How to Care for Your Watch So It Lasts + When to Change the Battery or Strap

Simple everyday care

• check_circleWipe off sweat and dust with a soft cloth after each wear, especially steel bracelets and the caseback
• check_circleKeep perfume, sprays and chemicals off leather straps — they make them wear out faster
• check_circleTake it off before hot showers and saunas; heat and steam degrade the water-resistance seals

Storing it when you're not wearing it

Keep it somewhere dry, out of strong sunlight and away from magnetic fields (speakers, fridges). If it's an automatic you don't wear for a long time, wind it now and then or keep it on a watch winder.

Signs the battery needs changing

If the seconds hand jumps two to four seconds at a time (on some quartz models), or the watch runs slow or keeps stopping, the battery is nearly flat. Have a watchmaker change it so the water-resistance seal closes as tightly as before.

When to change the strap

Resin or rubber straps that turn hard and brittle or start cracking, and leather straps that peel or smell, should be replaced for comfort and safety — a strap that snaps can drop and damage the watch.

Repairs and service with us

Shock Shop has its own repair and after-sales department for battery changes, strap replacement, polishing and full checks. Send your watch in for an assessment using the form on the service page.