Let’s face it the world has gone mad for cleanliness presently and rightly so, people should be washing their hands all the time anyway, not just when the world is in the grips of a global pandemic.
As a large portion of the World is being thrown into self-isolation, and the need for us all to be taking cleanliness seriously, what better time to provide a guide to cleaning your Rolex, we have the time currently and we certainly have the need to get rid of them germs which can build up on your Rolex, so lets see how to clean your Rolex in this weeks blog.
Rolex wearers tend to wear their Rolex on a daily basis, so it’s only natural that there will be a build up of germs and dirt on the watch, and it can really build up in those hard to reach areas, so we are going to show you how to clean a Rolex watch, and remove all the germs and grime that can build up through daily wear.
So here is our guide to cleaning your Rolex.
Firstly there are really a couple of levels of cleaning, you can clean your watch without a partial strip down if you are not comfortable taking the bracelet and bezel off, or you can give your Rolex a clean with the Oyster Bracelet and Bezel removed.
The oyster bracelet on your Rolex is easily removed using one of our pin tools available here. But like we say if you are not comfortable removing parts of your Rolex its fine to just clean around the watch without removing the strap or bezel.
Please note that these cleaning tips do not apply to leather watch bands, they apply to stainless steel watch straps only.
This blog covers deep cleaning tips which should probably be done at least once a month, but your watch and strap should be rinsed and cleaned with clean water and a microfibre cloth whenever it is exposed to conditions such as swimming pools and sea water.
Tools you will need:
A small plastic bowl
An old (or new) toothbrush (soft bristles) just dont clean your teeth with it afterwards.
Washing up liquid or soap
A small dry microfibre cloth (available here)
Q-Tips
Optional:
Vulcan Strap Removal Tool Kit (available here)
Canned air
Alcohol wipes
Make sure the crown is firmly screwed down
This is the most important thing when you are doing anything with your watch, ensure that the crown is firmly screwed down, this is not only important in open air, but especially important when going anywhere near water with your Rolex. If you leave the crown unscrewed in open air duct and dirt can find its way into the mechanism and you don’t want that. But if you leave the crown unscrewed when you take your watch near water then you are screwed! If you get water into the Rolex mechanism it will ruin your watch and we don’t want that to happen do we?
So, first things first make sure your crown is fully screwed down before you do anything with your Rolex. If you own a chronograph also ensure that chronograph pushers are screwed and locked down in place, basically make sure that your watch is set up as if you were going swimming in it.
Prepare your watch for cleaning
After you have ensured that the crown is fully screwed down above, you can if you wish remove some of the elements of your watch for better cleaning, if you are uncomfortable doing this then skip to the next step.
But of you want to remove the Oyster or Jubilee bracelet from your Rolex you will need a tool kit to remove the pins and the deployant clasp, the Vulcan tool kit provides the pin removal tool and the correct size screwdriver for removing this, and is available here.
The best way to remove the bracelet is the technique show here in our youtube video for changing your Rolex Oyster bracelet to a Vulcan Watch Strap.
If you want to remove the deployant clasp also then you will need to use the screw driver to remove the 2 screws securing it to your Rolex Oyseter Bracelet, then the deployant clasp can be removed.
Time to clean
Fill the small bowl with some warm (not boiling) water and add a little washing up liquid and stir up the water with the toothbrush.
Ensure that the washing up liquid or soap you are using are not harsh industrial cleaners but domestic cleaning products good for the skin. Harsh chemicals could damage your watch.
Place the watch into the bowl and leave to soak for 5 minutes, this will loosen all the dirt and grime on the watch.
If you have removed the strap and bezel and separated the deployant clasp then place all of these components into the bowl too, you can also place the screws and pins into the bowl if you wish.
Take all of the components out of the bowl and gently go over all of the watch, the bezel and the bracelet with the toothbrush, trying to get in all of the nooks and crannies of the watch with the toothbrush and Q-tips.
As you are gently brushing the watch, periodically dip the watch back into the water to remove the dirt.
Cleaning the watch and face
Using a Q-tip gently go around the watch face dipping the Q-Tip into the water and making circular motions all over the face, and linear motions into the numberals on the bezel.
One of the main areas which really picks up dirt and dust is around the Rolex cyclops which magnifies the date, take the Q-tip and try to get right into the edges of the cyclops all around it.
Use another Q-tip to go all around the surface of the face in a gentle circular motion and the same with the bezel.
Use the Q-tip to go all around the outside edges of the bezel too, so that we ensure it is all clean.
Dip the watch back into the bowl of water and give it a gentle swish round the bowl to remove any dirt we have loosened.
Cleaning the Oyster or Jubilee bracelet
Take the toothbrush again and gently brush all around the Rolex Oyster bracelet and especially in the Oyster deployant clasp, as there is a lot of dirt which builds up in there.
You can also use a Q-tip to get into those hard to reach places within the deployant clasp.
Drying the watch
Keep repeating any of the above processes until the watch looks clean to your satisfaction.
Then take your microfibre cloth and dry the watch and all over and try to polish with the cloth rubbing the watch between your fingers with the micro fibre cloth in between.
Try to cover the whole watch and dry and polish all over.
You can use a dry Q-tip to get into the nooks and crannies in the bracelet or the clasp again to dry the watch.
This is also where the canned air comes in handy, use this to get right into anywhere you need to clean. (be careful with canned air and follow manufacturers guidance for use on the can) this will blow out the excess water in hard to reach places.
Cleaning complete
Finally, your watch is clean. If you disassembled the bracelet from the case etc you can put this all back together again in reverse order.
If you didn’t dismantle the watch, you can now admire your watch as clean and complete and looking its best, ready for the next few weeks ahead looking good on your wrist again.
Other care tips for your Rolex
Ensure that your watch remains wound even if you are not wearing it, try to use a watch winder.
It is important that the mechanism in your watch is moving all the time to stop the mechanism from getting damaged, now and again if it stops its ok, but having it stopped for prolonged periods is not recommended,
Avoid harsh environments for your Rolex Oyster bracelet, like the beach for example, the sand can scratch the Rolex Oyster Bracelet quite easily, this is why we obviously recommend the swapping out your Rolex Oyster Bracelet for a Vulcan Rubber one, perfect for the beach, you can customise your design here.
Rinse your watch thoroughly after being in a swimming pool or the sea. Rinse the watch under clean water to rinse off the chlorine and salt, then wipe clean with a micro fibre cloth available here.
When placing your watch when not wearing it, try to place the watch on it’s side so as not to scratch the face of the watch or the bracelet, this will reduce the risk of scratching your watch on the bracelet or the face.
These tips will keep your Rolex looking pristine for years to come and maintain the value of your Rolex should you ever need to sell it.
Thanks for reading and we look forward to seeing you on the next blog, please follow us on instagram, facebook, twitter, Youtube and please sign up to our mailing list to be kept up to date with the latest products and blog posts.
Thank you
Lee Scott
Founder
Vulcan Watch Straps
18.03.2020
