Microfiber cleaning cloth

[padi56]

Originally Posted by DaytonaAllDay

I agree with you on the sprays, that's just nonsense. But using a cotton cloth or cotton t-shirt on steel PCL, gold, or polished platinum surfaces is just wrong. It's not the cotton that is the problem necessarily but the dust and crystalline materials trapped inside the cotton that will absolutely scratch these surfaces. Now, if you don't care about these microscratches (like Padi), that's absolutely fine. But if you do think that these scratches are unnecessary to be introduced to your timepiece (my opinion), you just use a good quality synthetic microfiber cloth, that simple.

Look a fact even if you polish with one of these microfiber clothes with any dust on surface it will show swirl scratches.But if you wash watch first like I have stated many times no matter the clean non abrasive cloth you use and just rinse and pat dry no swirls or scratches.

[huncho]

Originally Posted by Krash

Perspective is the wrong word. I've been using cotton t-shirts for watches and my eyeglasses. NO ISSUES WHATSOEVER. NO GRINDING. NO SWIRLMARKS.

this is what wiping with t shirts and normal wear rubbing against cloth does to an oyster with gold PCLs. this was within 1 day of wear. again, not necessarily an issue for most people but you can clearly see it does something. we all know it's unavoidable because your shirts/sweaters/jackets/etc will do the same with regular wear and it doesn't bother me but the point is just that it clearly does something and some people will mind

[DaytonaAllDay]

Originally Posted by padi56

Look a fact even if you polish with one of these microfiber clothes with any dust on surface it will show swirl scratches.But if you wash watch first like I have stated many times no matter the clean non abrasive cloth you use and just rinse and pat dry no swirls or scratches.

Agreed, you can introduce dust/particles with microfiber cloths as well, however, far less likely. Cotton is made of a highly porous structure of polysaccharides (cellulose) and therefore attracts way more dust/crystalline material/silicates that will ultimately scratch your watch, even when only dabbed after rinsing. That is what makes cotton an abrasive cloth in this context as it is virtually impossible to remove these particles from cotton (again, it is too porous). Microfiber, however, attracts these unwanted particles significantly less (made of polyester/polyamide) and is therefore a superior material to use when drying off your watch. Albeit less likely, you can still scratch polished surfaces using a microfiber cloth when dust comes in between the polished surface and the cloth itself. This is why I agree with Padi here to always dab, not rub, your watch dry after rinsing. Full disclosure, I am a materials scientist.

[DaytonaAllDay]

Originally Posted by huncho

this is what wiping with t shirts and normal wear rubbing against cloth does to an oyster with gold PCLs. this was within 1 day of wear. again, not necessarily an issue for most people but you can clearly see it does something. we all know it's unavoidable because your shirts/sweaters/jackets/etc will do the same with regular wear and it doesn't bother me but the point is just that it clearly does something and some people will mind

Exactly that! Thanks.

[Bozack90]

Originally Posted by Gilgamesh167

I prefer something that was designed for that.

You wear the watch under a shirt cuff or banging on a desk, table, door knob, or a million other things

I could understand if it was a plastic screen, or delicate like a display, but everything about these is supposed to be durable

I’ve wiped mine with wet paper towels at times and then Pat dry - they get scratched from wearing them so why bother babying them that much

[INC]

Originally Posted by huncho

this is what wiping with t shirts and normal wear rubbing against cloth does to an oyster with gold PCLs. this was within 1 day of wear.

I understand your idea, so what I am writing now is not because you want to argue with you, in fact, rather in the opposite sense.

I think that anyone who is bothered by the fact that wearing a watch can result in scratches should not buy a PM or polished watch. Instead, buy a G-Shock or a CW you can afford and live happily ever after.

Because as I noted before, OWNING a watch is NOT the same as buying a watch. Nowadays, many people can buy expensive watches that they would never have thought of before, but only a few of them can wear them as they were designed for: as a simple, everyday watch.

The problem is that the masses have started to treat everyday watches as celebratory jewelry, because they cannot maintain them and simply USE them, then replace them when they are no longer beautiful or become "old".

Therefore the regular care became a religion of the immaculate watches.

[Devildog]

Originally Posted by Krash

Perspective is the wrong word. I've been using cotton t-shirts for watches and my eyeglasses. NO ISSUES WHATSOEVER. NO GRINDING. NO SWIRLMARKS.

I guarantee you that if you wear your watches and clean them as you say you do, the polished surfaces will have hairlines and swirls. That comes from simply wearing them and its unavoidable. You can add to them or not, depending on your cleaning method.

Shine a bright light on the polished bits and look closely. Or look at them on bright sunlight.

I know from experience that PM PCLs are soft as butter.

