Care and MaintenANce OF YOUR WATCH

Whether your watch is automatic, that is self-winding whilst being worn, or hand-wound, it is recommended that you wind your watch daily. If your watch is left for very long periods of time (months) without running, the oils and lubricants in the movement may start to thicken, which may impair proper functioning. Your automatic or self-winding watch can also be wound by winding the crown.

It is best to wind your watch by rotating the crown when it is closest to the case, that is, “fully closed.” Winding is best achieved by winding or rotating the crown in a clockwise direction only. Your watch may safely be wound fully. That means that you may wind the watch until you feel the resistance in the crown indicating that the main spring is tightly wound. We suggest that the watch be fully wound daily, or about every forty hours, which is how long it would run if fully wound. In the case of watches with a power reserve tourbillon movement, we suggest that the watch be fully wound every three days or so, about every eighty hours, which is how long it would run if fully wound. (If there is still room to wind the main spring beyond the power reserve indicator marking, that’s no problem at all.) If the watch is not being worn, try to wind it fully once every three weeks or so.

Water Resistance
All Wilk Watchworks timepieces have a water resistance rating of 5 ATM, that is, they are water resistant to  a depth of 50 metres. This means that if you splash water on the watch accidentally, it shouldn’t be affected. Activities such as hand washing or being caught in light rain should be fine too. Swimming, diving, showering, bathing, taking a jacuzzi or sauna, or any submersion in water whilst wearing your watch should be avoided. Even simply leaving the watch in the washroom during a hot shower or bath is not advisable. Rapid temperature changes and  extremes of temperature should also be avoided.

Magnetism
Unfortunately, we are exposed to magnetism in one way or another almost every day. This can have adverse effects on your mechanical watch. Usually this causes your watch not to keep accurate time, either by speeding up or slowing down the timekeeping mechanism. Avoid leaving your watch near computers, cell phones, tablets, stereo speakers or any piece of electronic equipment. If you notice your watch is not keeping very good time, please contact us.

Cleaning
If the exterior of your watch has become dirty, the best way to clean it is with a clean, soft, damp cloth. Do not run it under water or try to clean it with an old toothbrush as this can compromise the water resistance qualities of the watch. Also, do not use any commercial cleaning products as this can damage the seals and gaskets inside your watch. Perfumes and cosmetics can also have an adverse effect on the seals, gaskets and metals of your timepiece. If your watch does become heavily soiled, we do offer a cleaning and refurbishing service to restore your watch to a condition that is almost "as good as new."

Battery Changes
If you do own a quartz or battery operated watch, take care to get the battery changed very soon after it expires. Leaving a dead battery in your watch for extended periods of time can cause extensive damage to your watch as the battery  will almost certainly leak it's corrosive material in the case.

Bumps and Shocks
Your Wilk Watchworks timepiece does have shock protection built into the movement, but it’s still best to avoid impact to the watch. Racquet sports like tennis or squash, and sports in which one uses a bat or club, including golf, can impart too much force onto the movement of your watch. It’s best to remove your watch when playing sports, when using power tools,  or when participating in any other high impact activities. If you do notice that your watch is not running well or has completely stopped after a drop or severe shock, please contact us right away.

Scheduled Maintenance
For all Wilk Watchworks watches, it is recommended that you return it for maintenance every 4 to 5 years, or so. Just like a motor vehicle, the oils and lubricants in your watch need to be changed to keep the wear on your movement down to a minimum, and some parts, like the mainspring and gaskets,  will need to be replaced, to keep the watch running smoothly. If a full service is not performed from time to time, the watch can become damaged by the oils congealing  or even drying up, broken parts failing, or seals becoming brittle and allowing moisture to enter the watch. This is likely to happen whether or not the watch is being worn.
It is important for the longevity of your watch to have it maintained on a regular, albeit infrequent, basis.
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