How do I clean my watch?

Most watches are cleaned with a soft toothbrush, lukewarm water and a single drop of mild dish soap. That is the whole method, and it removes far more than a cloth ever will, because bracelets trap a startling quantity of skin, soap residue and lint between their links.

The catch is the water. A watch is only safe to rinse if the case is genuinely sealed, and plenty of watches on wrists today are not, either because they were never rated for immersion or because the gaskets are years past their last test.

The two checks before water touches it

Do both, every time, and the rest of this page is low risk.

First, the crown. If your watch has a screw-down crown, thread it fully home and confirm it by trying gently to pull it. If it pulls out, it is not sealed. If the crown pushes in rather than screwing, press it firmly against the case and understand that a push crown is a weaker seal than a threaded one. Chronograph pushers that screw down should be closed too. Most flooded watches were flooded through an open crown rather than a failed gasket.

Second, the seals. A rating printed on the dial describes the watch as tested when new, not as it is today. Gaskets compress, dry out and lose elasticity, and a case that has been opened for a battery or a service is only as sealed as the person who closed it made it. If the watch has never been pressure tested, or was last tested more than a couple of years ago, treat it as splash-resistant only. Our water resistance checker translates a dial marking into what it actually permits.

The routine, step by step

1. Remove the strap or bracelet if you can. It makes the job far better and lets both parts dry properly.
2. Screw the crown fully down, and any screw-down pushers with it.
3. Fill a bowl with lukewarm water, roughly 85 to 100 F (30 to 38 C), and add one drop of mild dish soap. Never hot water: heat degrades gaskets and a rapid temperature change draws air, and moisture, past the seals.
4. Dip a soft toothbrush and work over the case, lugs and bracelet with light pressure. Follow the direction of any brushed finish rather than across it.
5. Brush along the gaps between links from both sides, open the clasp fully and brush inside it, and go around the crown guards and the caseback edge where dirt collects.
6. Rinse with clean lukewarm water. If the watch is not rated for immersion, skip this and use a barely damp cloth instead.
7. Dry the case with a lint-free cloth, paying attention to the crown, the tube and the lug gaps.
8. Let a metal bracelet air dry fully before reassembling. Trapped water between links is what starts corrosion at the pins.
9. Wipe the crystal last, with a clean dry corner of the cloth.

What to do by material

Straps deserve separate treatment

Leather is the material owners ruin most often. It absorbs perspiration from the underside, and washing it drives that moisture deeper, strips the oils that keep it supple, and leaves it stiff and cracked once it dries. Wipe the top surface with a barely damp cloth, wipe the underside dry after wear, and let a leather strap rest between wears if you can. Heat is the other enemy: never dry one near a radiator or with a hairdryer.

Rubber, silicone and fabric are the opposite. They are meant to be washed, and washing them properly is what stops the smell that owners blame on the watch. Take the strap off, wash it in warm soapy water, rinse thoroughly, and let it dry completely before it goes back on. Our guide to straps and bracelets covers spring bar tools and fitting.

What never to use

• A domestic ultrasonic cleaner with the whole watch in it. Ultrasonic energy drives water past tired gaskets and can loosen hand fits and lume plots. Watchmakers use them on stripped components, not assembled watches. A detached steel bracelet alone is fine.
• Hot water, steam or a dishwasher. Heat ages gaskets and the pressure differential as the case cools pulls moisture inward.
• Solvents. Acetone, alcohol in quantity, nail polish remover and degreasers attack gaskets, adhesives, printed dial markings and coatings.
• Metal polish and polishing cloths. They cut metal. On a coated case they remove the coating; on a brushed case they blur the finish permanently.
• Compressed air aimed at the case. It can force water and debris past a crown seal rather than away from it.
• Toothpaste, baking soda and household abrasives. All of them scratch, whatever the internet says about crystals.

Finally, cleaning is not a substitute for maintenance. A watch that has fogged, that leaks, or whose crown feels gritty needs a watchmaker, and the seals should be tested whenever the case has been opened. Our servicing and care guide covers what a full service includes, and the cost of ownership calculator puts pressure testing and gasket replacement into an annual figure.