How to Care for a Watch in a Humid Climate

Most watch care advice is written for temperate climates. Accra is not one, and a few habits make a real difference to how long a watch lasts here.

The daily habit that matters most

Wipe it down at the end of the day. A dry microfibre cloth, thirty seconds.

Sweat is mildly acidic and salty. Left on a case overnight, every night, it works into the gaps around the crown, the caseback edge and the bracelet links. Over years it dulls finishes and degrades gaskets.

This one habit does more than anything else on this list.

Check the crown

If your watch has a screw-down crown, get into the habit of checking it is fully screwed down before you leave the house. It takes a second.

An unscrewed crown makes the water resistance rating meaningless, and humidity gets in through the same gap water would.

Do not wear it in the shower

Even at 100m. Hot water and steam are harder on gaskets than cold water at pressure, because heat expands the rubber and steam penetrates gaps that liquid water would not.

Soap and shampoo also degrade gasket rubber over time.

Leather straps need managing

In this climate leather absorbs sweat, stiffens, cracks and eventually smells. Expect to replace a strap every year or two, and treat that as normal rather than a fault.

To extend it: take the watch off before exercise, let the strap dry away from direct sun, and rotate between two watches or two straps if you can. Leather lasts considerably longer if it gets a day to dry out.

If you wear one watch every single day, a steel bracelet or rubber strap is the more practical choice here.

Clean the bracelet properly

Steel bracelets collect grime between the links, which you will notice as a darkening along the edges.

Every few months: a soft toothbrush, warm water and a drop of mild soap. Brush along the links, rinse, dry thoroughly, and make sure no water sits in the clasp. Only do this if your watch is 50m rated or better and the crown is screwed down.

Storage

Not in the bathroom. Not on a windowsill. Not in a sealed plastic bag, which traps moisture against the case.

A watch box or a drawer, away from direct sun and away from humidity swings. If you have several and a drawer that gets damp, a silica sachet in the box costs almost nothing.

Magnetism

A more common problem than people realise, and mechanical watches are vulnerable.

Phone speakers, laptop lids, handbag clasps and speaker magnets can magnetise a movement, after which it runs fast, sometimes by minutes a day. It is not damage and a watchmaker can demagnetise it in a few minutes.

If a mechanical watch suddenly starts gaining time, this is the first thing to check.

Servicing

Mechanical and automatic watches need a full service every five to seven years. The oils inside dry out and the parts begin wearing against each other.

Skipping it is a false economy. A serviced movement runs for decades. A neglected one eventually needs parts.

Quartz watches need a battery every two to three years. Change it promptly. A dead battery left in a watch can leak and destroy the movement, and that is the single most common avoidable death of a quartz watch.

The one-minute version

Wipe it daily. Screw the crown down. Keep it out of the shower. Replace leather straps when they stiffen. Change quartz batteries promptly. Service mechanical watches on schedule.