Health, Wealth, Wisdom & Fun

Link: http://www.billboardmama.com/the-easy-way-to-care-for-your-wristwatch-a-basic-guide-part-2-p-281.html

Everyday Use

Can I get my watch wet?

How wet you can get your watch depends on how wet the watch was made to get! As a rule, a WR30m watch is designed to be splashed, a WR50m is OK for light swimming but not really lengthened immersion, a WR100m watch is fine for swimming and a WR200m can be considered diver's watches and can stay under a long time. More importantly is where you get your watch wet... Try and avoid hot water for all watches; soap can hurt the watch and the heat can distort seals. Watch seals also don't fare well against the chlorine in swimming pools, so wash it off in water after swimming in a pool. Also use water to wash out the salt after swimming in the ocean.

What about heat and sunlight?

Heat from the sauna can be dangerous, particularly if you go into icy waters shortly after. Quite simply, fast hot to cold like that implies that something may contract rather fast, if that something relies on a seal that has softened thanks to the heat then you may hurt your timepiece. Also, moisture will remain in the watch thanks to the air within, and rapid cooling will make it condense and it may stain the crystal.

If you live in a hot area of the world, heat can't be avoided. However, if at all possible, avoid leaving / wearing the watch in direct powerful sunlight; firstly the watch is going to get awfully hot which won't do the lubricants much good; second, direct sunlight like that can prematurely age dials and cause dial lacquers to lift or micro bubble. This isn't to say that your watch should be kept under shirt sleeves whenever the sun is out! It's merely a case of trying not to cook your watch or yourself.

Is my watch shockproof?

It might be shock-resistant but it is best not to check its capability to withstand shock; mechanical watches are always fitted with certain shock soaking up devices these days but despite that, do not show your watch to unexpected shocks, vibration, dropping and so on. Mechanical watches are pretty tough but there is a limit; exposing the watch to grim shock can at the least affect timekeeping and at worst will cause mechanical failure.

On the back of my watch, it asserts anti-magnetic.

Most watches are antimagnetic to some degree; that is to claim that they'll stand exposure to limited magnetic fields without timekeeping being adversely affected. However, it's only expert watches which have been built to bear high magnetic fields that should be exposed to such. We should avoid this with our everyday automated. First, remember that there are plenty of metal inside mechanical watches, and each element engage with the others. It any of these fragile elements is magnetized, the watch may stop altogether, or run terribly erratically. The general public do not need to worry about this.

Do not be too paranoid, but do avoid getting your watch too near to magnets, PC monitors, stereo speakers, and even the fridge door's magnetized rubber seal. All of these are a potential source of trouble.