People around the world have different hobbies. Some collect stamps, coins or books. Others collect rare art. Watches also make nice collectibles and there are a lot of people around the world for whom collecting timepieces is a passion in which they invest a lot of time and money. Watches are delicate items, especially when they are expensive and form a part of someone’s collection. Anyone who has a passion for collecting watches would have to take very good care of their timepieces.
Watches come in a wide range, but the ones that are expensive and rare always make it to the owner’s collectable items. They are the owner’s proud possession and require an equal amount of care and maintenance. It’s said that if a watch can be taken care of properly, it can be handed down from one generation to another. Companies like Omega, Rolex, and Precision have been making watches for decades and their timepieces are extremely expensive. These form the crème luxury collection of any collector. These timepieces are worth a lot of money and require a tremendous amount of care to be handed down the generations. Let’s look at how one can maintain and take care of their luxury watches.
Storage rules
All high end and delicate timepieces are always sold with watch boxes. This box in which the watch has originally been sold has been specially designed, keeping in mind the body and structure of this expensive timepiece. There are specially designed watch boxes that are available in the market nowadays in which you could store all your precious timepieces. You also have an option of getting these watch boxes custom-made to suit your requirements. These delicate collectables have to be kept away from moisture, so you have to make sure that the watch boxes are airtight and moisture-free. It is always said that the original box is the best way to store your timepiece!
Cleaning rules
Any collectable with moving parts requires to be cleaned at regular intervals. A car is a machine and is a collectable, but people who collect vintage cars have to make sure that the cars are cleaned and serviced at regular intervals. It’s the engine that requires servicing and oiling at regular intervals to ensure that the car is smooth and running. Similarly, a watch has an engine which requires to be serviced at regular intervals irrespective of whether it’s being worn or not. There are various watchmakers to whom you should be taking your collectables for servicing. They would check the tiny parts and clean them to ensure that your timepiece stays intact and in perfect condition. As an extra effort, you should be using a soft cloth to clean your watches from the outside ensuring that all the extra dirt which collects on the outside can be cleaned. Open your watches at regular intervals and check for dust, then wipe them clean. At the same time, take them to a good watchmaker for servicing at regular intervals.
Protection rules
Any watch has a pre-defined resistance towards various forces of nature. There are sports or mechanical watches that are water-resistant, heat resistant and dust resistant. But these resistance levels are informed or are written in the user manual of our luxury watches. All have pre-defined levels of resistance; if it is said that you can use your watch in 50 meters of water, then don’t try taking your watch deeper while swimming. The watch’s parts may not be able to withstand the load. Some rules of thumb are that these delicate pieces should always be kept away from direct sunlight and extremely dusty places. The dirt and the heat would harm your timepiece. Another thing which harms the machinery is chemicals, especially the type that are alcohol-based – like perfumes, cleaning supplies, colognes and oils. You have to keep your watches away from these chemicals as they end up spoiling the look of the watch, have a harsh effect on the leather or the crystal dial of the watch. Be careful not to bang the watch against the walls, which may lead to scratches and cracks in the crystal. Use a soft and a dry toothbrush to clean off the dust and dirt which gets accumulated over some time.
Educate yourself
When you are investing money in a delicate collectable, you should spare some time and understand your precious watch’s nuances and features. Who would be a better person to do that than the person who is selling you the timepiece? Salesperson aside, it’s worth putting in the extra effort to at least peruse the user manual that comes with the watch, to double-check just in case if the seller has missed out on any information. Never try opening the machine of the watch on your own. It’s prudent and practical to ake it to a watchmaker to get it checked. Read the cleaning instructions on how to clean your watch rather than applying your remedies.
Usage rules
There are mechanical watches that require winding regularly. Some basic rules of winding include removal of your watch from the wrist before winding. In case there is a resistance when winding, definitely stop because it would lead to over-winding. There are watches that require to be winded daily, in particular the luxury mechanical watches. Avoid wearing these delicate timepieces when doing strenuous jobs and in harsh weather conditions.
Insure your collectibles
The way any individual would seek to insure his life or his house, your luxury watch collection should also be insured. Look for companies that specialize in these insurance policies and ask them to evaluate the luxury or historical timepiece and take up an insurance cover for the same. Make a list of all the vintage watches you have and along with their photos, prepare an Index of all the information about your watch collection. This information comes handy by the insurance company in cases of theft. It’s rightly said that these luxury collectables should be kept in a bank vault.
All the people who like watches are passionate about adding new timepieces to their collection periodically, but maintaining these delicate watches also takes up a lot of time and patience. There are world-renowned brands that have been making watches for over decades and have managed to carve a name for them in the watch industry. A little discipline and some love can help you maintain this unique and expensive collection for a lifetime and more. As it is rightfully said, “time does not wait for anyone – wear a watch to chase it.”
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