February 8th, 2010 by Zeeman Haus

You finally got the watch you always wanted. Maybe it’s gold with all kinds of extras and just makes you feel fuzzy inside or is just plain cool. Now you have to worry about taking care of it. Well don’t get all bothered about it Junior, we’re going to give you some tips so your ticker keeps on ticking.

Your watch is like a small child. Okay, not really, but there are some things you will have to do if you want to keep your timepiece running the way it should be running. If you fail to do that your watch becomes nothing more than a time bomb. Okay, maybe it doesn’t but it is just a matter of time (no pun intended) before you watch breaks or becomes a piece of junk.

Water and heat are the two biggest problems associated with rust inside of your watch. Even if your watch is water-resistant, make sure you put your watch in a position where it does not have to resist anything. Water resistant is not the same as water proof. If water gets inside of your watch, it’s pretty much a given you will be down at the local watch-smith’s shop for a cleaning session.

Remove your watch when showering, swimming, before entering a sauna or any other activity that might expose your watch to moisture. If you expose the watch to saltwater, rinse with fresh water. The solvency of salt water is higher than that of fresh water so you’re better off rinsing then literally hanging your watch up to dry.

Date changing is kind of a weird proposition with most luxury watches. It is recommended that you change the date anytime you like, as long as it is not within three hours of midnight. The reason for this being that the internal mechanism is in the process of doing that already. Your interference could cause damage to the gears. So pick a time within the other 21 hours to change the date.

Wind your automatic watch by hand once or twice a week. This keeps the oils moving in the right direction. It is also important because it will keep the gears nice and slick. Non-slick flooring is great, non-slick gears will put you behind schedule.

For those of you with mechanical watches, wind your watch at the same time every day. This isn’t just so you don’t forget either. These types of watches general run on tension. Providing the same amount of tension on a daily basis will keep you from over winding and wearing out the internal mechanism. Most serious watch winder do so in the morning.

Regular maintenance is import. So like your annual physical and periodic dental trips, schedule some time for your watch to be examined by a professional. They will check your watch for rust and clean the gears. Usually every two years is a great idea in regards to getting a check up for your watch. Got it? Happy time keeping!

Zeeman Haus enjoys writing articles online on a variety of subjects. You can check out his latest website on Mens Diamond Watches which provides reviews on top Brands Like Bulova, Akribos, Invicta, Citizen & more.