Does Your Luxury Watch Need Routine Maintenance?

by Mother Huddle Staff

Few items signal affluence like a luxury watch. You may expect that paying more for a watch should mean it needs less maintenance, but that is not true. Just as a high-performance sports car needs preventative maintenance and tuneups, a high-performance watch does too. Manufacturers like tissot gold watch mens often recommend service every two to five years, which is quite a range. Where your watch falls in that range depends on several factors.

How Many Features It Has

As a quick visit to your local jewelry shop or My Gift Stop online will illustrate, luxury watches are available in many styles. They can be elegant and simple, with just a face and two hands. On the other end of the spectrum, they may have multiple features, called complications. Common extras include a chronograph, perpetual calendar, or tourbillon (for mechanical watches). Watches with more moving parts often need service sooner than basic models. First, there are more parts to create friction, wear out, or need lubrication. Second, the more components you fit into a watch, the thinner each piece may need to be. Thinner parts tend to wear out with higher frequency than thicker parts.

How Often You Wear It

As you may suspect, the more a watch is worn, the more often it should be serviced. During daily wear, a watch may get banged around, scraped, or even dropped. No matter how gentle you try to be, use is the cousin of abuse. If you use your luxury watch for daily wear, it may need service every two years. Wearing it twice a week or less may extend the service frequency to every five years. You should wear it with some regularity, especially if it is mechanical. A watch worn less than once a month may fall prey to neglect; it needs to be wound every two to four weeks to keep all parts lubricated.

Where You Wear It

Water may be your watch’s biggest enemy, even if it is a dive watch with a water-resistant rating of 500 meters. Sealing gaskets eventually wear out, which may allow moisture to seep into the metal mechanism. Have a watch repair specialist test for water resistance every two years. Regular service every four or five years should include replacing the gaskets and re-oiling the gears to ensure smooth movement. Even if you never swim or shower with your watch on, you should still be on guard for moisture. Water can become trapped inside a timepiece from sweat, handwashing, or even humidity. Take your watch in immediately if you see any signs of moisture; putting it off may allow parts to rust or corrode.

 

 

 

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