Storing Watches

How do you guys store your watches when you don't plan on wearing them from a while. My dad told me that I should pull the pin out so the watch does not continue to run while it's stored, which will preserve the battery. However, I think I read somewhere that this is not a good idea as the gears in the watches will loose lubrication and not function as well?

Anyone have any ideas?

By the way, I just realized I now participate in a forum where people actually would have a good idea... yay for B&B.

Store your watch in a dust-tight pouch, case or cabinet. Valuable watches should be kept in a safe or strong box.

Glass and metal do not make good storage boxes, not even for overnight storage. These materials tend to be too cold for the watch - cold temperatures cause the oil in the watch to be used more quickly.

Wind your watch daily and if possible always at the same time of day.

With mechanical watches in general and with complications in particular, try not to make any adjustments (for example, date corrections) between 10 o'clock at night and 2 in the morning. When you do change the date, change it generally only forwards.

If you wish to store an automatic watch for an extended period, a rotation machine is recommended to keep the automatic winding mechanism working and the spring loaded. This will prevent the need to reset the time and date and will prove particularly useful when storing watches with eternal calendars. It is not necessary to keep an automatic watch in constant motion. It is sufficient to wind them or run the rotation machine once every month or two.

Store quartz watches without the batteries as acid may leek from an empty cell and damage the mechanism or facia.

Watches without a three-component screwed housing or screw-down crown should not be taken into the sauna or swimming.

Protect your watch as far as possible from 'temperature shocks'. Even if water does not enter the watch from the outside, the humidity already in the watch can cause oxidisation and damage the facia or

Kouros said:

Store your watch in a dust-tight pouch, case or cabinet. Valuable watches should be kept in a safe or strong box.

Glass and metal do not make good storage boxes, not even for overnight storage. These materials tend to be too cold for the watch - cold temperatures cause the oil in the watch to be used more quickly.

Wind your watch daily and if possible always at the same time of day.

With mechanical watches in general and with complications in particular, try not to make any adjustments (for example, date corrections) between 10 o'clock at night and 2 in the morning. When you do change the date, change it generally only forwards.

If you wish to store an automatic watch for an extended period, a rotation machine is recommended to keep the automatic winding mechanism working and the spring loaded. This will prevent the need to reset the time and date and will prove particularly useful when storing watches with eternal calendars. It is not necessary to keep an automatic watch in constant motion. It is sufficient to wind them or run the rotation machine once every month or two.

Store quartz watches without the batteries as acid may leek from an empty cell and damage the mechanism or facia.

Watches without a three-component screwed housing or screw-down crown should not be taken into the sauna or swimming.

Protect your watch as far as possible from 'temperature shocks'. Even if water does not enter the watch from the outside, the humidity already in the watch can cause oxidisation and damage the facia or

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Good post, but I am not so sure about the bolded part. Why do you need to wind the watch at the same time daily? Many automatic watches can have their dates adjusted whenever because they do not have that "split date" thing (I am sure there is an official term). Rotation machines actually put more wear on your watch. The only time they would come in handy is if you had a watch with several complications that would take too long to reset.

You should never wear any metal watch swimming, regardless of seal type. Chlorine and salts will eventually attack the the alloying componets, leaching them out of the stainless steel, gold etc. in your watch or rings.

mretzloff said:

Good post, but I am not so sure about the bolded part. Why do you need to wind the watch at the same time daily? Many automatic watches can have their dates adjusted whenever because they do not have that "split date" thing (I am sure there is an official term). Rotation machines actually put more wear on your watch. The only time they would come in handy is if you had a watch with several complications that would take too long to reset.

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I don't think you do need to wind at the same time daily. The only watches I keep on a winder are the three that are in regular rotation. If a watch isn't going to be worn for a long time I won't keep it on a winder, just wind it once a month or so. Winders possibly do put more wear on a watch, but not much more than actually wearing it. Opinion seems to be divided on this. Equally, resetting a watch every couple of days because it's wound down is going to put a lot more stress on the stem mechanism. Take your pick.

Back to the original poster, pulling the winder out will also leave the watch more susceptible to dust getting in the mechanism. If the battery is easily removed I would probably take it out. What kind of time period are you talking about here?

Gee. A lot of old watchmakers tales here. With auto watches you can store them in a box or whatever. If you don't really wear them I would just wind them 1x a month. Modern watches use synthetic oils which don't gum up like old ones. If you use a quality programmed watch winder they will not result in any increased wear to a watch. Cheap units that just run 24/7 are another story.

