Cleaning a Watch the Right Way

Tools and supplies

You only need a few things for cleaning:

• Spring bar tool for taking off the bracelet
• Microfiber cloth
• Glass cleaner
• Ultrasonic cleaner
• A drop of dish soap

Take off the bracelet

The bracelet and the watch are cleaned separately, so the bracelet comes off first. The workshop Changing a Bracelet shows how.

The watch is cleaned the classic way, and only the bracelet goes in the ultrasonic bath. Why is that?

The vibrations of an ultrasonic cleaner can damage a movement within a few minutes, or even destroy it completely. These devices set the water in the tank vibrating at high frequency. The agitated water reaches every gap it can find and scrubs across every surface. That works great even without any cleaning agent, but a bit of detergent (dish soap, for example) boosts the effect, because it lowers the surface tension and lets the water get into even the tiniest gaps.

Unfortunately the water does the same thing at the gaskets, and that's obviously the last thing you want on a watch. It can push past the seals and flood the watch. Anyone can guess what that means for an expensive mechanical watch.

The vibrations are just as dangerous for the watch and the movement. They travel into the micro-mechanical parts like bearings, springs or screws. Those can loosen, shift, or simply break under the enormous forces acting on these tiny parts, which are measured in micrometers. The oil at the bearings can start to migrate, leaving them dry. That alone can mean an expensive service, and the risk of more damage is very high.

That's also why watch holders like the one in the picture below, which often come as accessories with discount-store cleaners, are not recommended. Even if the case stays above the water, the vibrations still travel through the bracelet into the case and the movement, with the consequences described above. The bracelet has to come off. Anything else is a botch job.

The same goes for fragile things like gemstones. Like the watch itself, they don't belong in an ultrasonic bath. As so often: a tool used right is a blessing, but used wrong it can be a curse.

Cleaning the head

The case without its bracelet is simply cleaned with the microfiber cloth and a bit of glass cleaner. The microfiber cloth protects the watch from scratches. The glass cleaner evaporates on its own, so there's no need to dry it off.

If a watch hasn't been cleaned in a long time and doesn't have solid end links, a lot of dirt can build up between the lugs. If there's a lot of dirt in the corners that the cloth can't reach, you can pull the microfiber cloth over a pointed object. Never use metal for this (like the bracelet tool, a fork, a pocketknife or the like), since the tips can poke through the cloth and scratch the surface. Softer things like toothpicks or wooden skewers are good for cleaning (not for fitting).

Cleaning a metal bracelet

The most thorough way to clean a bracelet is with an ultrasonic cleaner. That's exactly what the watchmaker at the dealer does, too. A microfiber cloth doesn't get into the corners between the links, so it's a lot less thorough.

Water with a drop of dish soap is enough as a cleaner, since it minimizes the surface tension. Commonly recommended cleaners like Tikopur R33 or EMAG EM-080 universal cleaner aren't something I use on watch bracelets, because dish soap is even gentler. For the best results, the water should either be heated in the unit or already be warm.

Right after you switch it on, you can see clouds of dirt forming around the bracelet. Let it clean for a few minutes. Then carefully dry it with a microfiber cloth. Please don't use paper towels, since they contain wood fibers that can scratch. At most, dab with a paper towel, but don't rub. The microfiber cloths I mentioned are better anyway.

Changing a Bracelet

Now you just need to put the bracelet and the watch back together. Simply follow the workshop in reverse.