Cleaning your watch must be done regularly. After all, you wear your favorite watch every day. Over time, the watch can look a bit dirty and dull. Fabric, skin flakes and sweat accumulate in the strap and the corners of the cupboard. You can of course go to the watchmaker for a thorough cleaning, but cleaning your own watch is not that difficult if you follow the step -by -step plan below.
Clean your watch: Four simple steps
Before you start, it is important to know if your watch can against water. Usually the water resistance of the watch is stated on the dial and/or the back of the cabinet. Good preparation is half the battle!
Step 1: Preparation
– What material are your watch and strap made of? Steel, precious metal, plastic, ceramics? Often the watch strap is made of a different material than the cupboard. In that case it is wise to loosen the watch tape and clean them separately. Do you need help with the loosening of the watch strap? Then view our information page about replacing watch straps.
– To prevent water damage, ensure that all screws and crowns of the watch are securely attached, so that no moisture enters the watch.
– Prevent damage. Do not use hard brushes to polish your watch. A soft, clean toothbrush and soft (brushing) cloth are fine.
– Can’t loosen the strap from your watch and is the watch less than 5 ATM/bar/50 meters of water resistant? Then carefully wrap the watch cabinet in household foil and work carefully to prevent moisture from entering the watch.
Step 2: Clean the watch band or bracelet
The watch strap is the most sensitive to dirt due to direct contact with the skin. But with a little love, your watch band will look spotless again in no time. The material of your watch strap determines how you can clean it:
Water -resistant materials: metal, plastic, ceramics
With a lukewarm soap and a little soap you can clean watch straps made from materials that can withstand water. For example titanium and steel bracelets, ceramic bracelets, silicone, rubber and plastic watch tires.
You can read detailed instructions and tips for cleaning metal and gold watch straps in our blog: “How do I keep my metal watch strap beautiful?”.
Textile
A fabric watch strap such as a (nylon) Nato strap is best washed with a detergent for colored laundry at a maximum of 30 degrees Celsius. You can even wash these straps in the washing machine! Put the strap in a closed laundry bag or densely dense pillowcase to prevent loss or damage to your washing machine.
Leather and cork
Leather watch straps cannot stand water well. Yet the same principle applies: with good maintenance, the strap stays beautiful for longer.
You can read extensive instructions and tips for maintenance and cleaning different types of leather and suede watch straps in our blog: “How do I keep my leather watch band beautiful?”.
You can clean cork straps in the same way as leather straps.
| Type of watch strap | How to clean | Necessary |
| Metal, steel, titanium, ceramics | Water and mild soap | Soft brush and canvas, wooden toothpick |
| Gold, silver and gilded | Water and ammonia (6: 1) or a special cleaning agent | Cotton wool, soft cloth |
| Doctrine | Small amount of water with a drop of natural soap | Soft cloth, learning spray or learning fat |
| Silicone, rubber | Water and soap | Soft cloth |
| Plastic, synthetic resin, plastic, vinyl | Water and soap | Soft cloth |
| Nylon, canvas, nato | Water and detergent for colored washing | Laundry bag |
| Cork | Small amount of water with a drop of natural soap | Soft cloth |
Step 3: Polishing the watch case
At Smartwatches, always first look in the instructions for use whether the product can come into contact with water.
If your watch is at least 5 ATM (5 bar, 50 meters) water resistant and you have checked whether all screws, crowns and printer are closed, you can first brush the cupboard with a soft cleaning cloth and then careful with a soft brush and a little soap water.
If there is caked dirt in an edge, carefully remove it with a wooden toothpick. Do not use metal pens to prevent scratches.
If your watch is not waterproof or less than 5 atm water resistant, only clean the cupboard with a dry soft brush and a soft (polish) cloth.
Note: ‘splash -proof’ and ‘water resistant’ are less than 5 ATM!
What you can do when your watch glass is scratched, you can read in our blog: “My watch glass is broken, can it be replaced?”.
Step 4: Attach the (dry) strap or bracelet to the watch.
Now that you know how easy it is, she can clean the outside of your watch. This way the watch stays fresh and it lasts longer.
Professional cleaning service for the inside of the watch
It is of course possible that an older watch is very dirty, scratched or corroded. Then go to a watchmaker to give the watch a thorough makeover both on the outside and inside.