How to Care for a Vintage Watch

A well-kept vintage watch can run for another fifty years. These habits make the difference.

Winding and setting

• Wind a manual watch once a day, at about the same time, and stop when you feel resistance.
• Take the watch off your wrist to wind and set it, so you do not bend the crown stem.
• Avoid changing the date between 9 pm and 3 am, when the date mechanism is engaged.

Water

Keep it dry. Old gaskets harden, and even a watch marked waterproof should not be worn in the shower, the pool or heavy rain.

Magnets and shocks

Keep the watch away from speakers, tablet covers and magnetic clasps. If it suddenly runs very fast, it may be magnetised, which a watchmaker can fix in minutes. Take it off for sport and manual work.

Service

A mechanical watch should be cleaned and oiled every four to five years of regular wear. Running a dry movement wears its parts.

Storage

Store it somewhere dry, away from direct sun, and wind it now and then so the oils stay spread.

Read next

• What Do the Numbers on Sunglasses Mean? Frame Sizes Explained
• Vintage Cazal Sunglasses: The Story Behind the Frames
• A Short History of Cat Eye Sunglasses