Watch Care Kit: “Oh no, my watch stopped running… I don’t know what happened! I can’t go out to get it repaired because life is so hectic now. Oh, what to do?” Have you ever wanted to fix your watches or timepieces but felt like you didn’t have the right tools and know-how? Let’s go over what you may need to obtain your first personal watch care kit so you can get a handle on potential watch and timepiece issues you may face in this day and age.
Table of Contents
Watch Care Kit Must-Haves
1. Caliper
Calipers are used to measure lug width. Lug width measurement helps you avoid mishaps when buying the right band and clasp for your watch or timepiece. Additionally, there are lugs that have unusual dimensions and are best measured using a caliper. Accurate measurements also make shopping for spring bars at Watch & Style much easier.
2. Demagnetizer
If your watch or timepiece starts to act erratically, has been running too fast, or not running at all, there’s a good chance that it has become too magnetized. Some negative effects of a magnetized watch include a hairspring that sticks to other inner parts, thus causing it to lose track of accurate time. Cheaper one-button demagnetizers can easily do their job just as well as more premium demagnetizers.
3. Dust Blower
Dust blowers are simple yet convenient multipurpose tools. In watch repair and maintenance, they are used for the removal of dust on the crystal, dial, and movement.
4. Finger Cots
Finger cots (mitts for fingertips) are vital when working on a watch or timepiece and using your fingers to handle it. They prevent fingerprints and other dirt from the fingers from getting stuck on the crystal, dial, movement, and other watch parts.
5. Oil & Lubricants
Friction can do horrible things to a watch or timepiece. First, you need to know that different oils are needed to alleviate the negative effects of friction. Second, you must know that different watches and timepieces have different movements, requiring varying amounts of lubrication. And, of course, oil and lubricants are used for lubricating the movements. Lubrication is crucial for a mechanical movement’s proper functioning and the reduction of watch parts’ friction. To keep a movement working properly, it needs to be lubricated. So to get it right and keep the watch running for a long time and do so accurately, you need to get the type of oil or lubricant right.
6. Oil & Lubricant Applicators
Investing in oilers and other oil & lubricant applicators for a watch care kit is a must. As with a car, components must be slick for the machinery to work correctly. Regularly oiling a few key watch parts with quality oil applicators will do just that. Do note that the art of lubricating a mechanical movement is a difficult one. It would be best to have oil cups as getting oil straight from the bottle or jar is a no-no.
7. Polish Cloth
If you are just starting your watch care journey, there is no need to invest in a whole polishing machine. Instead, you can simply start with polishing cloths. Polishing cloths are easy to use, affordable, and can be used for polishing the surface of your watch or timepiece. For example, if you want to give a watch a little rejuvenation, you can polish it with the help of an accessible cloth.
8. Timegrapher
Timegraphers check the accuracy and performance of a movement. These devices give information about: the amplitude, beat error, and beat rate of watches and timepieces. They are really helpful for various reasons, including checking if a watch is performing well or if it requires a service. Using one can also be helpful if you have just brought your watch or timepiece home from being serviced, so you know if the watch service person did a good job or if the watch or timepiece still needs to be adjusted and regulated. The more expensive timegrapher you choose, the more information it will display (generally speaking).
Author’s Bio:
William Ross is often described as a jack of all trades. He loves to explore new things and cultivate his knowledge everywhere he goes. These days, he spends most of his free time writing about watches and watch accessories, as he is a collector himself.
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