Craftsmanship, quality, beauty, and investment. These are just some of the words that spring to mind when thinking of luxury watches. To ensure your watch retains its beauty and function and lasts a lifetime, you need to know how to take care of your luxury watch.
The value of owning a luxury watch is not just the sum of its component parts. To you, your luxury watch represents an investment, a reward for success at work, an invaluable gift from a loved one or an heirloom that holds priceless sentimental value.
- So how do you take care of it?
- How often should you service it?
- How will you keep it looking new?
Here are 5 top tips on how to take care of your luxury watch and keep it ticking for decades to come!
1) Good storage
When you’re not wearing your watch it’s important to store it correctly. Improper storage can lead to damage that not only affects its cosmetic appearance but can also lead to a reduction in its lifespan.
The first and most simple option is to store your watch in the box it came in. Its hard case and a watch pillow will give it much needed protection.
An alternative for those with an extensive watch collection is to store your watches in a storage box designed to hold several watches. These can be found in a range of styles to suit your taste.
2) Avoid the enemies
Your watch’s enemies are humidity, dust and light. Avoid moisture getting into your watch at all costs. If you have a water-resistant watch ensure that you know just how water resistant it is before putting it to the test. Moisture inside your watch can cause rusting and damage to its internal mechanisms.
Simple storage options we’ve mentioned will protect your watch from dust and light, and the addition of silica gel packets inside the box will do the trick to keep moisture out. Silica gel packets are inexpensive and readily available online and from craft stores.
Another great storage option for watches is inspired by cigars. Yes, Cigars and watches have something in common – they both prefer to keep humidity out. This is where a humidor comes in handy. A humidor is designed to store cigars in such a way that they are protected, often in beautifully designed boxes, that make sure moisture stays out. It just so happens that this also provides the ideal environment for storing your luxury watch.
3) Keep it safe
So now that you have your watch suitably stored, how about taking it one step further? Given the high value of luxury watches, it would be advisable to consider storing your watch in a safe. Luxury quality watches are small and high-value items which can, unfortunately, make them appealing to thieves. There are some ingeniously designed safes available which are so discreet that they will go completely unnoticed. Safes designed to look like inconspicuous books are just one option.
4) Wind it up the right way
Manual watches love routine, so if you have a manual watch remember to wind it up regularly to keep it functioning smoothly. The mechanisms of manual watches are intricate so remember don’t over wind your watch and always take it off when winding it up to avoid causing undue strain on it.
Those of you with a luxury automatic watches may save wearing them for special occasions. The automatic mechanism is dependent on motion so if it’s not worn often it will inevitably stop ticking until its worn again or given a wind to get it started. Like manual watches, automatic watches also prefer routine, so to keep the mechanism moving without wearing or winding you can use a watch winder.
Watch winders are an ideal option for storing an automatic watch as it stores and protects your watch while at the same time ensuring it remains fully wound and operating smoothly.
5) Insure your watch
Our highly valued possessions such as our cars and homes are insured. Something to bear in mind is that the high price point of your luxury watch means that it may not be covered by your current standard insurance policy. For peace of mind, it would be wise to make sure that your luxury watch is fully insured so that you can simply enjoy being the owner of a timeless piece of craftsmanship.
We hope that gives you the information you need to give your watch the TLC it deserves.
If you are fortunate enough to own a Rolex, Omega, Cartier, Breitling Longines, Tag Heuer or any other luxury watch, you’ll probably already know that regular services are highly recommended. The recommended intervals between services varies from brand to brand so please feel free to contact us for advice on your particular make of luxury watch.