5 Tips to extend the life of your automatic watch

Keeping an automatic watch in perfect condition is a task that requires attention and care. As watch lovers, we know that each watch in our collection has a special value, both sentimental and technical. That’s why taking care of every detail, from regular cleaning to periodic servicing, is key to ensuring its performance and maintaining its impeccable appearance.

Through these practical tips, we will help you preserve the quality and longevity of your automatic watches, ensuring that they are always ready to accompany you on any occasion.

Cleaning the watch and metal bracelet

Care of leather straps

Leather watch straps require special care to preserve their beauty and durability. To maintain their appearance, it is important to protect them from water, sweat, moisture, grease, perfumes, chemicals and to avoid exposing them to the sun for long periods of time. If the leather strap gets wet, dry it immediately with a cloth to avoid permanent damage.

In addition, it is advisable to use specific products to prolong the life of the belt and keep it looking like new for a longer period of time.

The importance of lubrication

Lubrication in automatic watches is key to prolonging their service life and ensuring accurate operation. Like a sports car engine, a mechanical watch has numerous moving parts that generate friction. These parts would wear out without lubrication, causing the mechanism to clog.

In a watch, up to fifty key points, such as bearings, springs and the escapement, are lubricated with oils specially developed for watchmaking. These modern oils, unlike the old animal-based oils, do not deteriorate over time, maintaining the watch’s precision.

Although technology has moved towards automating the lubrication process, even in the most exclusive models, it is essential to carry out regular maintenance every five years to clean the mechanism and reapply the lubricant. This ensures that the watch continues to function reliably over the years.

Use a watch winder

A watch winder is an essential tool for anyone who collects automatic watches, especially for those with a large number of pieces in their collection. This device keeps watches moving when not in use, prevents them from stopping and eliminates the need to reset the time and date each time you want to wear them. This is particularly useful for watches with complications such as perpetual calendars, where adjustment can be complex and time-consuming.

In addition, the watch winder also helps to keep the lubricating oils in the mechanism in constant motion, which prevents their deterioration and ensures that the watch runs optimally. The possibility of programming the device to adjust the number and direction of the watch winder’s turns according to the watch is the most important thing, as not all winding mechanisms work in the same way. Using a watch winder not only saves time, but also protects and prolongs the service life of automatic watches.

Carrying out regular maintenance

As a final piece of advice, we recommend that you carry out regular checks and take your watch to a specialised technical service, such as the one we offer at Ideal Joyeros, to guarantee its optimal functioning and longevity.

Although luxury watches are designed to last, natural wear and tear and ageing of components can affect their accuracy over time. Regular maintenance, approximately every 3 to 5 years, with internal cleaning, replacement of worn parts and proper lubrication of the mechanism. This will ensure that your watch continues to function properly, but also retains its value over time.

At Ideal Joyeros, we have expert technicians and advanced equipment to offer a quality and reliable service, ensuring that your watch is in the best hands.