Turning a profit on luxury watches when you plan to sell them includes a lot of factors. Starting from a wisely timed sale to ensuring it’s the right time of the year, checking the market trend and also ensuring the watch quality is top-notch. Buyers are interested in paying more for a pre-owned watch that is well-maintained and in good condition, instead of a watch that is barely serviced or shows signs of poor maintenance.
Luxury watches aren’t ‘set forget’ type of machines. While they run trouble-free for many years, they still require maintenance and servicing at regular intervals. Usually, the watch industry suggest servicing a timepiece anywhere between 3 to five years to avoid hassle. In this blog post, we’ll discuss the five most common signs of a poorly maintained timepiece that may signal deeper issues. Look out for their signs!
5 Signs Your Luxury Watch Is Poorly Maintained
1. Moisture trapped inside the watch case
Moisture is one of the root causes of damage in watches. If condensation and hints of water droplets appear on the watch’s glass surface in a humid environment, it should go away once you wipe it. However, if you’re unable to remove it, it means moisture is trapped inside.
Trapped moisture cause the lubricants to break down, interfering with the watch’s regular functioning and causing unusual noises, making it difficult to operate the pushers and crown, and even cause a mechanical failure.
What causes it?
- Exposure to harsh temperatures or harsh chemicals can compromise the watch’s seal, leaving it vulnerable to moisture.
- Exposing the watch to water level beyond the watch’s resistance level can damage the seal. A water-resistant watch is only resistant to a specific water depth. Usually water-resistant luxury watches can withstand humidity and a small amount of water, and it should never be engulfed in water. Only when the watch has a water-resistance rating, you can take the chance.
- If the watch glass is cracked from physical impact or wearing in inappropriate situations, leaves it vulnerable to contamination.
How to avoid?
While natural wear and tear can affect the seal of luxury watches over time, you can slow down the process by avoiding wearing it in extreme situation. Also, it’s important to follow the watchmaker’s guidance and get your watch professionally serviced at regular intervals.
2. Fading or change in colour
Luxury watches remain vulnerable to discolouration and fading, especially the untreated bronze, gold alloys and sterling silver being more prone. However, the intensity of colour change intensifies based on the conditions.
Extreme changes in colour may diminish the appeal and value of a luxury watch. Additionally, it means that the previous owner didn’t take proper care of it, giving the impression it’s in poor condition.
What causes it?
- Dull spots, fading or other signs of discolouration are common when the watch is worn regularly. The case edge is one of the most common areas where you can find the changes in colour. It is often accompanied by scratches as well.
- Stains from dirt, oil and food can also create discoloured patches.
- Improoper cleaning, high humidity, watch coating being worn off due to scuffs or low-quality of the coating application are other reasons.
- If a watch shows complete discoloration, it’s likely been stored in a humid environment for too long, potentially causing corrosion.
- Exposure to UV rays can also cause the bracelets and leather straps to fade and become brittle, respectively.
- Contact with skin care producrts, perfume, various chemicals and cleaning items tend to darken or dull the watch colour.
- Prolonged sun exposure can dull and fade the watch hands and dial colour.
- Sulfur compounds, moisture, and chemicals can react with metals like silver and gold alloys, causing them to tarnish and take on a dark grey, black, or green hue.
How to avoid?
While you can restore a watch’s lost shine by gently polishing the metal with the right equipment, it is advisable to approach professional watchmakers for cleaning, refinishing, restoring or just touching up the coating. Moreover, discoloured internal parts and components may require replacing.
3. Rust
Whether rust is a deal-breaker or not depends on the extent of the damage. Rusting in a luxury watch depends on the metal type. For instance precious metals like pure gold, stainless steel, platinum and silver are safe for rusting. Rusting in luxury watches is a rare scenario but if it happens, it may be a sign that the timepiece isn’t worth the price. In many cases, rust on a steel watch may indicate the watch is made of lower-grade of stainless steel.
Leaving it untreated, rust can impact the operation of the crowns and pushers which are crucial functions for time-setting. On top of that, rusting of internal parts can also create friction between the movements and produce an unusual noise.
What causes it?
- Over exposure to moisture or water leads to rust. If inner parts of the watch show rusting, it means it was insufficiently sealed.
- Even if the watch is highly water-resistant it can still lead to corrosion when exposed to chlorine and saltwater without proper rinsing. Similarly, sweat can do the same thing, due to the salt and chemicals it contains.
- Dirt, grime, build-up-dust or any form of physical damage like scratches and dents can causes rusting.
How to avoid? Light clean and polish can help remove minor rust on the outer surface. However, if there’s internal rust, an in-depth repair service may be needed to treat the issue, replace the components and assess if it’s reparable or not. A professional service or watchmaker also assesses if the rust is a sign of other more critical functional problems caused by incorrect care of poor maintenance.
4. Surface erosion
One of the most telltale signs of poor maintenance is corrosion pitting or surface erosion in which small but deep holes form on the watch surface. However, corrosion pitting is very rare to spot in high-end watches, due to their protective oxide layer. However, corrosion can occur in certain conditions and may suggest the watch’s lower quality.
Corrosion pitting leads to long-term impacts like rust, discolouration and degradation of the metal surface. Apart from visual issues, it causes functional problems like interfering with the operation of the pushers and crown.
Internal corrosion also complicates repairs, compromises water-resistance and increases the risk of damage. Overall, it reduces the resale value of luxury watches and also turns down the potential customers.
What causes it?
- Exposure to sweat, saltwater or cleaning products leaves the protective layer of the watch damaged and makes it vulnerable to dirt, moisture and water.
- Faulty gaskets and seals allows elements like dust, oxygen, water and saltwater to enter the watch case and make room for corrosion pitting.
How to avoid?
Follow a luxury watch maintenance routine to prevent corrosion pitting. Also monitor the condition of the seals and gaskets, and remove any built-up dirt. Avoid exposing the watch to harsh chemicals, follow the water-resistance level, dry it out thorough and store it in a dry environment to avoid corrosion.
For deep pitting, watchmakers use laser welding to fill the pits with the same metal type as the watch case. This is an expensive service and requires a skilled technician. However, it may still not match the original finish. In some cases, the best option is to replace the bracelet or the case, which is again cistly and can lower the watch’s resale value.
5. Scratching the watch heavily
Of course, wristwatches will acquire scratches through regular wear and tear, but it should be minimal. If the watch is covered in scuffs, scratches and dents, it suggests that the watch wasn’t stored carefully or maintained correctly.
While scratches are usually superficial flaws, leaving them unattended overtime cause metals to thin and weaken the parts of the bracelet or case. It also leads to decline of the overall watch aesthetic, further lowering the watch’s value.
What causes it?
- Physical activities or wearing the watch in unsuitable environments can cause excessive scratching.
- Improper watch handling such as dropping it frequently or storing it improperly can also cause the scratches.
- Sudden shock can also impact the components inside, further damaging the movement and creating a clicking noise.
- Watches from soft metals like platinum, titanium and pure gold are more prone to scratches, especially if they lack the protective scratch-resistant coating.
- If the previous owner failed to clean and service the watch regularly, it causes the dirt to accumulate and develop into micro-abrasions over time.
How to avoid?
Ensure the watch is stored in its original box, facing up in the right position. Clean it with a soft cloth and keep it away from people who may mishandle it. Polishing and buffing can remove scratches to some extent but using excess pressure can add more as well. Over polishing can in turn damage and diminish the original craftsmanship.
As different types of luxury watches require different polishing methods, it is best to seek the expertise of a professional watchmaker to assess any deep scratches as it may require replacing the components or refinishing them.
