Antique Pocket Watches 101: How to take care of them

I’ve always loved pocket watches. They are an amazing heirloom to keep in the family and pass down. They are one of those gems that you can treasure for years– as long as you treat them right. You can pass them down from one generation to the next ; and as years go by, they become more and more valuable. 

However, as good as they may look after several decades, you also have to know that they’re also vulnerable. 

Unlike modern watches, the interval pivots of antique watches are usually slender as a human hair; and despite the fact that most of them are labeled as “shock resistant” or ” water proof”, don’t be fully confident that they are. 

1. Be as Gentle as Possible

An antique product watch should be treated and handled with care just like any forms of fine jewelry. That means you should never force the cover of a pocket watch beyond its limit. Doing so can potentially damage the hinge, or even spring alignments of the watch. Once this happens, you won’t be able to close your watch properly again. 

2. Never Drop it

Just like it was mentioned earlier, although the labels claim it’s shock resistant, you should still be careful on how you handle your watch because this could lead to irreparable damage, especially if the watch is a decade old. 

3.Protect it

Although a pocket watch should be kept inside your pocket, it doesn’t mean that you should carry it like “any other pocket items”. You many carry one when working out. Make sure it’s not being carried with other heavy items such as keys, or coins. It should be away from other items that could potentially scratch it. 

4. It is not waterproof

Although the antique pocket watch can probably handle an occasional splash of water–as long as you dry it off, submerging it is a different story. You never want to swim with it , ir clean it by putting it in water. It can be damaged beyond repair. 

5. Observe proper winding 

A pocket watch should be wound on a regular basis but Make sure that you don’t over wind it either ,this can damage the movement or stem of the watch to the point that it will stop working. 

6. Know how often you should change batteries

If you own an antique Quartz pocket watch, know that you’ll have to change its batteries every 1-2 years. If you don’t know how, don’t try to experiment, but bring your antique pocket watch to a professional jeweler. On the other hand, if your still in search for the perfect watch for you, Kalmar Antiques offers one of a kind antique pocket watches.

7. Carnauba wax for polishing

Believe it or not, you can actually use Carnauba wax or almost any brand of non-abrasive jewelers polish cloth to remove tarnish and finger print from your antique watch to ensure that it will always look good as new, always clean it first-and remove any fingerprints before storing. 

With proper care and service,rest assured That your pocket watch will stay beautiful for hundreds of years. 


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