The story with winding a watch at the same time daily came when people wore manual wind watches and that way they would not forget to wind their watch. With auto's of course that doesn't apply.

As far as not wearing a watch while swimming-that's rediculous. They make watches out of stainless and unless you take the watch and immerse it in salt water and leave it there a few years there will be no problems. Diving watches are certified for just such use. If you have a plated watch or a watch not pressure certified that's another story. Gold watches are impervious to salt water even if you left it for a thousand years submerged.

As far as adjusting dates on watches you should not do it between 9pm and 3 am for most watches or you can damage the mechanism. If you have a true GMT watch then that does not apply.

As far a quartz watches go I would just let them run. Most only need battery changes over multiple years. I wouldn't worry about battery leakage unless your going to store it for many years.

Thebigspendur said:

Gee. A lot of old watchmakers tales here. With auto watches you can store them in a box or whatever. If you don't really wear them I would just wind them 1x a month. Modern watches use synthetic oils which don't gum up like old ones. If you use a quality programmed watch winder they will not result in any increased wear to a watch. Cheap units that just run 24/7 are another story.

The story with winding a watch at the same time daily came when people wore manual wind watches and that way they would not forget to wind their watch. With auto's of course that doesn't apply.

As far as not wearing a watch while swimming-that's rediculous. They make watches out of stainless and unless you take the watch and immerse it in salt water and leave it there a few years there will be no problems. Diving watches are certified for just such use. If you have a plated watch or a watch not pressure certified that's another story. Gold watches are impervious to salt water even if you left it for a thousand years submerged.

As far as adjusting dates on watches you should not do it between 9pm and 3 am for most watches or you can damage the mechanism. If you have a true GMT watch then that does not apply.

As far a quartz watches go I would just let them run. Most only need battery changes over multiple years. I wouldn't worry about battery leakage unless your going to store it for many years.

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Outstanding post

A few small details to add :

Automatics, even if stopped, should be winded up atleast once a month to keep the lubricantion going, or you can get a watch winder which spins the watch to keep it running, remember to service them ever 3-5 years, and everything should be fine,

I purchased a watchwinder from Hammacher Schlemmer some years back for around 100 bucks. Great purchase, very happy with it and the thing is running as I type this. I usually have one on the winder, one on my wrist and my wind up Omega Speedmaster on my "landing zone" as my wife calls it. I have a watch rotation similar to my shave rotation!

airplanedoc said:

You should never wear any metal watch swimming, regardless of seal type. Chlorine and salts will eventually attack the the alloying componets, leaching them out of the stainless steel, gold etc. in your watch or rings.

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Interesting. Have you ever seen any evidence of this? I have worn stainless or titanium watches in marine, swimming pool and steam room environments on and off for 30+ years and never seen any evidence of corrosion damage. I would hesitate using a gold PLATED watch regularly in a corrosive environment like sea water since the base metal is usually pretty soft stuff. I only take my watch off to change it or to shave - I have found that shave soap scum really clogs up bracelets and spring bars, etc.

from since the US army commisioned the fifty phatoms, theres been little indication of corrosion in watches which were directly aimed at diving,

but the thing is that since the "diving" watch style was made popular by rolex, omega and blancpain, many watchmakers make diver like watches that dont have the proper seals, theres waterproof and then theres diver, the differance is in the mechanical mounting, the pressurization, the seals, also how it handles helium and nitrogen pressure changes, and the metal composit and resistance to corrosion,

long story short, theres a differance between waterproof and Diver certified, and i think were getting both confused,

airplanedoc said:

You should never wear any metal watch swimming, regardless of seal type. Chlorine and salts will eventually attack the the alloying componets, leaching them out of the stainless steel, gold etc. in your watch or rings.

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I'm going to call shenanigans on this post. I purchased a Seiko Quartz Pro Divers 200m duty free on the island of St. Johns USVI sometime in the late 1980's. The original battery replacement strike on the rear face was 1991. This watch has experienced multiple deep salt water dives, to 150+ ft (two stop decompression), countless exposure to chlorine pools, whirlpool tubs, and saunas.

The wrist strap has been replaced three times and I have lost track of the number of batteries replaced. Of course, Seiko recommends all seals replaced with the battery which I had done as a matter of course. Granted the red and blue colors of the bezel are faded and scratched and the mineral glass has its share of minute scratches, otherwise it still keeps perfect time. A few minute soak in a sink filled with clear potable water has always been part of regimen.

Sorry, can't prove your opinion by my experience.