Unfortunately, maintaining your new luxury watch isn’t as easy as grabbing a damp cloth and wiping it clean. It should stand to reason that a timepiece as gorgeous as a Cartier watch or Carl F. Bucherer watch, whose construction took dozens of man-hours from industry professionals, requires maintenance that’s just as professional.
Today at Luxurious J&T, we’re going to offer a few suggestions about what you can do to keep your luxurious watch ticking away for generations to come:
Everyday Care
The first thing to remember about about your luxury watch is that it isn’t a monolithic thing. On the contrary, a watch is made up of hundreds of individual pieces that have to work seamlessly together in order for the whole to be a watch rather than a bracelet.
It’s important to know the maintenance routines for your timepiece, and that begins with reading the owner’s manual! Never assume that just because you’ve spent days checking out each piece in a jeweler’s watch finder that you know the intricacies of your new luxury watch — each designer, from Rolex to Seiko, has their own in-house policies and designs for watches.
Keep the crystal of your watch clean and free from irritants that could scratch it over time, preferably by putting it away in a lined box when you’re done wearing it.
If your watch is not water resistant, stick to soft cloths to keep it grit-free, but if it is water-resistant, you can use a damp cloth (only use water!) to wipe it clean. With care, soapy water and a toothbrush can be used to brush a metal watch bracelet.
Avoid Certain “Stressors”
Watches are particularly vulnerable to certain stresses, and when they’re exposed to these stresses, even the most well-made watch may suffer permanent damage. This list of stresses includes:
- Magnets. While weak magnets like those found on a refrigerator may not do much, if you expose your luxury watch to a stronger magnetic field, it may knock the lightweight parts of the movement out of place.
- Water. Even if your watch is rated as water-resistant, “resistant” doesn’t mean “waterproof”. It’s important to remember how deep you can take your watch without pressure causing water to seep in. And if your watch has a leather band, don’t take it in water, since water will cause a leather band to rot over time.
- Never open your watch on your own! Jewelry and watch repair professionals maintain cleanrooms and protocols specifically to keep out dust, dirt, and grit that can permanently damage your watch.
- Remember that the same chemicals (like oils, perfumes, lotions, soap, etc.) that can damage jewelry can also damage watches. Make sure your wrist is dry and not coated in chemicals before you put your timepiece on.
Stick to Regular Maintenance Schedules
At Luxurious J&T, we suggest that you take a watch in for maintenance between 3 and 5 years. You can tack a few years on if you only wear your watch once in a blue moon, but if you stick to that plan, remember that you’ve got to check your watch every month to keep the lubrication flowing.
Know that if you’re planning on selling your watch down the line, maybe to buy a new one, it’s important to talk to your watch professional to make sure that it’s near-new before you sell it.
And even if you’re going to be keeping your luxury timepiece for generations, a professional can safely disassemble its movement, as well as replace lost parts, clean gears, and test the timekeeping functions.
Did We Leave Anything Out?
These are our thoughts about maintaining a luxury timepiece, but did we leave anything out? Visit our Facebook or Twitter page if you’d like to learn more about watch maintenance or if you’d like to leave some tips of your own!
And for professional maintenance guides for jewelry, check out our sister site, Premiere Jewelry Design, for trends and tips in women’s fine jewelry fashions!