Horological Meandering

Welcome to the 8th in a series on maintaining a watch collection. This post deals with the tasks of maintaining a watch, and eventually having it serviced or repaired. Although few of us can expect to become watchmakers or even tear apart a watch outside of a manufacturer's marketing event, all of us can take steps to prolong the beauty and functionality of our timepieces, or in the words of American statesman Benjamin Franklin:

It is far, far better to keep a bad thing from happening than it is to fix that bad thing once it has happened.

or more actually, Franklin said:

28.23 grams of prevention are better than 454 grams of a cure. (which before metric conversion was) an ounce of prevention is better than a pound of cure.

"In my real job" I have helped a number of automakers and aftermarket publishers create automotive service data, or what we used to call repair manuals. This data is used by professional technicians to do preventative maintenance, diagnostic troubleshooting, service or component repairs. 

Similar information exists in the watch world and we might get to it later in this article. But for now, let's just think PREVENT PROBLEMS .

(Get your mind off my glass of Laphroaig, no drinks are allowed in the watch repair area)

Disclaimer

I am not a professional watch repairman. I am only a former apprentice. I don't do this for a living and I don't solicit work from or accept watches from Purists. 

I only fix my own watches and those when my wife insists I must do a favor for her friends, or she won't let me buy any more Grand Seikos.

Please find a watchmaker in your own neighborhood who can help you keep your collection going.

Prevention 

I think we should start with the things that are most obvious and irritating at the front counter in a watch repair shop. 

• Filthy bracelets (lotion, skin debris, dirt, grease)
• Abused watches (dropped, struck, scratched, smashed, attempted break-in using pliers on case or hammer/punch)
• Destroyed straps / missing spring bars
• Water in watch from crown being open when submerged
• Broken mainspring 
• Missing rider tabs, screws, crowns, etc.

Most of these issues can be avoided with a little care. In my experience, IF you have a collection of watches, at any price range, THEN you are more likely to be looking at, playing with, wiping clean and maintaining your watches. Bravo. 

Here's what else you can do, starting with cleaning it.

Cleaning the outside of the watch

Watches are close to your hands, and so they collect dirt like your hands do. You wouldn't think of never washing your hands, cleaning your fingernails, etc. Would you?

Please do NOT clean your watch in the sink where you might drop or damage it!

Here's how I clean a watch and bracelet. 

1. Start with a toothbrush, bar of soap and a large plastic bowl or measuring cup, and a towel. 

2. Dampen the toothbrush and rub it once lightly across the soap.

3. Holding the movement in your hand over the bowl, scrub the bracelet gently, dipping the brush in water occasionally.

4. Keeping the case protected, turn the watch around and scrub the other sides of the bracelet (in, out, left, right) with the brush.

5. Clean the brush and use clean water to wash / rinse the bracelet again. You will see dirt in your cup or on the towel.

6. Clean the brush and dry it slightly on a towel.

7. Go up along the lugs and around the edges of the back and front of the watch, avoiding the crown.

8. Follow up with a cotton swap or toothpick if there is anything the toothbrush won't remove.

9. Use a clean dry lint-free cloth to dry the watch, and let it sit on the cloth for an hour or two to dry.

I would do this once a year or more depending on how much you wear your watch. 

CASE STUDY ONE IN CLEANING

Here's what I found in my uncle's Elgin wristwatch bracelet - he's 75 and doesn't abuse the watch but still ... there was so much in my measuring cup that I poured it through a coffee filter to save the evidence!

This dirt came from the watch head itself, apart from the bracelet:

Eventually the watch, bracelet and all were clean as a whistle and ready for reassembly (we made him a new dial with his name on it - he's been wearing the watch since the 50's).

I don't recommend you remove a bracelet or open your watch up unless you have the proper tools and know you can get it back together. But regular cleaning is a good thing to do. 

CASE STUDY TWO ROLEX BRACELETS

Removing the dirt can help reduce wear. Rolex is renowned for making tough watches but early models had feeble bracelets. Do we really need to abuse them to get our money's worth?

As you can see below, my Doctor's never-before-cleaned Rolex Jubilee bracelet when ready to return to him exhibits "some stretch" (as used Rolex For Sale ads might say).

More intensive cleaning can require an hour or more in the Ultrasonic cleaning machine. Here's a friend's Grand Seiko that was running fine, but he brought it in for a spa treatment.

Here's how the case of the Grand Seiko looked

Before cleaning:

After cleaning:

Sapphire rarely scratches, but may occasionally shatter. If your crystal has a anti-reflective coating on the outside, you may damage it by rubbing or attempting to polish your sapphire crystal. Just wipe it gently with a damp cloth.

RECONDITIONING THE STRAP

You might be saying to yourself "Recondition my straps? What could go wrong with my strap?" Many things can go wrong with this critical component that ensures the safety and security of your beautiful watch. 

Take a look here at some of the possibilities:

GRIME

BROKEN SPRING BARS

RUBBER DISINTEGRATING

 

RUBBER & LEATHER DISINTEGRATING

KEEPER FALLING OFF & GLUE COMING UNDONE

I loved this strap which was very comfortable, but its disintegration nearly cost me my special edition Stowa.

 

Don't lose your watch - check the strap when you put it on. And once in awhile, take a look at the straps on your wife or kids' watches. I get more kids watches in for broken straps than anything except dead batteries. Of course, my wife is a PE teacher who tries her best to get them active in every which way (all bad for their watches and good for my part-time repair business).
BRACELETS CAN FAIL TOO

This spring bar came apart.

This crummy watch was so poorly made that I had to take the back off and file the case to get the bracelet back on! The things we do for love (and maintenance of a watch collection).

CHANGING A BATTERY

Let's postpone this to part 9 of the series, ok?

Thanks for your patience and for reading along.