The basics
- Dry and steady. Room temperature, 40 to 60% humidity. Avoid bathrooms, cars, basements and window sills. A silica gel pack in the box absorbs moisture.
- Out of the sun. UV fades dials, straps and bezel inserts over the years.
- Apart. Watches knocking together scratch cases and crystals. Give each its own slot or pouch.
- Away from magnets. Speakers, laptops, tablets, phone cases and induction hobs can magnetize a mechanical watch and make it run fast. If one does, you can demagnetize it.
- Clean first. Sweat and salt left on a bracelet or strap keep working on it in storage. Give it a quick clean before it goes away.
Where to keep them
| Option | Best for |
|---|---|
| Watch box | A few to a dozen watches at home, kept dust-free and apart |
| Watch winder | Automatics you rotate, or calendar watches that are tedious to reset |
| Watch stand | The watch you wear every day, overnight |
| Watch roll or travel case | Traveling with one or more watches |
| Safe | Collections worth more than you'd want to lose |
Automatic watches
An automatic in a box will run down and stop, and that's fine. Across the 315 current automatics we've measured, the median power reserve is 56 hours, so most stop within two or three days off the wrist. A winder keeps one running, which saves resetting a perpetual calendar or a complicated date, but it also keeps the movement wearing. For a simple time-and-date watch, letting it stop is the better choice; wind it and set it when you next wear it.
Quartz watches
A quartz watch keeps running in storage until its battery dies. If it will sit for more than a year, have the battery taken out, or replace it as soon as it dies: an exhausted cell can leak and ruin the movement. Solar watches need light to stay charged, so keep them somewhere they get some daylight, or charge them in the sun every few months.
Storing watches long term
- Clean and dry the watch and band.
- Take the battery out of quartz watches, or have it done.
- Store leather straps unbuckled and flat, so they don't crease, and away from other straps that could stain them.
- Put the watch in a box or soft pouch with a silica gel pack, somewhere with a steady temperature.
- Every month or two, wind mechanical watches and run them for a day to keep the lubricants spread.
- Keep photos, serial numbers and receipts somewhere separate, for insurance.
Oils still age in storage. A mechanical watch that has sat for years should be serviced before regular wear.