Important Tips for Maintaining Your Vintage Watch

While buying used and vintage watches is popular right now, it is important to remember that vintage watches are not as strong and durable as their modern-day counterparts. A vintage watch, like anything else that is older, necessitates special care. Here are eight essential tips for caring for your vintage watch.

Use Caution

It is critical to understand that vintage watches are far more delicate than modern timepieces. Years ago, brands did not have access to the high-tech materials that make a case durable, as well as a plethora of other coatings and assets that are now used in watchmaking. Some vintage metal bracelet watches even have hollow links rather than solid links, which makes them lighter in weight and more prone to scratching and dimpling if smacked hard against a surface.

Don't Expect Perfection

Vintage timepieces may be slightly less precise than modern timepieces. Your vintage watch should keep time to within a minute or three per day. Keep in mind that the watch may be older than you; its performance will be imperfect.

Don't Overthink It

Because quartz watches were not invented until 1969, all vintage watches produced before that year are mechanical. If you have a mechanical watch, no matter when it was made, it will almost certainly need to be wound on a regular basis. If it's a self-winding (automatic) watch, it only needs to be wound if it's completely stopped. You can wind a hand-winding watch even if it is still running. In all cases, however, stop winding as soon as you feel resistance in the crown. Don't try to get one more turn out of it because you might overwind the mainspring and damage it.

Stay away from the water.

Vintage watches were not made with the same attention to water resistance that modern watches are. People used to take their watches off before going in the water decades ago, and this is the mindset you should have with your vintage watch. Furthermore, gaskets on a vintage watch may have dried out (and some chronograph watches may not even have gaskets), allowing moisture to seep in and cause fog under the crystal. That vapour should eventually dissipate, but the best course of action is to avoid water at all costs.

Allow it to Rest

If you're going to be doing something strenuous that requires your arm to be in full motion, such as going to the tennis courts or the golf course, leave your vintage watch at home. Many of yesterday's timepieces are delicate and cannot withstand as much shock as today's stronger pieces, just as they were not as water resistant as today's watches.

Maintain a Clean Environment

Dust can wreak havoc on a watch movement, which is particularly vulnerable when the crown is open for setting. Pull out the crown to set the watch in a clean, dry environment, such as while sitting at a table. Wipe the outside of the watch down with a soft cloth to keep it clean as well. Remember to wipe the caseback, which can collect dirt from perspiration on the wrist. You don't want any dirt to get into your movement.

Service it, but be specific about what you're going to do with it.

Have the vintage watch serviced every two or three years to ensure that the movement is clean and new oils are added. It's also critical that you inform the watch's service provider of your preferences. A watch may be polished during service to remove scratches or wear. Tell them not to polish the metal if there is a scratch on your watch that has a special memory attached to it. In the same way, old, worn dials are occasionally replaced, lowering the value of the genuine watch in order to clean it up. Let the watchmaker/brand know if you don't want the dial changed.

If you don't want to use a watch winder, put it in a box

It's best to store your vintage watch in its box or lay it flat in a watch drawer when you're not wearing it. Despite the widespread use of watch winders for modern timepieces, watch experts argue that vintage timepieces were not designed to have their mainsprings fully wound at all times. The lubrication in the movement may have a shorter lifespan due to the constant winding.

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I am Kevin Taylor. I love writing and reading books.