Can I clean my watch with soap and water?

Yes, if it's rated to at least 50 metres, the crown is pushed or screwed fully in and you know the seals are sound. Use warm water with a drop of mild dish soap and a soft toothbrush, rinse, and dry it straight away. Never wash a leather strap this way.

Can I put my watch in an ultrasonic cleaner?

Put only the bracelet in, taken off the watch. Ultrasonic cleaning can force water past old gaskets and loosen parts, so jewelers clean watch heads by hand.

How often should I clean my watch?

Wipe it with a microfibre cloth every few days and wash a metal bracelet every month or two, or after the beach, the pool or a sweaty workout. Salt and chlorine should be rinsed off the same day.

Can I use alcohol to clean a watch?

A little isopropyl alcohol on a cloth is fine for a steel case or bracelet, but keep it off leather, rubber gaskets, printed bezels and coated or plated finishes, which it can dry out or strip.

How to Clean a Watch and Watch Band

Before you start

Check the water resistance. At 50 metres or more, a rinse is fine. At 30 metres or with no rating, keep the head dry and clean it with a barely damp cloth. Of the 486 current watches in our catalog with a rating, 85% are rated to 50 metres or more and 67% to 100 metres or more.
Push the crown in, or screw it down if it screws, and make sure any chronograph pushers are screwed in too.
Think about the gaskets. Water resistance is only as good as the seals, and they age. If the watch hasn't been pressure tested in a few years, treat it as not water resistant.

Cleaning the case and crystal

Wipe off fingerprints and dust with a dry microfibre cloth.
Dampen a soft toothbrush in warm water with a drop of mild dish soap.
Brush gently around the bezel, between the lugs and around the crown, where grime collects.
Rinse briefly under a gentle, lukewarm tap. Avoid hot water and sudden temperature changes, which strain the seals.
Dry it with a soft towel, then let it air-dry before you operate the crown.

A wooden toothpick lifts the grime out of the gap between the case and the bezel without scratching. Sapphire and mineral crystals only need wiping; light scratches on acrylic can be polished out with Polywatch, which suits the 10 current watches in our catalog with uncoated acrylic or hesalite crystals. See our cleaning and polishing kit guide for what to buy.

Cleaning the band

Current watches in our catalog ship on: metal bracelet 65%, leather 20%, rubber or resin 12%, fabric 2%. Each one cleans differently.

Metal bracelet

Take the bracelet off the watch if you can, and scrub it in warm soapy water with a soft toothbrush, working between the links and around the clasp. Rinse, then dry it thoroughly, especially the pins. A jeweler's ultrasonic cleaner gets the worst grime out of the links, but put in only the bracelet, never the watch.

Leather strap

Never soak leather. Wipe it with a cloth that's barely damp, let it dry naturally away from heat, and apply a little leather conditioner a few times a year. Rotate leather straps in summer so they dry out between wears; sweat is what makes them smell and crack.

Rubber, silicone and resin

Wash in warm soapy water, rinse and dry. Rinse after salt water or a pool. Avoid alcohol and solvents, which can make rubber sticky or chalky.

NATO and fabric straps

Take it off the watch and hand wash it in warm soapy water, or put it in a laundry bag in the washing machine. Hang it to dry.

What not to do

Don't use toothpaste, baking soda or metal polish on brushed steel, coated cases or printed bezels. They're abrasive.
Don't use bleach, ammonia cleaners or solvents.
Don't open the case back to clean inside. That's a job for a watchmaker during a service.
Don't use a hairdryer to dry it.

If you see fog or moisture under the crystal after cleaning, water has got in. Take it to a watch repair shop the same day, before rust sets in on the movement.

How to clean a watch