How do I care for my watch?
An automatic watch is a quality mechanical object, designed to last for decades, and can be passed on to future generations. To ensure that a watch can be passed on to your children or grandchildren in good condition, it is important to maintain it properly and regularly. Here are some simple principles to follow in order to preserve your automatic watch.
How to wear your automatic watch correctly?
An automatic watch works by rotating your wrist. To wear an automatic watch properly, you simply have to wear it as often as possible on your wrist. The energy of an automatic watch is generated by the rotation of the wrist, which animates the movement of the watch. We recommend that you wear your automatic watch regularly to prevent the oils in the movement from freezing for too long. Like a car engine, keeping the movement running is beneficial to the longevity of your watch. If you can't wear your watch regularly, don't worry! Simply wind your watch by holding the crown between your thumb and forefinger and turning it gently clockwise (about 20 turns are enough to wind most watches). If you do not wear your watch every day, or if you have several automatic watches, you can wind or wear each of your watches once a week. This is more than enough to prevent the oils from congealing.
How to wear your hand-wound watch properly?
For mechanical watches with manual winding, it is necessary to wind the watch every morning. How do you do this? Once a day on average, remove your watch, take the crown between your thumb and forefinger and turn it gently clockwise until you feel a lock.
With regard to how to wear an automatic watch on your wrist, we advise you to wear your watch relatively snugly on your wrist to limit the risk of shocks. A watch that is worn wider (such as a bracelet) is more likely to encounter an obstacle and therefore suffer a shock. A sudden shock can stop the movement of your automatic watch and require a complete overhaul. Similarly, it is better to remove your watch when you are doing physical activity or a potentially dangerous activity such as DIY for example. As for storing your watch, you can put your watch in a watch box at night so that its case and strap remain protected overnight. If you don't have a watch box, you can use the box provided with your watch. If you have several automatic watches and do not want to have to wind your watches regularly, you can purchase a watchwinder that winds your automatic watch when it is stored. Therefore, you will no longer have to manually wind your watches and reset them every time you want to change.
An automatic watch is designed to move perpetually forward, so you should never manually move the date or hands backward
What is the death zone?
The death zone is a crucial concept to master in order to preserve the movement of your automatic watch as long as possible. An automatic watch is designed to move forward in perpetuity, so you should never manually move the date or hands backwards, at the risk of having to have your watch serviced. To understand the notion of the death zone, you have to imagine that the dial is cut in two parts. The lower part of the dial (from 3 o'clock to 9 o'clock) is the safety zone while the upper part (from 9 o'clock to 3 o'clock) becomes the death zone in case of manual date change. To change the date safely (when your watch has stopped or when the current month is a 31-day month, for example), simply move the hour and minute hands forward to the lower part of the dial. The easiest way to do this is to move the hands forward to 6:30 (or 18:30). Once the hands are located in this part of the dial, you will be able to manipulate the date window without risking damaging the movement of your watch. The trick is to manually advance the date to the day before the desired date. For example, if you need to set the date to the 10th, first advance the hands to 6:30 and then advance the date to the 9th, then leave the date window alone. Simply advance the hour and minute hands to the 10th and the desired time.
How to clean your watch properly?
If your watch and bracelet are waterproof, cleaning will be easier. All you have to do is rinse it under a trickle of cold water, then add a little lukewarm water mixed with mild soap and finally wipe the entire case, bracelet and back of the watch with a lint-free cloth.
If your watch is not waterproof, remember to remove the strap beforehand and then use a moistened cotton swab to clean the glass, the case, the inside of the watch lugs and finally the case back.
How to clean the strap of your watch?
If your watch has a steel, rubber or fabric strap, run the strap under warm water and clean it with a little mild soap and then wipe it with a clean, dry cloth.
For leather bracelets, you can clean them from time to time with a special leather cleaner. We recommend Universal Sapphire Cream which works on most leathers. Try it on a small area of the bracelet first before using the product on the whole bracelet. To apply the cream, simply use an old, clean t-shirt, apply a small amount to the fabric and rub the leather of your watch in a circular motion. This product will soften the leather and nourish it. You can then very gently rub your strap at the end with a clean soft toothbrush to make your leather shine.
How to care for the glass of your watch?
If your watch has a non-sapphire crystal (acrylic or hesalite), it is quite possible to polish the crystal to restore its original shine. You can either have it polished by a watchmaker to get an optimal result, or you can polish the watch yourself with a magic product called Polywatch. Polywatch comes in the form of a liquid paste sold in a small tube. To apply it, simply apply a drop of the product to the glass and then rub the glass in a circular motion with a clean, dry cloth. You will find that light scratches will quickly disappear. However, for deeper scratches or if the scratches persist, you should contact a watchmaker who can either polish your glass or replace it if it is too damaged.