Just washed my watch

[thenewrick]

Had been continually worn for a year. One link started getting a bit seized and didn't want to articulate. Figured it was time for a bath.



Microwaved some water in a bowl until it was hot but I could still touch it. Little bit of dish soap and a tooth brush. Let it soak, brushed it, let it soak some more about 15 minutes total.



Water was dirty with many little gross bits sunk to the bottom.



Watch looks shinier and articulates better now.



I can't really tell a difference from photos or naked eye. But with a loupe, I can see the grime has been removed from the links and edges and grooves. It has also highlighted the scratches a bit. Oh well!

Before:




And after:

[Mystro]

Ugh. Why would you wait a year to wash a watch? Try washing it weekly if you want your bracelet to last and be sanitary.

[cjhurni]

I think you can definitely tell a real nice difference in some of those pics! It was well worn and now cleaned up great!

[Boaters]

WOW if you don't mind me asking? Why would you wait a year to wash your timepiece especially when it starts looking dirty? In this current time in life with COVID I would think being more sanitary would be a big plus.

[rmurphy]

I wash mine everyday ….. I spray all of mine down with windex and then with dawn. The windex brightens up the stainless and the dawn just cleans the gunk the best.


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[JoseR]

Originally Posted by Mystro

Ugh. Why would you wait a year to wash a watch? Try washing it weekly if you want your bracelet to last and be sanitary.

+1..

[LA_LEC]

Wash weekly with a little Dawn and warm water. Soap her up and then rinse. I keep a gallon of distilled water in the bathroom for the final rinse (I have very hard water and want to avoid mineral build up) and then pat dry with a soft towel (pat not rub)!

My 10 year old Sub looks great and has zero stretch.

[thenewrick]

I don’t mind it being dirty and scratched. It gets worn nearly everyday. But I didn’t like that the bracelet started getting gummed up.

The brushed finishing looked nice under a loupe. I even looked at it under a microscope for the hell of it. That’s a bit scary. A finger print looks like a greasy pizza box.

As an aside, I really like the full brushed look of the OP lineup. Hides dirt and scratches well. Just feels more purposeful.

Looked at the dial under a loupe and it was pretty dang perfect. Didn’t notice any scratches or dust or issues with hands and indices. Think I got a good one.

[watchwatcher]

The link not fully articulating would most likely be a loctite problem, not a dirt problem. I would take that to a certified watchmaker.

[Tikandtokalot]

Not surprised it complained after all that time.
Yuk.

[ArtNouveau]

I wash my watches when they need it, which is usually at least once a week if not more. I can’t imagine what would accumulate in a year!

[Buckaroo Banzai]

Why don't you just wear it in the shower? I do that everyday and it gets a good scrubbing.

[thenewrick]

I only wash my car every 3-4 months also. Both look great!

[msu_1972]

you should stop by your local AD and have them clean it for you. every time i stop by my local AD, they offer to clean my watch for me.

[brandrea]

Looking good Rick

I’m a wash it once a week whether they need it or not kind of guy YMMV

[garyk]

Washing is cheap maintenance.

[thenewrick]

No AD near me.

Washing it was pretty effortless. I liked seeing all the gunk in the water afterwards. Looking extra clean and shiny today.

Gonna go out on a limb and say the OP41 Silver is the best Rolex made these days. With props to Milgauss Z Blue dial for having the best dial in the lineup.

Just wish it were available on Jubilee.

Really like how waterproof these things are. No problem getting them dirty and wet and beating on them. Should last a lifetime. I figure they aren’t rare collectibles so should ever anything become really damaged it can always be repaired and replaced. Love the purity of the OP line. It’s like a proper 1931 Rolex in Wilsdorf’s vision before the post-Wilsdorf models like the submariner and daydate were introduced. I like old school purity.

[Ferdelious]

I would wash it more than once a year if you want the bracelet to remain tight. Just food for thought.

[WatchNutcase]

I was going to say why would you let the watch get so gnarly before washing it, then I saw everyone asking the same thing.

[indianmachine]

when you say articulate what do you mean?

[stateman]

Guess I'm the messy one...would never occur to me re: fully washing a watch once per week or month. Before a year if regularly worn, sure. But once a week seems crazy to me. Especially since just wearing and washing a bit in the shower occasionally seems to do the job perfectly well.

Have had Rolex in the collection for 30+ years and never noticed unusual bracelet stretch or problems.

[thenewrick]

Yea, I think cleaning jewelry everyday or every week isn’t my style. I’m more of a use the tool properly, maintain when necessary type.

It reminds me of the car forums when people would spend 4 hours each weekend washing their car. I’d spend maybe 30 minutes a month and it would look just as good to the naked eye. I’m a big fan of half-assing, or 3/4 assing cosmetic stuff.

I’m also not going to polish the watch. It’s gonna be pure for the foreseeable future. No Botox for my tools!

[DAC2]

I can appreciate where you are coming from.... but ONCE A YEAR ????

Isn't that a little much for such a fine timepiece? Yes you can beat them up... but....
if you want to do that.... get a timex. It will still keep your time and take the beating.

I appreciate my watch and it is cared for like all my other precious posessions....meaning...
things that are important to me.

I know... to each his own..... BUT sorry....your watch deserves more respect from you.

[asiparks]

I guess I'm the only one surprised at microwaving a bowl of water, rather than just turning on the hot faucet.....but then I just wear mine in the shower every morning...

[nollie85]

LOL

I wash my watch after every second wear. I cant stand the sweat and junk that builds up on it. No idea how you can wear that for 1 whole year without a wash.

Did it smell funny? LMFAO.

[thenewrick]

Thankfully it didn’t appear or smell dirty. I wished I had taken a photo of the bowl now. And I wanted the water hotter than tap/shower for initial soak and microwave is just fast. I do the same for hot towels or warming fishing line.

Sounds like y’all love a good deep clean. I’ve got a scruffy dog that could really use a good brush and pedicure if anyone is up for it!

[inadeje]

No affiliation nor interest, but I use this to clean my watches

https://www.wristclean.com/collections/watch-spray

[Malum]

Originally Posted by rmurphy

I wash mine everyday ….. I spray all of mine down with windex and then with dawn. The windex brightens up the stainless and the dawn just cleans the gunk the best.


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I’m totally into the windex then dawn treatment.

[rmurphy]

Originally Posted by Malum

I’m totally into the windex then dawn treatment.

I happen to think it works really well, I’ve been using this method on all of my stainless steel watches since 2011 and I’m really happy with how the windex helps to keep the layer of oxidation that dulls the stainless to a minimum.


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[inadeje]

Originally Posted by Malum

I’m totally into the windex then dawn treatment.

Windex I believe has ammonia https://sciencing.com/list-7498602-c...ber-seals.html