Perspective IS the word. Certainly for those with half decent eyesight.

My BB58 case sides (its not babied, but I am careful) are covered in faint hairlines and marks from operating the crown (with clean fingers). It happens.

I don't care because they don't bother me. But they are there. It is perspective.

[Krash]

Originally Posted by Devildog

I guarantee you that if you wear your watches and clean them as you say you do, the polished surfaces will have hairlines and swirls. That comes from simply wearing them and its unavoidable. You can add to them or not, depending on your cleaning method.

Shine a bright light on the polished bits and look closely. Or look at them on bright sunlight.

I know from experience that PM PCLs are soft as butter.

Perspective IS the word. Certainly for those with half decent eyesight.

My BB58 case sides (its not babied, but I am careful) are covered in faint hairlines and marks from operating the crown (with clean fingers). It happens.

I don't care because they don't bother me. But they are there. It is perspective.

I don’t have PCLs, or any gold watch. I don’t use it on the bracelet. Just the Crystal.

I think the right term is probably use case, not perspective.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Devildog]

Originally Posted by Krash

I don’t have PCLs, or any gold watch. I don’t use it on the bracelet. Just the Crystal.

I think the right term is probably use case, not perspective.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Just so we are clear here.

You are commenting and giving opinion on the relative merits of using microfibre cleaning cloths, rather than, say, a t shirt but you have zero experience of the impact of using a t shirt on anything other than the most scratch resistant part of your watch (by a significant margin) ?

A part which isn’t realty what this thread is all about?

Heck, I’d use hard paper towels on a sapphire crystal without fear, but I wouldn’t use a item of clothing on a PCL or a mirror finished case side.

And I’ll only use microfibre on polished PM

[padi56]

Originally Posted by Devildog

Just so we are clear here.

You are commenting and giving opinion on the relative merits of using microfibre cleaning cloths, rather than, say, a t shirt but you have zero experience of the impact of using a t shirt on anything other than the most scratch resistant part of your watch (by a significant margin) ?

A part which isn’t realty what this thread is all about?

Heck, I’d use hard paper towels on a sapphire crystal without fear, but I wouldn’t use a item of clothing on a PCL or a mirror finished case side.

And I’ll only use microfibre on polished PM

Well most all gold polishing cloths are made from 100% woven cotton and not microfibre. Although impregnated with a cleaning item I am sure if they thought cotton would harm the metal they would not use a cotton based material .Although not gold or have PCL except sides of SD bracelet and polished case sides. This SD had seen more use and sometimes abuse that most of todays Rolex watches will see in 10 lifetimes. And while working on the liveaboards as dive guide PADI instructor it got rubbed cleaned with whatever I could clean it with. Although it was wet with sea water in general when doing it but on surface got rubbed in say cotton towels or whatever even wet swimming trunks. Now 23 year old still ticking and looking good today without the need of any special cloths.

Picture below of a real working tool Rolex watch which is seldom seen with todays mainly pampered watches.

[77T]

Originally Posted by padi56

Picture below of a real working tool Rolex watch which is seldom seen with todays mainly pampered watches.

As it should be

Afterall that IS the point of a tool watch versus shiny jewelry bauble things.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

[Devildog]

Originally Posted by padi56

Well most all gold polishing cloths are made from 100% woven cotton and not microfibre. Although impregnated with a cleaning item I am sure if they thought cotton would harm the metal they would not use a cotton based material .Although not gold or have PCL except sides of SD bracelet and polished case sides. This SD had seen more use and sometimes abuse that most of todays Rolex watches will see in 10 lifetimes. And while working on the liveaboards as dive guide PADI instructor it got rubbed cleaned with whatever I could clean it with. Although it was wet with sea water in general when doing it but on surface got rubbed in say cotton towels or whatever even wet swimming trunks. Now 23 year old still ticking and looking good today without the need of any special cloths.

Picture below of a real working tool Rolex watch which is seldom seen with todays mainly pampered watches.

That's quite true, but those same cloths are designed to be slightly abrasive in combination with the impregnated compound. And as the material is worked the compound breaks down in the cloth getting finer and finer and for the best results you should buff off the residual haze of cleaning compound with a soft microfiber finishing cloth.

Now, Peter, your picture (fantastic watch, by the way, my 16600 is the one I'll be wearing in the zombie apocalypse) is a little misleading is it not.

Was that not taken immediately after a full RSC service and refinishing?

I really couldn't care what anyone uses to clean their watch. Or their car. or anything.

But if someone does, and is seeking help from the forum with a simple question, is there really any need to challenge that person's choice of cleaning materials?

