A Practical Guide to Wearing and Maintaining Your Watch

As an inseparable companion in our daily life, a watch is not only a precision instrument for recording time, but also a vivid symbol of personal taste and style. In order to keep this small piece of time artwork in the best condition at all times, telling time accurately for us and accompanying us for a long time, it is crucial to wear it correctly and maintain it carefully in daily life.
In terms of daily wear, there are a number of details that we need to pay extra attention to. First of all, it is important to avoid any collision between the watch and hard objects. Although many watches are designed with a certain degree of impact resistance in mind, using sturdy case materials and shock-resistant structures, violent collisions can still cause serious damage to the watch. For example, when playing outdoor sports such as basketball or soccer, or engaging in heavy physical labor such as construction, strong impacts may lead to deformation of the watch case, breakage of the watch band, and more seriously, precision parts inside the movement may be misplaced or damaged due to the vibration, which in turn affects the normal timekeeping of the watch. Therefore, it is wise to take off the watch and place it properly in a safe place when engaging in such activities.
At the same time, we should also be highly alert to the contact of watches with chemicals. Perfumes, cosmetics, detergents, and various types of organic solvents in daily life contain chemicals that are highly corrosive and may cause irreversible damage to watch cases and straps. For example, the alcohol content of perfume may cause the metal case to lose its luster, and certain chemicals in cosmetics may cause the watch band to fade or harden. As soon as you accidentally get your watch wet with these chemicals, you should wipe it gently with a clean, soft cloth to minimize the chemicals’ effect on your watch.
Regarding the maintenance of the watch, regular cleaning is the basic work to maintain its neat appearance and good performance. We can use a soft, damp cloth to gently wipe the surface of the watch case and strap, which can effectively remove dust, stains and perspiration accumulated daily. For the leather strap, due to the special nature of its material, it needs extra care and attention. Leather straps should try to avoid prolonged contact with water, as moisture will make the leather swell and soften, accelerating the aging of the strap. If the leather strap is inadvertently exposed to moisture, it should immediately use a dry cloth to gently absorb the moisture, and then place the watch in a well-ventilated place to dry naturally, and never use high-temperature equipment such as hair dryers for drying, so as not to damage the strap. In addition, in order to prevent the leather strap from getting moldy, we can use special leather maintenance agent to take care of it regularly to maintain the softness and luster of the strap.
In addition, the timekeeping accuracy of the watch is an important indicator of its performance, and we need to pay attention to it all the time. If you find that there are obvious errors in the timekeeping of the watch, such as too fast or too slow, it may be a problem with the internal movement of the watch. At this time, do not disassemble or repair the watch by yourself, because the structure of the movement inside the watch is extremely precise and complex, and non-professional operation is likely to cause more serious damage. The correct approach is to send the watch to a professional repair store in time for comprehensive testing and adjustment by an experienced watchmaker. Generally speaking, mechanical watches require comprehensive maintenance every 3 – 5 years due to the complexity of their internal mechanical structure and wear and tear characteristics. The comprehensive maintenance includes deep cleaning of the movement to remove accumulated oil and impurities, careful inspection of each component and replacement of parts that are severely worn out, and addition of an appropriate amount of lubricant to the movement to ensure smooth operation of each component. Through regular comprehensive maintenance, the service life of mechanical watches can be effectively extended, ensuring the accuracy and stability of their timekeeping.
Correct wearing and maintenance is like injecting constant vitality into the watch, which can not only significantly prolong the service life of the watch, but also make it always maintain excellent performance and charming appearance. Let’s take good care of each watch and let them accompany us on every wonderful journey of life and record every precious moment.