Cleaning delicate / vintage watches
I have a fine system for cleaning my water resistant watches. Hot gently soapy warm water and a soft toothbrush. Then pat dry with a towel and use a hairdryer for bracelets etc.
However - when it comes to my vintage / more delicate pieces I kind of muddle through.
Does anyone have a foolproof method. Something with wipes maybe?
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Justin
Fairly new to watch collecting. Super fast collecting journey! I've had a bit of everything, small gold pretty watches, large rugged watches, vintage British field watches. From Casio to Patek and eve...
London
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Yes, the cheap antibacterial wipes from Wilko do it for me.
Nice and they don’t corrode the case or anything like that?
As far as I know, after about 7 years of using them, no signs of corrosion at all. I also use wooden cocktail sticks (the kind you put little sausages on), and cotton buds to do the really tricky parts.
Perfect - I was thinking something like this. So glad to hear it works for someone else!
Dry microfiber cloth.
Baby wipes…if it won’t corrode your baby’s arse, you’re good.
Baby wipes…if it won’t corrode your baby’s arse, you’re good.
Watches are my babies (and the dog of course )
AIS ChronoPen is what I use to clean all my watches. They also have a cleaning pen made specifically for leather straps. I can’t recommend them enough. They’ve also become friends. Great small business to support!
When my watch gets dirty I buy a new one 😉
Btw, by any chance are you working as a garbage collection consultant?
what sort of dirt are you trying to remove? I think the preferred cleaning method will heavily depend on that.
If it gets greasy very quickly then it might "need" a polish. I found that my roughed-up watches attract oily substances much faster than the less beaten up ones. For what it's worth, I use tape to remove that sort of thing if it's too much or I am taking a picture where I want to it look shiny. Like a lint roll, apply and peel-off. Works surprisingly well but minute later it looks like before.
Yes, the cheap antibacterial wipes from Wilko do it for me.
Some wipes have alcohol or other solvents in them. I worry about chemical incompatibility with the seals. Nitrile is an extremely common compound for seals, and it is not very compatible with ethanol. I believe Sinns use Viton, which also doesn’t get along with ethanol. However, if the watch manufacturer chose neoprene, you’d be golden. Problem is, we can’t really tell for certain. Consequently, I stick with the ‘toothbrush-and-warm-soapy-water’ method.
Good tip on the glasses wipes. As a bonus I could also use those on my glasses!
I use jewelry cleaner and a jewelers cleaning brush, both easily purchased online. Brushes come in a pack, and range from soft to firm. Cleaning solution is gentle on metals, and you can use a microfiber cloth to wipe up, damped the cloth if needed. This is my go to for low water resistant watches (chronos), where I need to control what does, and doesn’t get cleaning solution. For watches with full water resistance I do the same thing but it’s easier to wash off the solution versus with the cloth.
I use “Brilliant Jewelry Cleaner” which is $6 and lasts forever it seems. I then use these brushes: https://a.co/d/5kJDhE8 which all said I paid $15 and it’s been over a year and I have about half of the solution left.
I use jewelry cleaner and a jewelers cleaning brush, both easily purchased online. Brushes come in a pack, and range from soft to firm. Cleaning solution is gentle on metals, and you can use a microfiber cloth to wipe up, damped the cloth if needed. This is my go to for low water resistant watches (chronos), where I need to control what does, and doesn’t get cleaning solution. For watches with full water resistance I do the same thing but it’s easier to wash off the solution versus with the cloth.
I use “Brilliant Jewelry Cleaner” which is $6 and lasts forever it seems. I then use these brushes: https://a.co/d/5kJDhE8 which all said I paid $15 and it’s been over a year and I have about half of the solution left.
Jewellery cleaner! Sometimes the obvious solution is the best!
Bleach and sandpaper never hurt anyone?
Love oval watches lately 👌 That Patek does it right!!