An affordable watch can stay with you for a long time if you take a little care of it. A few simple habits are all it takes: keep it clean, protect it from water and knocks, change the battery in good time and store it properly. This advice applies to all our watches, and the materials and water resistance of each model are stated on its product page.
Everyday care
- Take it off for risky tasks. DIY, mechanical work, gardening or contact sports: a knock on the glass or the case quickly leaves a mark.
- Keep it away from fragrance and sweat. Put on your fragrance before your watch, and wipe the strap or bracelet after sport: sweat stains leather and dulls finishes.
- Avoid high temperatures. A watch left in the sun, behind a windscreen or near a radiator can lose accuracy, and its battery runs down faster.
- Beware of magnets. Speakers, magnetic phone mounts or magnetic tools can affect a watch's accuracy, especially an automatic one.
Cleaning your watch
For routine cleaning, wipe the case and the glass with a soft, dry cloth, such as a glasses cloth. On a metal bracelet, a soft toothbrush, barely damp, removes dirt trapped between the links. Avoid getting the case wet if the watch is not water-resistant, and dry it carefully afterwards.
Leather should be cleaned with a dry cloth, or a barely damp one for a stain, and never held under the tap. Silicone can be washed in warm soapy water. Avoid alcohol, household cleaners and abrasive products, which scratch and dull the finishes.
Watches and water
A watch's water resistance is expressed in ATM or in metres. It is shown on the product page when it is known. This figure refers to a test pressure, not a diving depth:
- No rating stated: avoid all contact with water.
- 3 ATM (30 m): splashes, rain and hand washing.
- 5 ATM (50 m): showering and a gentle dip, no diving.
- 10 ATM (100 m): swimming.
Never operate the crown or the buttons under water. After swimming in the sea or a pool, rinse the watch in fresh water if it is water-resistant, then dry it. Seals deteriorate over time, and a watch that has been opened to change the battery may lose some of its water resistance.
Leather straps don't like water: take your watch off before showering or swimming, even if the case is water-resistant.
Changing the battery
A quartz watch that is losing time, or whose seconds hand jumps several seconds at a time, often has a battery that is running out. Have it replaced without delay: a flat battery left in the watch can leak and damage the movement. The battery type is shown on the product page when it is known.
The battery can be changed by a watchmaker or a jeweller, or by yourself with a tool for opening the case back. If you do it yourself, handle the battery with plastic tweezers and check that the seal is properly in place before closing the case. An automatic watch, on the other hand, has no battery: worn regularly, it winds itself. If it stops after a few days without being worn, depending on the model, turn the crown or give it a gentle shake, then reset the time.
Storing your watch
Store your watch flat in its box or in a pouch, away from damp and direct light, and apart from other objects to avoid scratches. If you won't be wearing it for a long time, bear in mind that a quartz watch keeps draining its battery: on many models, pulling out the crown stops the hands and saves the battery.
If your watch is faulty when it arrives, contact us: you are covered by the 2-year statutory warranty of conformity.