TAKE CARE OF THE WATCH

General recommendations

The best adviser at describing how to care for a watch is a passport. Compliance with the rules listed in it will provide the owner with uninterrupted and correct operation of the watch for a long time. Note the most important points.

Damage

Protect your watch from bumps, falls and strong shaking - in order to avoid loss of accuracy, as well as deformation of parts of the case and mechanism.

Magnetic field

Do not leave the watch near sources of domestic magnetic radiation (for example, on a microwave or speaker in an audio system). A strong magnetic field affect the accuracy of the course and, in general, the health of the mechanism. This applies to a greater degree to mechanical watches (it is especially important not to forget to remove them in front of the metal detector frame).

Temperature

Do not store the watch in places with low or high temperature (for quartz - below 0 ° and above 45 °; for mechanical - below 5 ° and above 35 °). Sudden changes in temperature affect the safety of decorative elements of the dial and the performance of the mechanism.

Of course, this does not mean that the watch should not be worn when the temperature outside is low. The arm protected by the clothes is a comfortable environment for a watch.

Chemicals

In order to avoid the formation of plaque, oxidation or darkening of the metal, do not allow corrosive chemicals - especially gasoline, solvents, detergents and cosmetics, glue, perfumes, medicines - to get on the watch.

Water

Due to some design features of the case, an ordinary watch is easier to protect from water than jewelry. Therefore, among jewelry watches, there are practically no waterproof ones. Marking with a designation of the level of water protection is placed on the back cover. If there is no marking, it means that the watch does not have water protection. For example, NIKA watches, with the exception of a couple of models, do not have a similar marking, however, they use the unique “capsule” technology. This is an internal non-precious body, which provides the mechanism with additional protection against moisture and dust. Such protection allows you to wash your hands, dishes, and be in the light rain. Of course, you cannot swim in jewelry watches. If the watch is foggy in glass or there is reason to believe that water has got inside, you should take them to a service center as soon as possible.

Storage

To avoid scratching the watch, store it in a dry place, separate from other jewelry. For example, in a company case.

Service maintenance

If any malfunction occurs, contact exclusively authorized service centers. Even for such trifles as battery replacement. Even after the expiration of the warranty. Why? Each brand is engaged in regular certification of specialists providing service support for watches. Authorized specialists in a timely manner receive updated information about the device of new models and the features of their service. Unauthorized masters, no matter how good they may be, do not have up-to-date information on the watch’s equipment for a particular brand, which means they don’t know how to handle it. Some brands produce sophisticated exclusive models, often with unique technologies - such watches are generally serviced only at the manufactory where they were produced.

Now let’s figure out how to care for watches with various kinds of mechanisms.

How to care for a mechanical watch

Mechanical watches are more complicated than quartz ones, therefore they require more careful maintenance.

• It is recommended that the mechanism is restored at least once every 2-3 years. Prevention is reminiscent of an annual vehicle inspection and involves cleaning / replacing oil and seals, as well as checking the mechanism.
• Manual winding mechanical watches must be wound up regularly, otherwise they will stop functioning. The longer the watch is, the faster the grease in the gears thickens. Depending on the mechanism, the watch should be wound up on average once every one to two days, preferably at the same time.
• Do not apply excessive force to the crown of the watch and carefully follow the factory instructions.
• A self-winding watch will start itself, but if you don’t wear it constantly, it will stop quickly. To maintain the power reserve, it is worth paying attention to the winding caskets (winders - Eng. Wind, “wind up”), which will follow the watch instead of you.

Mechanical watch assembly

Automatic Rotor

Quartz Watch Care

Although with a quartz watch there is less trouble, however, there are a couple of curious nuances regarding the operation of the battery.

• Replacing the battery should be carried out immediately, as soon as the watch begins to rush / lag behind, without waiting until they finally stop. An inaccurate move may indicate a malfunction of the mechanism, but most often it is the battery, whose expiration date is coming to an end. In any case, when contacting a service center, before asking the wizard to change the battery, just in case, check the mechanism itself - this will also be a kind of prevention, as is the case with a mechanical watch.
• Change the battery only at authorized service centers. One of the most common causes of mechanism failure after contacting unauthorized workshops is the installation of the wrong battery.
• For many quartz watches, it is possible to stop the movement in order to ensure minimum discharge of the battery. If you don’t use the watch for a long time, you can move the crown to the position of the hand switch and the watch will stop. It is important that such savings do not harm the watch. Firstly, this focus does not work with all mechanisms. For example, the Ronda 1032 and Ronda 1042 calibers consume energy 7 times faster when idle. Of course, the manufacturer warns of such cases. Secondly, the “open” crown makes the watch vulnerable to moisture and dust.

Taking care of silver and gold watches

Timely care for your precious watch prevents early tarnishing and darkening of the case. If you daily take care of your silver or gold watches, they won’t need factory service any time soon. In general, it is enough to wipe the watch with a special microfiber cloth (included) after each use.

Silver

Over time, silver oxidizes: it darkens or turns yellow - this is a natural process. To keep the light color as long as possible, manufacturers of jewelry watches cover silver with rhodium (a platinum group metal) - such a coating lasts a year or two depending on the intensity of the wear. Once the watch has darkened or faded, they will again need to be coated with rhodium at the manufacturing plant. At the same time, the watch is polished to hide minor scratches that are unavoidable when worn regularly.

Gold

If the golden case becomes darker, we recommend using any means to care for jewelry without abrasive inclusions. It quickly and easily removes dirt and gives shine to stones. It is enough to spray the product on the watch and wipe with a napkin from the kit. In case of severe contamination, it is recommended to repeat the cleaning procedure or use the brush from the kit.

Do not forget about the strap!

A leather strap serves an average of a year. The service life varies depending on the intensity of the sock and the operating conditions. In order to avoid deformation and loss of color, it is recommended to protect the strap from water, high humidity, prolonged exposure to sunlight, contact with cosmetics and substances containing fats, and also to prevent strong tightening (a finger should be placed between the strap and hand).