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With spring in full swing and summer approaching, we’re entering the season full of milestone events from graduations and weddings to anniversaries and birthdays. Every milestone event deserves to be accompanied by sparkling watches and radiant jewellery, but ensuring they shine their brightest requires more than just a quick polish.

In our latest blog, we delve into the art of caring for your cherished timepieces and accessories to ensure they dazzle alongside you and your loved ones during the most significant occasions. From cleaning tips to maintenance advice, we’ve got you covered on how to keep your watches and jewellery looking their absolute best.

Read on to learn how to care for your jewellery and watches for milestones events and ensure your treasures shine as brightly as your memories.

Clean Your Watch and Jewellery Before Milestone Events

For your special milestone events, it’s essential to ensure that your watches and jewellery are in pristine condition. Before each occasion and after every wear, take a moment to delicately clean your watch with a soft, lint-free cloth.

For jewellery cleaning, try using the Diamond Dazzle Stik or soft polishing cloths. This simple yet crucial step effectively eliminates accumulated dirt, oils, and sweat that could diminish their brilliance over time.

Regular cleaning not only preserves their appearance, but also safeguards against potential damage caused by buildup. If cleaning isn’t viable in your schedule, consider entrusting your pieces to a professional watch and jewellery repair service for a thorough maintenance. Remember to submit your pieces in advance and allow plenty of time for the cleaning and repair before the event.

Keep Your Watch and Jewellery Away From Chemicals Before and During Milestone Events

During the lead-up to your milestone events and throughout their duration, it’s crucial to exercise caution with your accessories. Avoid exposing them to harsh chemicals like perfume, hairspray, and cosmetics, as these substances can cause damage to both metals and gemstones.

Chemicals found in everyday products can tarnish metals, degrade finishes, and even cause discoloration or erosion of gemstones over time. Keep your accessories safely away from these chemicals and you’ll preserve their beauty and ensure they continue to sparkle for all your special occasions.

Store Your Watch and Jewellery After and Before Milestone Events

Proper storage of your watches and jewellery is key both before and after your milestone events to safeguard the integrity of your pieces. When your jewellery or watch is not on your fingers, wrist or neck, ensure they’re housed in a clean, dry environment.

Opt for separate compartments or pouches to prevent pieces from scratching against one another or becoming entangled. By taking this simple precaution, you can preserve the pristine condition of your cherished accessories, ensuring they’re ready to dazzle at each milestone moment and beyond.

Be Mindful of Activities During Milestone Events

As you prepare for your milestone event, it’s essential to be mindful of the activities planned and select your accessories accordingly. Take into account the nature of the event and the activities you’ll be participating in.

Avoid wearing delicate pieces for any strenuous activities or in environments such as near water where they may be susceptible to damage. Opt for sturdier, more durable pieces for outdoor gatherings or energetic active celebration activities.

Inspect Your Watch and Jewellery Before Milestone Events

Don’t overlook the importance of regularly inspecting your watch and jewellery. Before each milestone event, carefully examine your watch and jewellery for any signs of wear and tear, such as loose screws or scratched crystals.

When needed, entrust your watch to the expertise of a professional watchmaker for servicing. Additionally, have your jewellery periodically checked by a jeweller to ensure that settings are secure and stones remain intact.

Remember to plan ahead and submit your pieces for repair or maintenance in advance of any upcoming events to ensure they’re in optimal condition to shine alongside you during those important milestone moments.

Finishing Up

As you prepare for your upcoming milestone events, ensuring your watch and jewellery are in pristine condition adds an extra layer of elegance and significance to these special moments.

By following these care tips above, from regular cleaning and proper storage to mindful selection and careful inspection, you can guarantee that your treasured accessories will shine bright during those special milestone moments.

FAQs

1. Where can I have my watch or jewellery inspected, cleaned or repaired?

If you require a professional inspection of your watch and jewellery or for simple repairs and cleaning, visit our Hudson’s Bay locations, where our knowledgeable staff can assist you. For more intricate watch and jewellery repairs, please contact us directly.

2. How far in advance should I submit my pieces?

The time frame for service depends on the complexity of the task. The more parts the piece requires, the more time it’ll take. Generally, we quote a turnaround time of 2-4 weeks as a rule of thumb. More intricate services may require 4-6 weeks +.

At our Hudson’s Bay locations, services such watch battery replacements and link removals are typically completed while you wait. For jewellery cleaning, please inquire at the location, but typically cleaning services involve submitting pieces to the Main Workshop for cleaning in an ultrasonic machine and for steaming.

Luxury watches are built and designed to last not only your lifetime, but for generations after. However, due to the intricate nature of the internal mechanisms, caring for a luxury watch comes with its own unique challenges. However, with a little extra care, attention, and watch maintenance services, your investment will pay off for years to come.

Unlike fashion watches, luxury watches are an investment, and as an investment they require time and monetary outlays, and occasional watch maintenance services to keep them in top working order. With these tips, your luxury watch will be able to last.

