with it. However, you can often remove small hairline scratches that accompany normal use by gently rubbing a small amount of non-abrasive toothpaste on the crystal with your finger. Don't put too much toothpaste on the watch crystal-getting it out of all the minute grooves where the crystal joins the bezel can be a royal pain. Remove the toothpaste with a soft, damp cloth, and then buff the watch crystal dry. Repeat several times if necessary.
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