How to maintain a mechanical watch

        The most common issues encountered in mechanical watch maintenance are water ingress and impacts. Unless a mechanical watch is explicitly marked as waterproof, water ingress into the case must be strictly avoided, as water causes mechanical corrosion and possesses immense destructive power. Seawater must be avoided at all costs. Even if marked as waterproof, a watch only offers one year of water resistance assurance; because the waterproof gaskets will inevitably experience fatigue after a full year of wear, compounded by sweat, dust and other unavoidable external factors, they must be replaced after a year, otherwise they will lose their water-resistant function.

Longines men's mechanical watch

        Beyond water resistance, protection against impacts is even more crucial. Within your financial means, having two or three watches to alternate between in daily life is advisable: wear a mechanical watch during static activities, and wear a sports watch when engaging in physical exercise. Adapting the watch to the occasion in this manner helps extend its service life. Mechanical watches operate through the drive of mechanical gears and mainsprings, and rotation inevitably generates friction, so they must be oiled and lubricated over time to reduce component wear rates. Otherwise, waiting until a fault occurs to send it for repair often means the problem has already become severe. It is best to send a mechanical watch back for a check-up every year to see if there is any improper use or water ingress. Especially in hot and humid climates, where sweat, rainwater and polluted air accumulate year-round, causing chronic erosion to the movement, the frequency and degree of damage are much higher than in Europe, America and Japan, making “ scheduled inspections ” very important; then, a thorough cleaning and service is required every three years. The safest approach for maintenance and repairs is to hand the watch over to an authorised dealer. Internal cleaning must be left to a professional watchmaker, while the owner can handle external cleaning themselves; scrub the bracelet with a soft brush dipped in cleaning solution, and finally rinse clean with water.

        Watch cases with water-resistant functions can also be cleaned using this method; cases without water resistance must never be scrubbed. Daily external cleaning work is very important, because grime and dust, even if imperceptibly fine, continuously accumulate in reality. If left uncleaned, the bracelet will rust, decay or become brittle. Therefore, owners are advised to clean them frequently. Gold-plated watches are more prone to fading. Gold-plated watches refer to what are commonly called electroplated watches. For gold-plated watches sold on the general market, the electroplating thickness mainly ranges from 3 microns to 20 microns. A micron is one-thousandth of a millimetre, which is a unit of measurement for metallic plating and coating thickness. Theoretically, if the gold plating is too thin, it fades easily and is not as durable as thicker plating. Therefore, some brands on the market use titanium nitride (TiN) PVD coatings because titanium nitride has a spectral reflectance similar to gold and exhibits good adhesion to stainless steel. Given the hot and humid climate, it is less prone to fading, making it a good choice for consumers.

        Bright and shiny gold watches. — Gold and white gold in pure gold are 24k, but pure gold is too soft and unsuitable for making watches, so the optimum hardness is 18k gold alloy. Its advantage is that it will not discolour over time, but gold watches may oxidise to produce some verdigris, and some people's skin is allergic to gold; in this case, one can choose “ pure platinum “ (platinum). The advantages of pure platinum watches are: higher hardness than gold and karat gold, and greater resistance to strong acids and alkalis, but the purchase price is much higher than karat gold watches.

        Precautions for watch water resistance:

        1. No water resistance or water-resistant functions: ultra-thin watches, art watches, ladies' watches, and jewellery watches mostly fall into this category. It is recommended to keep them away from moisture, and when storing them, please place them in a dry, moisture-free location.

        2. Watches with water-resistant features / 30m: ordinary water resistance, generally using a pressed case-back method to provide the function of resisting water vapour intrusion, but not suitable for soaking in water or swimming, as it is merely equipped with water resistance.

        3. Water-resistant watch / 100m or above: Screw-down case back, suitable for water immersion but not for swimming or diving.

        4. Diving watch / 200m or above: Always ensure that all water-resistant crowns are securely screwed down after adjusting the time, both during diving and in daily wear.