Maintenance Guide

Find here our advice on the maintenance of your watches: the point on the seal, what to avoid ...

MAINTAINING YOUR WATCH

Recommendations to ensure the longevity of your watch

How to take care of his watch?

1. On a daily basis, it is advisable not to wear a bracelet or greeting to the wrist on which your watch is located, so as to preserve the lustre and the perfect state of the surface treatment of the housing.
2. Preserve your watch of the invisible as mentioned below

TEMPERATURE

We encourage you not to submit your watch at extreme temperatures-above 60 ° C (140 ° F) or below 0 ° C (32 ° F). Such treatment results in a reduction in the life of the battery or the liquefaction/strength of lubricants. Mechanical or quartz watches are sensitive to sudden temperature changes. Avoid them as much as possible.

VIBRATIONS RELATED SPORTS

We recommend that you do not wear your watch when you practice certain sports (tennis, golf, mountain biking, etc.), in order to preserve the vibrations that can damage the movement of your watch.

CHEMICALS

As far as possible, do not put your watch directly with professional or household solvents and detergents, but also with cosmetics, perfumes, etc. They are likely to damage the joints, to alter the aesthetics of bracelets or enclosures.

MAGNETISM

Wear or drop your watch in the vicinity of appliances Electronic capable of generating magnetic fields is detrimental to its proper functioning. The induced effect on a quartz watch will be of low duration, and limited to the time remaining in the magnetic field. In contrast, mechanical watches (manual or automatic) are more sensitive to magnetic fields. The watches are designed to withstand radiation encountered in everyday life, but some strong disturbances are likely to magnetize steel components of the motion, including the pendulum of the pendulum. In some rare cases, parts can join together by magnetization and lead to a strong lead or even the stop of the watch. A degaussing intervention must then be undertaken at our workshop.

TANCHEITE

The sealing of a watch preserves the movement of dust, humidity and any deterioration in the event of immersion. But the natural aging of the joints, their wear (manual reassembly) or possible shocks to the crown, can greatly alter this seal. For these reasons we recommend that you carry out a leakproofness check about every 12 months (preferably before summer holidays).

Important: When a watch is immersed, it is not necessary to fire on the wreath or push on the pushers to effect a change of date or time, nor to set up the chronograph, as the water could enter this occasion in the case, which also degrades the movement. On the other hand, if you notice the presence of condensation in the watch (under the glass, in particular), it is necessary to quickly go to our After Sales Service Centre to remove this condensation and to restore the seal.

CROWN VISSEE

To preserve your watch of humidity and any unwanted water penetration into the housing, it is essential to screw the wreath to the bottom. Be careful, however, not to force at the end of the race to preserve the joints durably

CLASSICAL CROWN

To ensure the seal of your watch, push the wreath back against the box of the box, once the necessary adjustments are made.

UNDERSTAND THE CONCEPT OF WATCHMAKING SEALING

In the manufacture of watches and clocks, the tightness of watches means that they can resist the penetration of water. This can be expressed in meters (m) / feet (FT) or bars / atmosphere (ATM). Meters / feet represent the immersion depth, while bar / atmospheric pressure represents the mechanical stress generated during immersion, also known as overpressure. Even if the units are different, the final problem is to measure the same thing, because the overpressure is directly proportional to the immersion depth. For example, a watch engraved with 20 bar can be submerged 200 meters deep.

Is your watch waterproof?

However, it must be noted that the overpressure shown is a static overpressure, for example, without considering the movement in the water, which may significantly increase the overpressure actually borne by the watch... Therefore, based on experience, we recommend that you be vigilant about the sealing advocated by the brand itself. We made this "watch sealing instruction" table so that you won't hesitate about the possibility of the watch.

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Need to remember

-Waterproof watch, without designation, is not waterproof and cannot be worn in humid environment.

The tightness of the watch is not permanent. If condensation occurs on the glass of your watch, please immediately ask the watchmaker to check and stop soaking. Sometimes it can also be a simple temperature difference if you leave a car with good air conditioning in very hot weather. However, it is recommended that you check the tightness of the watch at least every 3-5 years. If you often use it underwater, please check it once a year. Similarly, the tightness must be rechecked every time the battery is replaced and the box is opened.

