There’s a quiet satisfaction that comes from owning a mechanical watch. Not because it’s fragile or precious, but because it’s alive in a way few objects are anymore. Springs breathe, gears turn, oil migrates. A good mechanical watch doesn’t just tell time, it rewards attention.

The good news is that caring for a mechanical watch is far less complicated than many people assume. You do not need white gloves or a safe deposit box. You just need a little awareness and a few good habits. Done right, a well-built watch can outlast trends, owners, and even generations.

This is a practical guide to keeping your watch healthy, accurate, and enjoyable for the long haul.

Start With the Basics: Wearing Your Watch

The simplest form of watch care is also the most enjoyable. Wear it.

Most modern mechanical watches are designed to be worn regularly.

Automatic movements rely on motion to stay wound, and lubricants inside the movement stay more evenly distributed when the watch is running consistently.

If you rotate watches and one sits unused for weeks at a time, that’s fine. Just give it a few gentle winds before setting it and wearing it again. You are not forcing anything. You are waking it up.

If your watch has hand-winding, 20 to 30 slow turns of the crown is usually enough to get it started. Stop when you feel resistance. More is not better.

Water Resistance: What It Actually Means

Water resistance ratings are one of the most misunderstood aspects of watch ownership.

A watch rated to 100 meters is not meant for saturation diving, and a watch rated to 30 meters should never see a pool. These ratings are tested in controlled conditions, not real life scenarios with temperature changes, soap, pressure, and aging seals.

A few practical rules go a long way:

• Never operate the crown or pushers while the watch is wet
• Avoid hot showers, hot tubs, and saunas entirely
• Rinse your watch with fresh water after swimming in the ocean
• If your watch has a screw-down crown, make sure it is fully secured before any water exposure

Even a well-sealed watch benefits from periodic pressure testing. Gaskets age. It is normal. Treat water resistance as a maintained feature, not a permanent one.

Shock and Vibration: Tough, Not Invincible

Modern mechanical watches are far more robust than their vintage counterparts, but they are still mechanical machines.

Daily bumps, desk knocks, and normal wear are not a problem. Repeated high-impact activities are.

Avoid wearing your watch while doing things like heavy hammering, jackhammer use, or high-impact sports. Even if the watch survives, cumulative shock can affect regulation over time.

If you want one watch to do almost everything, choose a design built with tool watch intent. Solid cases, screw-down crowns, and modern shock protection systems are there for a reason. 

Magnetism: The Silent Timekeeper Killer

Magnetism is one of the most common causes of poor timekeeping today.

Phones, laptops, tablets, wireless chargers, speakers, and even handbag clasps can magnetize a movement. When that happens, accuracy often goes wildly off, sometimes gaining minutes per day.

The good news is that magnetization is easy to fix. A watchmaker can demagnetize a watch in minutes, often at no cost.

To minimize exposure:

• Avoid placing your watch directly on electronics
• Do not store it on top of speakers or charging pads
• If accuracy suddenly changes dramatically, suspect magnetism first

Many modern movements include anti-magnetic components, but no mechanical watch is completely immune.

Cleaning Your Watch the Right Way

Watches live on your wrist. Sweat, skin oils, dust, and grime build up over time.

Every few weeks, give your watch a light clean.

For water-resistant watches, use a soft toothbrush, warm water, and a small drop of mild soap. Gently clean around the lugs, bracelet, or strap attachment points. Rinse thoroughly and dry with a soft cloth.

For leather straps, avoid water entirely. Wipe them down with a dry cloth and let them breathe. Leather likes rest.

Nylon, canvas, and rubber straps can usually be washed with warm water and soap. Just make sure they are fully dry before wearing again.

A clean watch not only looks better, it wears more comfortably.

Straps Matter More Than You Think

Straps are consumables, and that’s a good thing.

Rotating straps reduces wear on both the strap and the watch head. It also changes how the watch wears and feels, which keeps things interesting without buying a new watch.

Pay attention to strap condition. Fraying, cracking, or stiffness is a sign it’s time for a replacement. A failed strap can mean a dropped watch.

Quick-release systems and single-pass straps make strap changes easier and safer, especially for daily wear.

Service Intervals: Less Often Than You Fear

Mechanical watches do not need constant servicing.

A good rule of thumb for modern movements is every five to seven years, depending on usage. If the watch is running well, keeping time, and has not suffered water intrusion or shock, there is no need to rush.

Signs that service may be due include:

• Noticeable loss or gain in time
• Reduced power reserve
• Rough winding feel
• Moisture under the crystal

Routine servicing replaces lubricants, worn seals, and restores proper regulation. It is preventative maintenance, not a repair.

Storage and Rest

When you are not wearing your watch, store it somewhere clean, dry, and stable.

Avoid direct sunlight, extreme temperatures, and magnetic fields. A watch box or drawer is perfectly fine.

If you own an automatic watch and do not wear it often, a watch winder is optional, not mandatory. They are convenient, not necessary.

Letting a watch stop is not harmful.

The Long View

A mechanical watch is one of the few objects we still own that can realistically last a lifetime with modest care. It does not demand attention, but it rewards it.

Care is not about fear or fragility. It is about respect for something built to do one job extremely well.

Wear your watch. Use it. Clean it. Service it when needed.

Do that, and decades from now, it will still be doing exactly what it was made to do.

Quietly. Reliably. On your wrist.