Every piece of jewelry is beautiful in its own way, but there’s something special about a great, vintage watch. The classic look, the timeless elegance, and the distinguished aura of a vintage timepiece all go a long way.
However, just like anything else in your life, your vintage watch may require some cleaning now and again.
It can be tempting just to grab a wet wipe or a cloth and start washing that old watch down. But while this might sound appealing, it’s likely not going to net you the results you’re looking for.
The reasons why are myriad. Village Jewelers of Frisco shares a few thoughts to help you better understand why you should entrust cleaning a vintage watch to a true professional.
Specialized Tools
Some tools just make a job easier. Without certain tools, cleaning a vintage watch will just be that much harder. In the same way that a carpenter or electrician has specific tools for their craft, your local jeweler or horologist has specialized instruments for cleaning, tools that come in handy when caring for a valuable timepiece.
Pegwood, watch-cleaning machines, and watchmaker’s putty are tools you might not have when setting out to clean your watch. Trying to forego these when cleaning on your own is oftentimes a recipe for disaster. The finer parts of a watch are delicate, and improper cleaning could easily damage them. Unless the cleaning needed is highly superficial, it’s better to entrust it to a professional.
Experience
When your car breaks down, you go to a mechanic for their dedicated experience and familiarity with the problems at hand. When you have a cough, you turn to urgent care or the local hospital for their experience. Why should cleaning a vintage watch be any different?
An experienced horologist or jeweler will just have more exposure to the problems afflicting your watch, problems you’re likely to miss or underestimate when looking at your watch. Given the delicate nature of a watch’s mechanisms, this professional expertise is often sorely missed when laypeople try to clean it themselves. Do it right and have a professional take a look to avoid damage or other unpleasant issues.
Grime Buildup
Grime buildup isn’t just an aesthetic or cleanliness issue. Vintage and luxury watches, in particular, are highly susceptible to grime buildup, and solutions that might work for other items could actually compromise the functionality of the timepiece in question. If you treat your watch like you might any other dirty item, you risk destroying it.
You might think that soaking the watch in question could solve your problem, but it could actually do the exact opposite. Most vintage watches lack the water resistance of their modern counterparts, and you risk destroying the watch. Your local jeweler is your best choice for solving the annoying issue of grime buildup.
Performance
A watch is obviously a fashion statement and part of your style, but performance is a huge part of a luxury watch’s value. If you try to clean a watch incorrectly, you could potentially damage its internal mechanisms. Remember, the aesthetics of the watch are vulnerable to blemish and imperfections, but the inner workings of your timepiece are actually much more vulnerable. If you value the watch’s accuracy, it’s best to have the piece professionally cleaned.
Value
Finally, it is worth considering the value of the timepiece at hand. If you have an old watch you want to practice cleaning on, then so be it. You can learn a bit about the watch, and if you break it, you break it. This might be acceptable for an old watch that is nearing the end of its life. It likely won’t suffice for a watch that has sentimental value or a luxury watch of considerable value.
Certain timepieces may actually be worth five figures or even more, so attempting to clean on your own could actually cost you a pretty penny. In this scenario, it’s far better to entrust the care of this precious item to a team that is trained to take care of something of this value.
Call Village Jewelers Today
Do you have a vintage timepiece that needs cleaning? Call Village Jewelers today to schedule your appointment! A vintage, valuable watch is a precious and delicate instrument, one that needs expertise and a light touch for best care. This is best delivered by an expert with a deep familiarity with vintage watches and experience making them shine again, both literally and figuratively.
If you’re looking for watch cleaning or repair around Frisco and the surrounding Dallas areas, look no further than Village Jewelers!