Routine maintenance

A watch is a sensitive object that requires minimal attention. In order to maintain the original luster of the watch, we recommend that you maintain it regularly. Even your watch  It's waterproof. We suggest you clean it with a soft and dry cloth, especially for this purpose. Only the back of metal bracelets and watches can be carefully brushed with a dry brush to remove any embedded dust.

Important: Wrist watch  Designed to resist water spray. However, if immersed in seawater, it is recommended to rinse with a soft cloth soaked in fresh water (depending on the model, the crown must be pushed or screwed in) and heat slightly to avoid salt deposition, which may irritate the skin.

Steel Bracelet

Metal bracelets do not require special maintenance. They only need to be gently brushed with a soft brush (soft toothbrush) occasionally, preferably after summer, to remove dust and sand that may exist between chain links.

Leather Bracelet

The service life of leather bracelets depends on the wearing conditions and frequency. In order to keep them in a lasting state, we recommend that you avoid contact with water, fat or acids and cosmetics. We also recommend avoiding prolonged exposure to the sun, as ultraviolet rays can affect their color. We recommend not using leather care products to clean or restore the luster of bracelets. In summer, leather bracelets will be subject to more external attacks, so we recommend that you temporarily replace the steel or rubber bracelet (if any) suitable for the watch model during this period.

Important: If you change the bracelet, we suggest that you entrust this task to our workshop or a workshop with this operation experience. If not handled properly, the wristband may fail and / or break, resulting in the drop or loss of the watch.

Rubber Bracelets

The service life of rubber bracelets depends on the wearing conditions and frequency. In order to maintain a lasting state, we recommend that you avoid contact with fat or acids, but also avoid contact with cosmetics. We also recommend avoiding prolonged exposure to heat or ultraviolet light, which may affect the properties of the material. Natural rubber bracelets only need to be washed with soapy water and clean water (excluding limestone).

Automatic watch

An automatic winding mechanical watch works by a complex mechanism, and its energy source (barrel spring) depends in part on the movement of the wearer's wrist. Therefore, the efficiency of automatic reassembly is directly related to the movement of the arm attached to the watch. After complete reassembly, your watch has a life time of 40 to 80 hours depending on the model. The accumulated walking reserve ensures that the watch runs all night and provides a comfortable endurance reserve. However, an automatic watch is stored for a few days, stops or does not have enough reserves to ensure the best accuracy. In order to ensure that you can walk well in any case, we encourage the owner of the automatic watch to manually rotate the watch clockwise about 20 turns when retrieving the watch. Similarly, a stationary watch must be delivered on time, but it must also be removed from the crown of about 20 laps before it is placed on the wrist.

Manual reassembly mechanical table

Some watches are equipped with mechanical movement of manual winding. This type of watch moves upward every day, acts on the top of the winder, and rotates clockwise until it gets stuck. Once this is achieved, be careful not to use force, otherwise the movement will be seriously damaged. The average duration of mechanical manual winding motion is about 40 hours. After this time, the watch stopped working due to lack of power. Then, simply reinstall it manually to ensure that it runs within the time specified in the user's manual showing the technical specifications of the watch. We invite you to put on your watch every day, preferably in the morning, before you put it on. This is almost a ceremonial gesture, which purists appreciate because it is a moment of the day when people look at their watches.

Important: If your watch or watch has been covered by an automatic winding mechanical caliper for several months, we recommend that you manually wind the watch with a winding ring. This is done periodically to prevent oil from freezing or flowing on the shaft. To avoid any problems, we encourage you to store them in a safe, clean and dry place to effectively protect them. In addition, when the watch is on the wrist, do not manually reassemble the watch to ensure that the crown rod remains completely straight during operation, so as not to damage the crown and movement.

Quartz watch

Some watch parts are equipped with quartz movement, counting from the top of the winder. Depending on the model, the service life of the battery may be between 2 and 4 years. Most of our quartz watches are equipped with an end of battery life (EOL) indication system. About two weeks before the end of the battery life, the second needle beats every four seconds to signal the wearer to replace the battery. We recommend that you do not leave the worn battery in the watch because its degradation may cause the watch to move.

