Caring for Your Mechanical Watch

A mechanical watch is a living instrument. Unlike a quartz movement — which runs until the battery dies and then stops — a mechanical calibre is in constant motion, its parts wearing fractionally against each other with every oscillation of the balance wheel. Proper care does not prevent wear. It slows it to a rate where the movement remains accurate and enjoyable for decades between services.

The first and most important habit is winding. If you wear your automatic watch daily, the rotor will keep the mainspring charged. If you leave it on the nightstand for more than 36 to 48 hours, wind it by hand before strapping it on — around 20 to 25 full turns of the crown, feeling for the slight increase in resistance as the spring fills. Do not overwind: on a modern automatic, the slipping clutch prevents this, but the habit of winding firmly and then stopping is a good one.

Keep your watch away from strong magnetic fields. Electric motors, MRI machines, audio speakers, and magnetic closures on bags and laptop covers can all magnetise the steel components in a movement — particularly the hairspring — causing the watch to gain time. If your watch suddenly runs fast, demagnetisation by a watchmaker is a quick and inexpensive fix.

Water resistance ratings degrade over time. The gaskets that keep water out of the case dry out and compress with each crown rotation and temperature change. Most manufacturers recommend re-testing water resistance annually for watches rated 100m or higher, and every service interval for dress watches. Never operate the crown underwater regardless of the rating.

Finally: service your watch. A movement running continuously for more than five years is running on lubricants that have begun to degrade, thicken, and in some cases migrate away from the surfaces they protect. The service interval varies by calibre and use — three to five years is typical for a daily wearer — but following it faithfully is the only maintenance that genuinely extends the life of the movement.