WATCH CARE

The best care advice to increase the value of your timepiece!

Whether you've purchased a brand new watch or inherited a family heirloom, a good watch not only looks and feels satisfying to wear, it can hold its value - or perhaps increase its worth - with age. Like a good wine, look after it and store it well and you can enjoy years of maturing value.

Here Mr. Town Talk and the professional jewellery and antique experts at AC Silver based in Newcastle Upon Tyne, discuss how best to look after your most precious timepieces.

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THE BEST WAY TO CLEAN YOUR WATCH

Mr. Town Talk: "It's simple for me to answer this one - it takes just a few swift moments to clean your watch and add to its longevity. Cleaning your watch also provides you the perfect opportunity to pause and appreciate your its beautiful design!

"Watches that are worn regularly will suffer from a build up of natural dirt from the body and the environment and most of the time, all that is needed is a quick wipe with a suitable, soft cloth. Town Talk provides the perfect soft cloth for the purpose - the 'Miracle Microfibre Watch Cleaning Cloth'. This is a luxury grade Microfibre with a tighter weave than standard Microfibre cloths. The unique weave means the cloth doesn't get caught on any parts of the watch e.g. bracelet, diamonds or the crown leaving fluffy fibres behind. It will also remove stubborn finger marks and surface dirt from the glass or crystal face too.

"With metal straps, every few months you may notice a build up of dirt collecting between the gaps in the bracelet. if so, try using my Town  Talk Impressive Jewellery Spray, which enables you to apply a controlled amount of cleaner onto the bracelet exactly where you want it. The small brush that comes with it has specially designed bristles perfect for getting out any dirt.

"For leather straps, the main piece of advice I can give is to limit the exposure to direct sunlight, which will dry it out. Avoid contact with moisture, cosmetics or oily products, which may cause staining. If a leather strap does come into contact with any of these, dry it immediately with a soft, absorbent cloth and place in a well ventilated area to air dry.


MR. TOWN TALK'S TOP TIPS:

• My Watch Cleaning Cloth is a miracle of microfibre technology. Made from wonderfully soft material, with fibres a fraction the size of a human hair, it will ensure a timely radiance for every style of gold, silver or white metal watch, and keep intricate metal bracelets clean. What's more my microfibre cloth is WASHABLE, so it can be used time and time again!
• A gold or silver watch band or bracelet can be polished with the appropriate Town Talk gold or silver polishing cloth, whilst a stainless steel strap can be polished with the silver cloth. These cloths will remove light surface scratches and restore a wonderful lustre or shine.
• Store unworn watches separately, to avoid scratches caused by friction. If left on the side overnight, place on our watch cloth to avoid any marking. If left for longer periods unworn, place it in either a watch box or a dust tight pouch.*Ensure you store in a place that doesn't suffer from "temperature shocks" and, of course, valuable watches should be kept in a safe.

AC SILVER'S TOP TIPS:

• Just like any machine, a watch movement will function more effectively if professionally serviced and/or cleaned regularly
• Perfumes should not be sprayed directly on to watches or watch straps
• Water resistance does not mean the same as water proof! Water resistance means a watch should still function if only mildly wet – i.e. in rain. Waterproof however, means the watch will remain watertight under several feet/meters of water.
• If you buy a new watch make sure you keep the original box and paperwork - it helps to add value if you come to sell it.
• Omega and Rolex are still firm favourites but if you're buying an antique watch, try to look out for the following:
• Is the watch sold with any guarantee? If so, for how long? 
• Has the watch been cleaned and serviced? 
• Is the original paperwork/box/sales receipt supplied? 
• Check authenticity of serial numbers (contact the manufacturer to validate the serial number - include a photo of the watch with your request)
• Check the movement ID number correlates with the stated age of the watch and or bracelet strap
• Check for the availability of replacement parts such as strap/crown (winder), or repair work

If you'd like any more of Mr Town Talk's Top Tips Like us on Facebook, follow us on Twitter or sign up at TownTalkPolish.com. Our special thanks go to AC Silver for their expert advice on antique watches and jewellery.

Mr Town Talk’s Gleaming Polished World was established in Lancashire, Great Britain in 1895 to supply the finest Polishes, Cleaners and Accessories for Silver, Gold and Precious Metal Jewellery. More recently, Mr Town Talk’s range of unparalleled products has been expanded to include Household Cleaners and Laundry Requisites.