The watch is arguably one of the most important accessories to our daily garb. Keeping an accurate record of time is essential for most things in life – whether it’s getting the kids out to school in the morning, turning up for work on time or simply counting down the hours till your next vacation.
As part of this need to keep good time, many of us choose to buy self-winding or automatic watches, which allow for high quality timepieces to be re-wound as they are worn. But keeping these watches requires a regular care and maintenance regime, and one that must be applied with consistency to keep the watch in solid mechanical order.
Perhaps the most important element of the daily watch care routine is the winding itself. Mechanical watches require hand-winding, to ensure that they have enough energy to power the mechanism through the day’s wear. Watches slowly uncoil through the day at a measured pace, helping to keep the time with precise accuracy. This means that they require ongoing winding to ensure they remain capable of functioning the next day.
Forgetting to wind a watch frequently can leave the mechanism to deteriorate, and to ensure good working performance for as long as possible it is imperative to keep up the routine. Fortunately, watch winders from sites like buywatchwinders.com can help alleviate the process somewhat, providing an automatic means of winding self-winding watches when they are not in use. While these models will still require hand-winding periodically, this ensures a more practical winding requirement for your day-to-day watch wear.
While winding is a critical element to your watch care routine, it is not the only issue of concern. Mechanical watches rely on intricate mechanisms to keep the time, and these have their own particular care needs. For starters, you should wipe down your watch at the end of every day’s wear. Use a dry cloth (or a lightly dampened cloth if your watch is water resistant) to wipe dust, dirt and excess grime from the watch, its surface and its strap.
This will clear the daily build-up of particles and debris that can quickly lead to deterioration or failure for your watch. It may only take a couple of minutes, but it can be immensely helpful in keeping your watch in better condition for longer.
Even still, mechanical watches need to be serviced at yearly or bi-yearly intervals for the best possible maintenance. Only an experienced jeweler or watchmaker should handle your instrument. A service will require the dismantling of your watch, so be sure your chosen service provider has the skills to return your watch in one, working piece.
Taking care of your watch is worth the extra effort. These pieces tend to be items to cherish, far removed from the more disposable watches at the bottom end of the market. A mechanical watch, if treated well, can last you a lifetime. But only those who take adequate care of their timepiece can expect to enjoy such long and fulfilling use.
This article filled me with guilt about the 3 lovely watches I currently have sitting neglected with dead batteries. Not to mention all the lovely watches my husband owns but rarely wears anymore. Nowadays we rely on our smart phones….but I do wish I would remember to keep my watches fixed up. You don’t have to search to far to find people who can take care of your watches. The malls and department stores tend to have people who can help you out.
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