He didn't ask "what type of cloth will do"

Any mirror polished surface on any Rolex will be subject to micro marring over time unless never worn. Employing sub optimal cleaning methods and materials will also create micro marring (and worse) The more marring there is, the worse it will get. Now that will be addressed at service, but with 10 year service intervals that may be some time.

If someone is fine with the dulling over time, then that's great. But there is no need for anyone on this forum to criticise anyone for wanting to keep their luxury item (and let's not fool ourselves that Rolex watches are "tools" anymore) looking as nice as they can for as long as they can.

Live and let live

[SearChart]

I use a white one from Rolex, but I doubt it's any better than others.

[padi56]

Originally Posted by SearChart

I use a white one from Rolex, but I doubt it's any better than others.

And what are these made from Bas most ones I have seen are made from 100% cotton.

[enjoythemusic]

Daily beater for over a year, worn it occasionally for years... just washed it with Dawn, and dried it with the cotton shirt i'm wearing.

PS: LOL as just realized i set the date wrong.

1.jpg

[Krash]

Originally Posted by Devildog

Just so we are clear here.

You are commenting and giving opinion on the relative merits of using microfibre cleaning cloths, rather than, say, a t shirt but you have zero experience of the impact of using a t shirt on anything other than the most scratch resistant part of your watch (by a significant margin) ?

A part which isn’t realty what this thread is all about?

Heck, I’d use hard paper towels on a sapphire crystal without fear, but I wouldn’t use a item of clothing on a PCL or a mirror finished case side.

And I’ll only use microfibre on polished PM

I’m still not convinced a microfiber cloth is any better than a 100% cotton T-Shirt, but I really don’t care at this point. I’m just not that passionate about it.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[SearChart]

Originally Posted by padi56

And what are these made from Bas most ones I have seen are made from 100% cotton.

They're synthetic.

[Ny325]

A clean 100% cotton T-shirt will do.

[Deep18]

https://www.autogeek.net/polishing-cloths.html

[Soultime]

It's all very personal and each to their own.

I am in Padi's camp, because I try not to worry about them too much.
I did when I first started wearing Rolex, but invariably I end up scraping them and knocking them (especially on door handles for some reason) so any micro scratches wouldn't concern me. I haven't really looked to be honest, but I do see any bigger scratches.

I just rinse them in hot water every so often and dry them with a towel or use a t shirt.

That said, none of mine have ever been precious metal.

Full respect to the people who do care though. I may get a specific MF cloth after this thread and try harder.

[karleone]

Originally Posted by padi56

And what are these made from Bas most ones I have seen are made from 100% cotton.

Wrong again

[77T]

You resuscitated a 9 month old thread to be factious?




Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

[padi56]

6 TV

Originally Posted by karleone

Wrong again

Not true and not wrong as the early Rolex supplied cleaning cloths were made in Switzerland, and they were made from 100% cotton cloth, the more modern ones are made by many third parties world wide for Rolex from synthetic materials.

[Kevin of Larchmont]

Originally Posted by SearChart

They're synthetic.

I have one of these that I got from an AD a few new watches back and it works wonderfully although truthfully I spend very little time polishing my watches.

[physicist]

I can’t believe this thread has more than two responses.

[Danny271]

I purchased a watch cleaning kit based off of member reviews called Wristiclean. It’s not a microfiber towel though, there is no “pill” to the towels.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[rob]

Wrist Clean https://www.wristclean.com/

[Boopie]

With all due respect to Padi, I have two classic cars with factory original paint etc. and I don’t use tshirts or towels to clean and dry them, as I want to protect the paint and eliminate swirls etc. When you see a classic car with amazing mirror finish paint at a concours show, no one rubbed that down with an old t-shirt.

I wash my classic cars with waterless wash products and microfiber cloths. Joke all you want about not getting a car wet, but as the saying goes, rust never sleeps. I do use a foam cannon and water on my modern car (brand new Mercedes) with special microfiber cloths and mitts as well. My car wash technique has changed for the better since I washed my parents’ cars as a kid in the 1970s, when I did use a wadded up old t-shirt or towel remnant dipped in a bucket of water and dish detergent.

I have microfiber cloths with different thicknesses, naps and weaves for different stages of car care, e.g. cleaning, drying, applying glass cleaner, applying interior or vinyl cleaner, applying tire and rim cleaner, etc. Believe it or not, high end tire rims need special care, as they, too, can get scratched with careless maintenance.

For less exacting tasks, housecleaning, etc. the Costco multipack of microfiber cloths work well. Otherwise, there are a ton of car detailing websites that sell different cloths, even by the single cloth.

I also use only the Rolex cleaning cloth that came from service at the RSC on my watches. Some of the thinner car detailing microfiber cloths would work just as well.