Timepiece repairs could be costly and sometimes take a very long time, which is why you’d need to keep away from damaging a watch.
For most individuals it’s apparent that throwing your watch towards a wall, operating over it with a Bentley, or smashing it with a hammer are issues to to keep away from.

Ouchhh! This Rolex Submariner has seen higher occasions
Nevertheless, not all the things that may harm a watch is so apparent, so right here I checklist 5 widespread belongings you might not be conscious of that may harm a watch and find out how to forestall them.
Adjusting the date, day, or different complication/perform on the incorrect time
While you spend some huge cash on a fantastic timepiece, the very last thing you need to do is to need to pay a small (or massive) fortune repairing it merely since you didn’t take time to learn the instruction handbook.
You shouldn’t make changes – similar to setting the date or day of the week – when the time on the watch reads between the hours of 9:00 pm and three:00 am.

Setting the indications round midnight could cause misalignment
Every motion has its personal tips so this may occasionally fluctuate slightly, however avoiding setting something just a few hours both facet of midnight ought to preserve you out of bother.
The reason being pretty easy: though a date, the weekday, and many others. makes its changeover near midnight, the gears that make that change occur to interact fairly a bit earlier. And it takes additional time to disengage fully within the aftermath.
Consequence: The commonest result’s misalignment of the date within the window and there might additionally probably be damaged parts floating round within the motion.
Prevention: A easy rule of thumb when making changes is to convey the hour hand to the decrease half of the dial, perhaps 5:00, 6:00, or 7:00, previous to adjusting the complication. This may guarantee that you’re out of the “Hazard Zone” (queue the tacky Kenny Loggins tune from Prime Gun).
Consult with the instruction handbook to know what the “secure” occasions of any particular watch are.
Cross threading the crown whereas screwing again into the case
A screw-down crown on a watch, widespread on diving and sports activities watches, helps to keep up the added depth score by conserving the stem snugly safe within the sealing gasket. After winding or setting a watch with a screw-down crown, it’s essential to screw the crown again in accurately. This ensures correct water integrity.
Consequence: If the crown is barely out of alignment once you screw it again in, the threads of the tube and crown could cross and trigger everlasting harm.
Prevention: Merely take your time screwing the crown again in! A crown ought to rotate not less than 1.5 full turns, however solely as much as three full turns, whereas being screwed in. If the crown appears to cease in a short time (beneath one full flip), don’t power it. The truth is by no means power something on a watch.
Again down, unscrew totally, and try once more.
The winding stem will not be sealed by screwing in (that’s the job of the rubber seal), a screw-down crown simply minimizes the chance of the stem transferring within the seal whereas beneath water.
Consider, you don’t ever need to torque your crown down too tightly – simply till it stops is ok. It’s attainable to screw it down so tightly that it may be all however unattainable to unscrew.
Every watch has its personal character, and till you turn into snug with any explicit piece, don’t push it. Get to know your watch.
Utilizing a chronograph whereas the watch is submerged
Some could ask, “Why would anybody use a chronograph beneath water?” I’ll reply, “You may’t imagine the issues individuals do.”
And whereas that is uncommon, I did have a consumer as soon as who got here in with a badly water-damaged watch. Once I requested how this occurred, he advised me that he was on trip and he and his children have been timing how lengthy they may keep beneath water. I suppose the watch misplaced!
Consequence: Most chronographs are water resistant to not less than some extent. The chronograph pushers maintain water at bay with no drawback of their regular positions, nevertheless when a pusher is pushed into the case it may well compromise the seal and permit water to enter, inflicting main water harm.

Rust on a watch motion is will not be a reasonably sight (picture courtesy Gevril Group)
As a result of components of a watch motion are small and metallic they’ll rapidly rust and dials and arms can discolor. This generally is a very dear restore, whereas in some instances it may well “complete” the watch, leaving the restore value greater than the residual worth of the entire timepiece.
Prevention: Don’t use your chronograph whereas beneath water!
As well as, some watches have screw-down chronograph pushers. In case your watch has these, ensure that they’re screwed in.
Not pushing the recessed pushers in all the approach
Recessed pushers usually are not quite common and plenty of watch collectors usually are not even conscious they exist. However they most positively exist on many difficult and costly timepieces similar to perpetual calendars.
Primarily, these flush-to-the-case pushers management changes of problems such because the date, day, month, bissextile year, and moon part, and many others. On the Martin Braun Eos Boreas, for instance, additionally they management the adjustment of the dawn and sundown indications in addition to the equation of time.

A. Lange & Söhne Lange 1 Tourbillon Perpetual Calendar with small recessed pushers set into the case band
Manufacturers promoting watches with recessed pushers typically ship a stylus or push pin with them. Utilizing the stylus, urgent the pusher all the best way in and letting it come again all the best way out will advance the watch by someday for instance.
Consequence: If the pusher is half-heartedly pushed in earlier than it’s let again out it may well trigger problems to get caught in the course of the place they need to be (between the seventh and eighth on a date, say). Generally this may be rapidly corrected by advancing the watch a full 24 hours by rotating the arms, however in some instances it should go in for a pricey restore.
Prevention: Take your time. Push the recessed pusher all the best way in and let it all the approach out.
Magnetization
Once I was a child, I bear in mind sticking a paperclip to a magnet, then taking that paperclip off the magnet and sticking it to the fridge.
Like that paperclip, small metallic components in a watch motion could turn into magnetized. In the event you relaxation your watch on a stereo speaker with a big magnet within it and even an iPhone, the magnetic fields can switch to the components of a motion.
Watches often begin gaining or shedding many seconds or minutes a day when the steadiness is magnetized. A great way to check in case your watch has been magnetized is to wave it slowly and intently beneath a compass. If the compass hand strikes in consequence, your watch is magnetized.
In the event you’re actually out of luck, although, you gained’t even have to do this as a result of the end result will present the reply.
Consequence: When this occurs, it may well trigger the escapement of the watch to behave very erratically or in uncommon instances seize up. This causes an erratic price and in consequence massive discrepancies within the time show.
Prevention: Be conscious of the place you place your watch. Clock radios, stereo audio system, iPads, and different digital gadgets with magnets in them ought to be evaded your watch wherever attainable.
Disclaimer: no timepieces have been harmed within the making of this put up.
What’s the craziest approach you’ve got broken a watch? Tell us within the feedback beneath.
* This text was first printed on June 20, 2016 at 5 Sudden Methods You May Injury A Mechanical Watch. It’s possible you’ll discover just a few of the feedback beneath that article attention-grabbing.
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