How to take care of your watch?

When it comes to watches, there are two schools: style lovers and passionate collectors .

No matter which family you belong to, no matter how expensive the timepiece is on your wrist, what unites everyone is that a watch, whether automatic or manual, quartz or mechanical, it's much more than a simple accessory that gives the time and date ⏰

Like the most precious stones and the most luxurious jewelry 💍 it requires maintenance and a lot of care to see it stand the test of time and above all, to be able to continue to give it away .

You love your tocantes. You associate memories, emotions and sometimes even heritage. They are a bit of a continuation of yourself and you hope that they will be one day too, for your children.

So advice to lovers of fine watchmaking, whether you like them with automatic winding or manual winding, you will sometimes have to sacrifice a little of your time, by carrying out small daily manipulations so that your jewelry remains timeless.

As watch enthusiasts, Maison Scarlett was keen to provide you with some advice on how to maintain your watches while there is still time !

Summary :

Know the type of watch you own

If you haven't yet read our article on the differences between quartz watches and automatic watches, do it. We explain in detail what you need to know about the two main families of watches. For those who are a little late, let's quickly summarize.

There are two main groups: quartz (electronic) watches and mechanical watches .

Within this second group there are again differences between watches with manual winding and those with automatic winding. But yes, you know, it's like when your grandfather turned the hands of his clock with his finger, we say he wound it! Winding stem, barrel, key turn, in short, watchmaking is an art.

But what we want to teach you today is how to take good care of it. So for fans of quartz watches, here are our tips:

  • Be sure to change the battery promptly when it has given up the ghost. Do not wait too long to avoid damaging the movement.
  • Don't leave it inside your watch and if you want to do even better, simply don't wait for the battery to completely discharge. Having a watch battery changed by a watchmaker only costs around ten euros, that's not a lot to pay for an object with so much value, is it?
If you are one of the collectors and enthusiasts, you undoubtedly own mechanical watches. And if the latter is manually wound, you will have to wind the spring of your watch via the crown every morning.

When you feel a slight resistance, it is well up. These little jewels are more fragile than quartz watches. Sensitive to temperature variations and magnetism, they need great gentleness and regular maintenance.

The automatic winding watch works in approximately the same way, only in this case the barrel relies on the movements of the wrist. These same movements will activate a half-disc which, by rotating on an axis, will wind the watch.

Wear your watch often

A good mechanic once told me, a mechanism that is not used is a mechanism that gets damaged. Against all odds, the best way to preserve and maintain your watch is to wear it. Yes, on average, we recommend putting it on your wrist about once a week. This prevents the little lubricant that allows the whole structure to spin perfectly from drying out.

Clean your watch delicately

Watches are even more beautiful when they are clean, crisp, shiny or even sparkling. But paradoxically, it is also a real little dust nest. Made of nooks and crannies, impurities lodge everywhere. Between the lugs, around the bezel or even in the back. Using a small microfiber cloth and a small brush with very soft bristles, you can gently rub the glass of your tocante and try to find small dirt.

Be careful if you want to go further in your cleaning! Firstly, we avoid any type of aggressive chemicals and secondly, before putting it in the water, we remember to check the waterproofness of our timepiece! This can deteriorate over time, so if you have an old watch, even if it is noted that it is waterproof, refrain from taking long dives in the ocean, otherwise it will be the her last bath.

In case your accessory is simply not waterproof at all, clean it with a slightly damp cloth.

Take it to a qualified watchmaker

Once again we repeat ourselves, but mechanics must be revised, your little clocks must not escape this rule.

To guarantee its good health for a very long time, we advise you to go to your favorite watchmaker every 5 to 7 years and do a little technical check. Of course, if you notice an anomaly or if you are an extreme athlete and put your watch through many adventures, don't wait that long.

Oscillating mass and oscillation, second hand, vibration, oiling of the joints, checking the barrel or balance, etc. These terms probably don't mean much to you, but they have no secrets for your artisan watchmaker, who knows them. all the cogs (note this particularly well-placed pun). And this is why you don't try to repair your watch yourself! We wisely take him to a qualified specialist who will be responsible for carrying out the correct operations. Would you allow yourself to be operated on for appendicitis by your neighbor “who saw a tutorial on the internet” ? To meditate !

However, for enthusiasts who would like to research and learn the basics of the world of beautiful watches, know that certain training courses or workshops have been designed to help you acquire the basics of watchmaking. Disassembly and reassembly of a movement, inspection of a Swiss movement or even assembly of your own watch. You will learn many things about this exciting field.

Keep your watch safe

This is our moment. The one where you are told again and again that like all the pieces of your jewelry, a watch must be carefully stored in a suitable case. It’s a gem in its own right. And you have no excuse not to store it properly. Most of the time, these come with a case for purchase. And if you no longer have these cases, on Maison Scarlett you are in for a treat, because we have a very nice collection of watch boxes and boxes to offer you!

Identify activities to avoid with your watch

Today watches come in many ways. The dials change shapes, connected watches appear, they take photos and receive calls. We are very far from the pocket watch of the time, aren't we?

And that’s actually so much the better. This allows us to take even better care of our precious watches. We therefore avoid carrying our treasures when gardening, doing impact sports, or caving and diving.

For this, we choose suitable watches such as the well-known Casio G-Shock or a waterproof watch. Otherwise, we abstain, at the risk of having to pay for very expensive repairs.

A little additional advice: the better your bracelet fits, the more you will prevent your tocante from unpleasant shocks and friction.

Change bracelet

Leather bracelet, steel bracelet or even rubber, it doesn't matter. At one point or another, you will inevitably have to change it and that's a good thing. This allows you to give new life to your jewelry and why not, to give a modern touch to a vintage watch.

Have fun using precious materials and metals. Rose gold or white gold, sapphire and other diamonds, whether for men or women, pretty watches are appreciated by everyone and like everything we appreciate, they deserve our attention and our care.

So, when is your next appointment with the watchmaker?

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