Refrain From Excessive Water Exposure

Some luxury watches are waterproof, however, unless your watch specifically states that it is ISO 6425 or is rated 30 bars or more, you really should avoid getting it wet. Even watches that have an indicated water resistance that may include the depth of your pool, or a quick shower, avoiding moisture is still the best way to ensure the longevity of your timepiece.

Store in a Cool, Dry, Dark Place

Your nightstand is a fine place for a book and your cell phone charger; however it shouldn’t be used as a storage place for your luxury watches. Watches should be stored flat, in a cool location, away from direct sunlight. Excessive exposure to heat and sunlight can accelerate the deterioration of your watch, dry up the lubrication required to keep the internal mechanics moving, and prevent moisture or fog from building up underneath the face.

Be Careful With the Crown

Both automatic and manual watches require winding; however there is a way, a time, and a place to correctly wind your watch. A watch should never be wound while it is being worn, to do so run the risk of bending or breaking the crown. Never wind the watch more than you are able to without resistance, as soon as you feel resistance, which will be obvious, stop winding immediately. And finally, there is a “danger zone” typically between 9 pm and 3 am, where date enabled watches should not be adjusted, doing so may result in damage to the internal gears.

Clean and maintain it regularly

Even with gentle wear, your luxury watches should be frequently cleaned and be taken in for regular watch maintenance services. To clean your watch, use a small amount of water, a mild soap, and a soft cloth to wipe around the face and surfaces of your watch. If possible, remove the band and clean separately. Metal link bands can be submerged in water, while leather bands are best left dry, or wiped with a very small amount of soapy water and left to dry flat. For severely tarnished watches, professional cleaning is highly recommended.

 

Many people wear their watches 365 days a year, keeping them on time for all the important moments in life. Watches come in all shapes and sizes and each person has their own preferred style. Whether you prefer an automatic mechanical watch, a quartz movement watch, a chronograph watch, or even a pocket watch, it is important to make time for watch maintenance and repair. Each type of watch has its own needs, depending on the type; however, there are a few common maintenance items that all watches require.

Over time, watches can become dirty, worn from wear and tear, and require some watch maintenance and repair to ensure optimal performance and a lasting life span.

It has been suggested that in order for a watch to run smoothly and at its best, it should be taken in to a jeweler or watch specialist for a watch maintenance and repair visit every three to five years.

During a maintenance service

During your service, the watch specialist will perform full diagnostics, reviewing all the features of your watch. Your watch will be expertly dismantled and each part will be cleaned, often using an ultrasonic bath for the larger components and manual washing for the most delicate pieces.

Once the watch has been diagnosed and cleaned, the watch specialist will reassemble your watch, and apply a lubricant to make sure that your watch is able to keep ticking away smoothly. After lubrication, the specialist will replace any seals that may require maintenance to improve weather resistance.

Finally, your favorite old watch will be quality checked to ensure that it is working like new again.

Repair the little issues sooner

If your watch is not at the point where it is in need of a full maintenance, but you have noticed that the band is a bit worn, it is running a bit slow (or fast), or the battery has died, a quick trip to a local watch service shop can have it fixed up in no time. By taking your watch in to repair the minor issues, it can keep it running for the long term.

Scheduling time for watch maintenance and repairs allows you to keep your watch running for years to come and keeps your days running smoothly, so you can focus on what’s most important to you.

Is the time on your watch slowly starting to fall behind? If you’re finding yourself running late a little more often, thanks to a slow watch, it’s most likely time for a watch battery replacement. Thankfully, this is a pretty quick job, and a good jeweler should be able to get you up and running on time again, in less time than it takes you to pick up a coffee. But if you feel you need replacement watch cells too frequently,you can try these tips for how to extend the life of your watch’s battery. However if these fail, and you continue to experience quickly draining batteries, you may need to have the mechanics of your watch looked at.

Pull Out the Crown

If you have a large collection of watches or you do not frequently wear a particular watch, you can try pulling out the crown before you put the watch away. The watch will stop keeping time until you push the crown back in, which may help to extend the life of the battery. This must be done carefully, as the crown is fragile and can be costly to repair. It is also recommended that you push the crown back in every couple of months to ensure that the battery is still functioning.

Remove the Battery

You can take it one step further in helping to extend the lifespan of a watch battery by removing the battery when you are not using the watch. Depending on the brand of watch, this may be as simple as unscrewing the back plate and removing the battery. This is a delicate task and may not be recommended for every style of watch.

Stop the Chronograph Feature

If your watch has a chronograph feature, stopping the chronograph may be enough to double the life expectancy of your watch’s battery. On most watches, this is done by simply pressing the upper button once. However, as watch models vary, you may need to check your instruction manual.

Depending on the watch, you should expect to get between 1 and up to 3 years out of a watch battery. If you are getting significantly less than that,there may be something mechanically wrong with your watch. There are a number of possible issues, ranging from a leaking battery to a defect with the circuitry. The only way to properly diagnose and repair the problem is to have the watch looked at by a professional.