Questions for Laurent – Rolex Certified Watchmaker
How Often Should You Have Your Watch Polished?
On that note, bear in mind that your watch requires a regular service every 5 to 7 years or so, depending on its age — unless, of course, you notice any irregularity in its performance beforehand. Polishing, on the other hand, should not be carried out too frequently, as doing so risks causing more harm than good to your timepiece.
Do You Recommend Wearing It in the Shower or Pool?
On this note, bear in mind that your watch requires regular servicing approximately every 5 to 7 years depending on its age, unless you notice a malfunction in the meantime. Polishing, on the other hand, should not be carried out too frequently, as doing so risks causing more harm than good to your timepiece.
How to wind your watch?
All mechanical watches, whether manually or automatically wound, operate on the same fundamental principle.
In the first case, it is the action of manually turning the watch's crown that engages the barrel to compress the mainspring. In the second case, an oscillating weight (or rotor) rotates in response to the wearer's movements in order to wind the mainspring. But in both cases, how can one tell when the movement is fully wound? Which direction should the crown be turned, and in what position should it be set? Here is what you need to know to wind your watch correctly:
CROWN POSITION
Most commonly located on the right side of the case, the crown can be pulled outward to access the watch's various settings: time, date, day, and so forth. Winding is performed in position 1, when the crown is fully pushed in and the watch is running normally. Positions 2 and 3 are used for setting the time and the date/day respectively. It is worth noting that on certain water-resistant watches, the crown is fitted with a screw-down mechanism to provide enhanced water resistance. In this instance, the crown must first be gently unscrewed before winding the watch — and it is essential not to forget to screw it back down afterwards in order to maintain the watch's water resistance.
MANUAL-WINDING MECHANICAL MOVEMENT
With this type of movement, winding must be performed manually every day, ideally at approximately the same time. To carry out the operation, it is advisable to first remove the watch from the wrist, allowing for a better grip.
For a complete wind, hold the crown between the thumb and forefinger and turn it between 20 and 40 times clockwise (upward when viewing the dial from above), until a slight resistance is felt.
Take care never to force the crown, as doing so risks jamming it and consequently damaging the movement.
AUTOMATIC MECHANICAL MOVEMENT
The movements of automatic watches are highly sensitive to shocks: they should never be shaken in an attempt to wind them.
The natural motion of the wrist is all that is needed for the rotor to wind the watch. While this mechanism maintains a sufficient energy reserve, it is nonetheless advisable to wind the watch manually from time to time.
If the watch has not been worn for several days and has stopped, it should be wound by hand before being put back on the wrist. There is no risk of over-winding the movement, as automatic watches are equipped with a safety mechanism that disengages the rotor once the mainspring is fully compressed.
How to prevent a battery from leaking?
A battery should be replaced regularly, even if the watch is not being worn.
It is advisable to replace the battery if the watch has been stored in a drawer for an extended period of time, as a depleted battery risks leaking and causing damage to the timepiece.
For any enquiries, please contact our after-sales service at 04 93 31 56 49
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