5 Steps For Taking Care of Your Watch
Wondering how to take care of your watch? In this article, we’re going to find out how to maintain a watch in its best condition, as well as checking out some fantastic examples by Filippo Loreti.
Your watch is one of your most trusted and treasured possessions. You rely on it every day to keep you on time, and its looks and character can say so much about you that it almost becomes an extension of your personality.
Something as important and personal as your watch needs to be well looked after. Ideally, you want it to last you a lifetime (even longer if you plan to pass it on as an heirloom), so a little basic care and maintenance are needed to keep it in tip-top condition!
In this article, we’re going to discuss how to properly take care of your watch, including some general cleaning and maintenance, as well as winding (for mechanical watches), servicing, storage, and strap care. We’ll also check out a few stunning and affordable examples by Filippo Loreti, all with different characteristics and strap types, that you can add to your collection.
Ready? Let’s jump straight into it!
Keep your watch clean
The most basic and obvious thing you can do to maintain your watch is to keep it clean. If your watch isn’t waterproof, simply use a soft cloth to wipe it down every night. If it is waterproof, you can use a mild soapy water to cut through any oils that might have accumulated on the areas in direct contact with skin.
Never wear your watch in the shower though - even waterproof watches were not designed for hot water, which can cause delicate components to expand and loosen over time.
Have your watch serviced by professionals
Wear and tear will inevitably occur over time, even in high-end watches that use the very best quality components. In fact, high-end watches will usually need a little more attention than their cheaper, battery-powered counterparts, due to their complex mechanical mechanisms that require a delicate interplay between hundreds of tiny parts.
Never open the watch to try and service it yourself - you could easily interrupt this intricate balance. Wondering how to service a wristwatch? Take it to a professional (either a local watchmaker or jeweller or, if you can afford to wait a while, send it off to the manufacturer) every two years for a proper service.
Keep your watch wound
This only applies to mechanical watches, which need daily winding to keep accurate time. Automatic watches are also mechanical but are self-winding from the motion of the wearer’s wrist. For automatics, you just need to ensure that you wear it regularly. Wearing is caring!
For your non-automatic mechanical, you should gently turn the crown 20-30 times each evening before going to bed. Always take the watch off your wrist to avoid potential damage to the crown and be careful not to overwind - stop as soon as you start to feel resistance. Keeping your watch consistently wound and all of its components in motion is the best way to ensure a long life. However, don’t worry too much if you need to store it away for some time.
Store your watch properly
Sometimes you’ll need to put your watch aside for some time, as you add to your collection and enjoy other styles and models. In this case, put it in a good quality box to avoid humidity and dust, away from sunlight, and with the watch face up. It’s also a good idea to keep your watches secured and separate to avoid scratching.
Take care of your straps
Different straps require different care. You can remove your straps from the body of the watch to focus on cleaning your strap. For example, if you have a suede or Italian leather strap, you gently wipe it with a damp, soapy cloth and finish with a leather protectant such as beeswax.
Use a fine bristle brush you clean your mesh strap, taking care to remove dirt from deep inside the mesh with a little warm water. Same with your steel bracelet, making sure that it dries thoroughly before putting it back on.
Rubber and Cordura straps are more forgiving - these can be simply washed in the sink with warm soapy water and left to air dry. Whichever strap you use, take care to clean it thoroughly every couple of weeks or so, nobody likes a smelly or sloppy strap!
4 Affordable Premium Watches By Filippo Loreti
This leads us to our four watch reviews for this week. We’ve selected four stunning examples by Filippo Loreti, all with different characteristics and strap types, to inspire your next addition to your collection.
Ascari Monza Black Rose Tiger Rubber Watch
Inspired by motorsport, the Ascari Monza is a special, sporty edition of a classic design.
The Ascari collection is named after Alberto Ascari, the legendary Italian driver who won back-to-back World Championship in the early 1950s. The Monza, named after the track he is most associated with, is the sportiest version of this retro classic design, featuring three chronograph hands on the face as well as an engraved tachymeter bezel. The motorsport connection is clear for all to see - it resembles the dashboard of a racing car.
With a rugged (and easy to clean) rubber strap, this masculine watch is ideal for active pursuits, even featuring a unique hybrid movement that combines the convenience of a quartz and the smooth motions of a mechanical. Put this one in your ‘low maintenance’ collection for outdoor and everyday wear.
Eterno Black Shadow Link Watch
A classic dress watch with a simple, elegant design and a rich history, the Eterno Black Shadow Link is a tasteful addition to any collection.
This is Filippo Loreti’s homage to the Polerouter, an iconic design by the legendary Swiss watchmaker Gerald Genta. The Polerouter was created in the early 1950s to honor the newly-opened Polar Route, a flight directly over the Magnetic North Pole which cut travel time between Europe and the Americas by 14 hours. It quickly became a cult classic, and has been a collector’s item ever since. Filippo Loreti’s Eterno takes the best of this vintage aviator design and updates it with tasteful modern features.
For example, The Eterno has an advanced automatic mechanical movement, a true sign of luxury that’s usually only found in watches of a much higher price range. It also features a demure steel bracelet, one that’s designed to last a lifetime with proper care. Ideal for formal occasions as well as everyday wear for the neat, well-dressed man, the Eterno is definitely one for the ‘heirloom’ category.
Venice Moonphase Silver Mesh Watch
Nothing evokes memories of Venice like the Moonphase Silver Mesh, a sophisticated timepiece that’s as beautiful as it is practical.
The Venice collection is probably Filippo Loreti’s best-known - these were the watches that made people sit up and take notice that there was a serious new player in the industry. Often compared to watches in the $1000+ category, the Venice Moonphase Silver Mesh combines the complexity of a moon phase complication, day-of-the-week, date-of-the-month, and month-of-the-year wheels, with the elegant simplicity of an all-silver color scheme and minimalist dial markings.
Flip it over and you’ll find a stunning engraved artwork of The Floating City’s St. Mark’s Basilica, adding a further touch of luxury to an artistic and interesting timepiece.
Perfect for a well-traveled man of culture, the Venice is both easy to maintain and refined enough to double as an elegant dress watch on formal occasions.
Eterno Cream Diver Watch
Brimming with retro diver vibes reminiscent of Sean Connery in his 1960s James Bond prime, the Eterno Cream Diver offers a different take on a classic design.
As we mentioned, the Eterno collection was originally inspired by aviation. However, with the introduction of a diving version, we get to see a whole new side of the Eterno and it’s just as beautifully vintage. Featuring a simple dial design that brings the Rolex Submariner to mind, this sporty automatic combines a classic cream face with on-trend green details, as well as a fine Italian leather strap to complete that old-school look. Read above to learn more about how to maintain a watch leather strap.
Ideal for all occasions, from the ocean to the office, the Eterno Cream Diver is quickly becoming a Filippo Loreti icon. Get in quick on this one, they are selling out very quickly.
Wrap Up
While premium watches are well-built and made to last a lifetime, like anything else, they still need a little love and care. We hope that these simple steps will help you learn how to maintain a watch in optimum condition, and you’ve been inspired to add another Filippo Loreti Men’s Watch to your collection today!