The Breitling Watch Source Forums

Hey guys,
I've had my Chronomat for about a month now and as it's a polished watch it is fairly easy to get smudges and grime on it. I wear it everyday, and knew when buying it since I was going to wear it daily, it would get some "love marks." I never plan on reselling or swapping it for a different watch, it's just for me, so that doesn't bother me so much. Anyway on to the questions.

1) Is it ok to clean it under clean tap water with a soft bristle toothbrush and a bit of dish soap? I had a friend say he does this to his collection every now and then. I tried it and love the results! My issue is I like how clean it gets it that I find myself wanting to do it every few days to keep the watch in tip top shape, rather then every few weeks or months like him ( he has several watches he rotates through, this is my one and only). I barely use a drop of Dawn, and it's diluted heavily, then just rinse under clear water and dry. Just checking to make sure I won't degrade seals or anything like that. Hell I'd probably do it every other day as long as it's not going to hurt the watch!

2) It's inevitable to get scratches and swirls on a daily wear watch. I came across these polishing pads I heard people discussing, Cape Cod Cloths. I tried it out and my wife's polished (but very worn) 2 years old fossil. The results were amazing with a bit of elbow grease. I understand it takes micro layers off the watch. I was thinking it would be nice to "freshen" up the polish on mine maybe every 6 months to a year. What the overall thoughts on that? If I had to wait every 5 for when it gets its service so be it, but it'd be cool to make it shine again once a year.

Thanks again for reading the long post, look forward to reading your opinions!!

As far as cleaning I would check out this website, https://www.wristclean.com has received rave reviews by some, especially by those thought to be OCD!! As far as polishing your watch that is something that everyone has to decide on thier own. If you use the search function you will find several threads on the subject WRST materials used and how to go about it! Good luck and remember, some scratches give a watch a little character!

I've also heard great things about Veraet.

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Justin
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I have a Superocean Héritage and when i take a shower i leave it on ... so all dirt is gone from me and from my Héritage

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Superocean Héritage Chronograph

Me too .
Once a week , whether I need one or not .

I do it once in a while(except on my Navi) as it's the best and fastest way to clean off all the oil marks and dirt on the watch. However i make it a point not to put the watch direct under the tap. Instead I would collect the water on my hands and splash on the watch. Also I would avoid holding with the crown facing up during washing. One point to note is that even though your watch is 300m WR, the WR reduces overtime as the seals/gaskets wear off. You will never know when the WR on your watch is compromised and no longer suitable to go under water until the next service. Theoretically this should not pose a problem if you service the watch faithfully once every about 5 years, but in the real world how fast the WR wears off depends on several factors, such as the environment the watch is exposed to and how you use the watch. That is why it is technically recommended to send your watch for a water proof test everytime before you use it for heavy water activities(e.g. diving). However most people don't do that, either to save cost or because they are unaware of this issue and thought that the WR of their watch is always suitable for such activities. Personally I avoid washing my watch too often nowsadays and would only do so when it gets more dirty. Also ensure the pushers are fully screwed in before washing and do not activate the pushers immediately after washing, until you ensure that the watch is completely dry before you do so. These are some little ways to reduce the risk of getting water sip into the watch.



My personal opinion is not to do that often. Personally I do not polish the watch on my own and I am even thinking of not polishing the watch at all for future servicing because the scratches define what I expose the watch to and my "diary of my everyday life", which gives the watch character. Also in my humble opinion, because polishing involves removing micro layers off the watch, you can actually destroy the shape of the watch if you are not skillful enough. Of course it might not be visible from the naked eye initially but if you really polish it on yr own often, eventually the loss of that "sharpness look" might show itself overtime. It is even said that a watch can only be polished up to a max number of times in the lifetime. IMHO, let the experts do the job during an overhaul. After all, this is a watch that you have spent thousands on so why take the risk?

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Breitling Chronomat 01 Limited Edition
Breitling Navitimer 01 46mm

I don't shower with any of my watches. I wonder if the heat and and soap compounds may, over time, degrade the seals. A rinse under gently running tepid water and a soft brush is all I need to do.

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Breitling B-1 1999
Breitling Chrono Superocean 2004
Casio G Shock
Citizen Eco Drive AT4000-02E (for gardening)
Seiko 5 SNZG15J1
Hamilton X Wind LE

I just use one of this little towels made for cleaning glasses. Works like a charm on the crystal and polished areas. Whenever I change straps or the bracelet, I clean everywhere else too.

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I speak from experience but it did not go well for my navitimer when I tried cleaning the newly polished bracelet with a little soap/water and a toothbrush.

After a hot summer week down in Colombia, the watch accumulated a lot of sweat. I proceeded to clean it with gentle strokes with the materials described above. A week later I noticed a lot of light scratches on the bracelet. I'm assuming it came from the use of the toothbrush

Since it was my first heavy clean, either I over did it or I have did not do it properly. I would stay clear of brushes unless you know exactly what you are doing.

Advise on just how to get this right would be greatly appreciated.

Use a soft bristle toothbrush!

Well if it did that to your watch, what's it doing to your teeth? Seriously though there are plenty of soft brushes to try. I use a camera lens brush to get into the nooks and crannies. Consider switching to a rubber strap for hot sweaty conditions, easy to rinse off.

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Breitling B-1 1999
Breitling Chrono Superocean 2004
Casio G Shock
Citizen Eco Drive AT4000-02E (for gardening)
Seiko 5 SNZG15J1
Hamilton X Wind LE

I use the shower to clean my watches other than the Nav and Speedmaster. A soft brush and little soap suds, antibacterial, and rinse. Any swirls or scratches are dealt with the Cape Cod cloth you described in your first post. I then use the same soap and dry with a clean soft terry cloth towel and allowed to air dry. Make sure the crown and pusher locks are closed if you have them and let the water rinse over the watch and do not run the stream of water at pressure or directed at the pushers or crown. For deep scratches I use jewelers rouge and a dremel tool but do not recommend this to anyone that has not had experience with metals. Hope this helps.
Frank.
I like to keep my polished watches polished.

I wish sellers would clean their watches before putting them up for sale. I've had some come in so filthy that I was tempted to get a tetanus shot after opening the box. Bracelets especially, I always use hot water, dish washing liquid, and a toothbrush on bracelets after receiving and before selling. Don't need any of that extra DNA floating around.