Look after your watch
Mechanical watches need to be serviced.
Over time the oil inside the movement degenerates – if it thickens it can slow down the timekeeping, and if it thins it can speed it up. To ensure the watch continues to run reliably, you need to maintain it at regular intervals to prevent any damage. It varies from watch to watch and brand to brand, but between three and five years is normal.
You can over-wind a manual winding watch.
With force you can essentially break the end of the spring off the retainers. With automatic (self-winding) watches, however, there is a clutch mechanism that prevents over-winding.
Avoid changing the date between 8pm and 2am.
On watches with additional functions, the closer the time is to midnight the higher the chance of damaging the movement, as a great deal of functions are designed to change when approaching or just past midnight. Adjust the time before adjusting the date as a precaution.
When not wearing it, lay a watch on its back not its side.
The hairspring – essentially the crux of the whole mechanism – functions best in horizontal position, therefore keep the watch horizontal whenever possible.
Invest in a watch winder.
If it’s an automatic watch, we recommend getting a high quality watch winder. We’d suggest Buben & Zorweg as a maker of reliable, well-engineered winders that can be customised and calibrated for all mechanical requirements. This keeps the watch working while not being worn, meaning you don’t have to reset it every time you choose to wear it. Additionally, it keeps the movement running, which is important as it keeps the internal parts lubricated. That will help ensure the watch performs within tolerance.
Harrods will be bringing its service and after-sales bar to Salon QP. See page 33 for event details. www.harrods.com