Once you've purchased your pre-owned watch, you are going to want to look after it so that it stays in its best condition. We've put a few tips together on what you should do and what you should avoid to make your watch last a lifetime.
Cleaning your Watch
The best way to clean your watch is to use a slightly damp cloth to clean the watch case and bracelet. If it has any diamond embellishments, gently scrub them with a soapy brush. Even if your watch is water resistant, don’t put your watch in hot water as it can damage the gaskets. Also, if your watch has a leather strap, avoid getting it wet as moisture can damage its appearance.
Avoid Magnets
Make sure you avoid leaving your watch near anything with a strong magnetic field like televisions, mobile phones, fridges and speakers. More often than not, magnetism can cause the watch to gain time but it can also make it lose time or even stop altogether. Most watches are made up of very small steel components and with a medium to large charge, it can pull the pieces in different directions which can slow down the cogs or even bring them to a stop.
Batteries
All quartz watches run from a battery. The average lifespan of a battery is around 18 months. If your watch is fitted with an end of life indicator, the second hand will jump forward a few seconds when the battery is running low (depending on what brand of watch that it is, the time that it jumps varies.) However, the watch will continue to show the correct time until the battery stops completely. To avoid damage to the inside of the watch, worn/old batteries should be replaced as soon as possible.
Automatic Movements
If you don't wear your watch often, the power reserve will drain so the watch will stop. It can be restarted by winding the main crown 30-40 times in a clockwise rotation. This will start the watch and give it some power reserve. We also recommend that the watch is wound every 2-3 days to keep timekeeping at its best.
Changing the Date or Time
We recommend that you do not change the date or time when your watch is between 10 and 2. At this point, your watch will be preparing to change the date, therefore trying to change the date or time can damage the inside of your watch. This can be quite a large repair cost so if you need to change something, make sure you do it after 2 and before 10, just in case.
Water Resistance
We recommend that the seal on your watch is checked/replaced every 12 months to ensure that the water resistance hasn’t been affected.
Know your watch’s water resistance:
3 ATM / 30m: Splash proof and waterproof in small amounts of water.
5 ATM / 50m: Can be submerged in water. Suitable for shallow swimming.
10 ATM / 100m: Suitable for swimming, snorkelling and water sports.
20 ATM / 200m: Ideal for scuba diving.
30 ATM / 300m and over: Professional and deep sea diving.
Shock Treatment
This may seem obvious, but avoid banging into a wall or any other objects that could cause damage to the watch face.
Storage
When you’re not wearing your watch we would advise you to keep it stored away in the box that it came in. Or, if you have an automatic watch, we have a range of Wolf Watch Winders available so that when you’re not wearing your watch, you can keep it winding whilst it is stored securely.
We hope these tips help you take the best care of your watch, and if you're interested in investing in another to join your collection, you can shop the latest pre-owned watches on our website here. If you have any other questions please feel free to contact us on 0161 205 3575 and one of our in-house team will be more than happy to help!