Important: We recommend that you replace the watch battery from a retailer or our after-sales service center. This is usually related to checking the correct operation of the movement, but it is also related to replacing the bottom seal.

Key points about sealing

Seal inspection / gasket replacement

The sealing of the housing is provided by a complex sealing system. These joints are affected by various external factors (sweat, heat, temperature changes, ultraviolet light, chlorinated water or brine, chemicals, cosmetics, dust, etc.). In order to give full play to its role, it must be replaced regularly. If it is widely used in water environment, we recommend that you replace all connectors every year as part of maintenance service. In other cases, this work will be carried out every two years (battery replacement is mandatory for electronic models). Generally speaking, it is recommended to check the water tightness at least once a year, preferably before the bathing season. This leak test lasts only a few minutes.

How to preserve waterproof materials?

This sounds obvious, but "non waterproof" watches should not be immersed in water or any other liquid; Exposure to steam should also be avoided.

It is important to ensure that the sealing components are properly in place before immersion in water and must not be operated underwater.

For example, The corona shall not be pulled underwater to change the date and time, and the button on the timer shall not be pressed to start the timer; Water can penetrate through the canopy or stump.

Avoid exposing a watch to sudden or severe variations in temperature (hot shower, cold water diving after prolonged exposure to the sun), as this will cause the joints to deteriorate more quickly.

For the same reason, care must be taken to rinse a watch with fresh water after a sea bath or in the chlorinated water of a swimming pool.

WHAT IF MY WATCH HAS TAKEN THE WATER?

If condensation is formed on the glass or the bottom of your watch, it means that water has entered the box.

To avoid the oxidation of the internal elements of the watch, you must act quickly and quickly return to a watchmaker who can open the watch, clean it, redo the seal and control it after reassembly.

If you can't go immediately to a clockmaker, in the meantime, you can put the clock with the wreath on a heat source to begin to remove the moisture. But attention, even if after this operation the buoy disappears, the intervention of a watchmaker remains indispensable!

Curves/Push Pushers

Models for aquatic activities are generally equipped with "screwed crowns", which guarantee an optimum seal. Before any intervention on the crown, the user must unlock it by devising it. It then has to redo it to lock it. The same principle applies to "screwed pushers", which can only be activated after unlocking the ring now in place.

Helium valve

Waterproof models at great depths (2000 m, 3000 m) have helium valves. This ultra-professional device allows to balance the pressure differences between the outside and the inside of the housing. From an internal overpressure of about 3 bars, the valve automatically evacuates the accumulated helium after a deep stay, thus avoiding the explosion of the housing.

Five unavoidable waterproofing precautions

1- Never activate chronograph pushers under water or when the watch is wet (except for models equipped with the patented magnetic push-push system, which is watertight and functional at 2000 m depth). The same instruction applies to rotating glasses (calculation rules) of the models.

2- Never pull and activate a wreath under the water or when the watch is wet (whether a single or screwed crown).

3- If your watch is equipped with a screwed crown, ensure that the wreath is locked before any use in the aquatic environment. Also for screwed pushers.

4- Never attempt to open an enclosure yourself.

5- In the event of the appearance of water or condensation under the glass, return the watch as soon as possible to a retailer or a technical centre.

AVOID:

Shocks

Watches are designed to withstand heavy use. Care should be taken, however, not to let them down and to prevent them from hitting hard objects.

Chemicals

Watches shall not be worn in the presence of hazardous chemicals, solvents or gases. Substances of the essence, diluent, nail polish, perfumes, cosmetics, cleaning products, glues or paints can damage the housing, attack the seals or decorate the leather bracelets.

Powerful Magnetic Fields

Avoid exposing the watch to a powerful magnetic field, such as a magnet. The magnetic fields developed by household appliances and office equipment, on the other hand, have no significant influence on the clock.

Extreme temperatures

The watches are designed to function ideally in a temperature range from 0 °C to 50 °C. They should not stay too long in a very hot spot or be exposed for too long to direct sunlight. Temperatures above 60 °C can lead to a failure of the watch, particularly at the pile level. A very low temperature, less than 0 °C, can cause significant variation in precision. Thermal shocks, such as sudden exposure to sun exposure to immersion in water, may also be avoided, which may result in the break-up of the glass.