Your luxury watch expresses your personality and status, and in order to make it look as good as new, you need to give a lot of attention to its care, maintenance and care. Given the modifications made to the bezel and strap, a custom luxury watch requires more effort. This further adds to the list of elements that require regular maintenance to keep them in top condition. This is a guide to make sure your luxury watch gets the care it needs.
1、Service time?
Every luxury watch manufacturer recommends having your watch serviced regularly to ensure that the warranty coverage is valid when repairs are needed. Professional luxury watch manufacturers recommend establishing a regular maintenance schedule with 3 to 5 years between each watch service to keep the watch in perfect condition. General service schedules may vary from brand to brand and it is recommended to consult a brand specialist for specific time periods.
If damage occurs, be sure to have your watch repaired immediately. Also, remember to take your watch to a certified watch repair center. This is to avoid losing your watch’s warranty and possible careless handling by third party repair services. By doing so, you will ensure that your watch is taken care of by a professional watchmaker who specializes in watch repair.
2、Pay attention to the magnetic field
As we use electronic devices and appliances more and more, we are surrounded by magnetic fields. These devices and appliances include refrigerators, telephones, speakers and magnets which can magnetize your watch and thus cause considerable damage to the internal mechanism. It is highly recommended that you take off your watch before passing through a metal scanner, as the magnetic field of a security scan can seriously affect the mechanical properties of your watch. This can affect the timing of the watch, causing it to run fast or slow.
You can also watch your watch by placing it next to the compass and see if the compass hand moves. If it moves, then your watch is magnetized. This will require the watch to be repaired and demagnetized to set the correct mechanism.
3、Care of leather straps
If your luxury watch comes with a leather strap, you will need to take more care of this material to ensure that it does not lose its shape and color over time. Sunlight can cause the color of leather to dry out and fade, so prolonged exposure to protective straps must always be avoided. Extra care must also be taken when fastening the strap to avoid cracks in the leather.
Special care must be taken to ensure that the strap is not immersed in water for long periods of time. However, if this happens, the strap must be dried immediately to remove any residual moisture. This is true even if the watch is water resistant. In addition, make sure that the watch does not come into direct contact with other liquids and chemicals, such as perfume, as these can cause serious damage to the leather. This also applies to watches with metal straps, as repeated contact can cause corrosion.
Liquids, including detergents, oils, solvents and cleaning solutions, which would have been recommended for cleaning leather surfaces, have actually proven to be harmful given the permeability of leather.
4、Avoid hydrothermal complications
If your watch has been in water for a long time, regardless of its water resistance, it is best to rinse it again with warm water. Then remove any salt-laden or treated water and prevent further corrosion and damage to the watch. If contact with water cannot be avoided, the watch must be dried immediately to keep it in better condition. If any condensation appears inside the watch dial, it is best to contact a service center and have the watch inspected to prevent permanent and irreparable damage.
If your watch has a chronograph, make sure that it is not operated underwater, as water may enter the dial. Tightening the screw-down crown of the watch will also prevent water ingress; if not, you can avoid the same difficulty by operating the crown in a neutral position. Furthermore, it has been proven that the extreme temperatures in a sauna can seriously damage the internal structure of a watch. Any thermal shock or shock of any other nature must also be avoided at all costs in order to maintain optimal mechanical function.
5、Correct storage
Ensure that your watch is always stored in a dry space, out of direct sunlight, to ensure that it remains safe when not being worn. When storing, it is recommended that you wipe your watch with a microfiber cloth to remove any dust, dirt and sweat that may have accumulated while wearing it. This will help prevent any damage caused by these contaminants lingering on its surface.
Unless recommended by the manufacturer or craftsman of your custom watch, do not use any unnecessary wiping or cleaning agents on your watch as they may cause unknown damage. Make sure not to leave the crown open while storing your watch, as this may allow dust particles to enter and thus fog up the dial glass. Storing your watch in a suitable box or case will provide it with enough cushioning to prevent it from being scratched when it comes in contact with other surfaces or materials from other accessories.
Your custom luxury watch definitely needs more specialized care, and the experts can provide the best care. They can provide you with a personalized service to meet the needs of your custom watch. You may also be interested in purchasing a watch winder that will keep your watch running for hours after you last wore it to prevent its mechanism from jamming. A wise reason to make this type of investment is that the oil that helps the gears run can become clogged over time due to lack of movement. This movement is then supplied to the watch by the electrical device that powers the watch winding, keeping it in constant motion.
If you think your watch needs maintenance or repair, regardless of the recommended schedule, then you absolutely must take it to a proper service center for inspection. Depending on the feedback you get, you may be able to replace watch parts or fix the problem and get the watch back to its original condition.
6、Summary
Recommendations for watch maintenance and repair：
Hand-wound movement watches should be wound once a day at the same time as much as possible so that the watch has enough energy to operate for the next 24 hours.
Self-winding watches derive their energy from the movement of the wearer’s arm, so manual winding is not necessary under normal wear conditions. Only when the amount of movement of the wearer is not sufficient to replenish the winding with sufficient energy, manual winding can be used to compensate, and the crown rotation should be limited to twenty revolutions when winding.
A self-winding watch that has not been worn for more than 40 hours should be rewound by turning the crown twenty revolutions to activate the movement’s drive system again.
The battery of a quartz watch should be replaced every two years to prevent the possibility of the movement suddenly stopping.
To prevent moisture from penetrating the case and to maintain the water resistance of your watch, make sure that the crown is always locked.
To ensure the proper functioning and accuracy of your watch, we recommend regular maintenance of your watch.
Have the watch tested for water resistance and exterior cleaning once a year.
For quartz movement watches, have the entire machine serviced every 5 to 7 years.
For mechanical movement watches, have the entire machine serviced every 3 to 5 years.
This not only keeps the watch in good running condition, but also effectively extends its service life. However, the above maintenance service only applies to watches under general wearing conditions, and does not include watches that are worn abnormally or subjected to constant impact, etc.
