Old machines,
handled kindly.
- Winding
- Gently, off the wrist, until you feel resistance
- Calendar
- Never set between 9 PM and 3 AM
- Water
- No water resistance — keep dry
- Service
- Every 5–7 years by a vintage specialist
A vintage watch has already outlived most of the things made alongside it. With a little care, it will keep running long after you’ve handed it on.
The movement inside is a small machine of springs, pivots, and gears, most of it built decades ago and lubricated with oils measured in drops. It doesn’t need to be kept in a glass case, but it does need different habits than a modern watch: gentler winding, more caution around water, and a little thought before you touch the crown.
Everything below applies to the watches we sell, and to most vintage mechanical and quartz watches in general. If you only read one section, make it the one on setting the day and date—it’s the most common way a working vintage calendar gets broken.
Keep the hands
away from midnight.
A watch that shows the day and date doesn’t flip over in an instant. For several hours on either side of midnight—roughly 9 PM to 3 AM on the dial—the gears that drive the calendar are already meshed with the day wheel and the date wheel, slowly pushing them toward the next change.
If you use the quickset to change the day or date while those wheels are mid-change, you force them against gears that are holding them in place. On a vintage movement that can bend or snap a tooth, break the small spring that snaps the numbers into position, or damage the finger that drives the change. The result is a date that sits halfway between numbers, a day that won’t advance, or a calendar that stops working altogether.
A Day-Date carries twice the risk, because two wheels are engaged at once. The fix is simple: before you touch the day or date, move the hands to around 6 o’clock, where the calendar mechanism is completely at rest.
6 AM and 6 PM are both safe—you don’t need to know which half of the day the watch thinks it is.
How to set a Day-Date safely
Park the hands at about 6 o'clock
Pull the crown to the time-setting position and move the hands forward until they sit around 6:00. At this point the day and date mechanism is fully at rest—nothing is engaged, so nothing can be forced.
Set the day, then the date
Use the quickset position, pusher, or crown action your model has. Set the day first, then set the date to the day before today's date. If your watch has no quickset, advance the hands through midnight to change the calendar, and return to 6 o'clock between each change.
Roll forward through midnight
Turn the hands forward until the date clicks over to today. Now you know the watch is in the morning half of its cycle, and the day and date will change at midnight rather than noon.
Set the time and push the crown home
Keep moving forward to the correct time—adding a further twelve hours if it's afternoon or evening. Push the crown back in, and screw it down if your case has a screw-down crown.
The same rule applies to any vintage watch with a date, not just a Day-Date. And if the watch has stopped overnight, don’t reach straight for the quickset—the hands may have stopped inside the danger window. Move them to 6 o’clock first.
Winding
by hand.
Manual-wind watches
Wind once a day, ideally at the same time each morning. Turn the crown slowly and stop the moment you feel firm resistance—never force it past that point. A consistent daily wind gives a steadier rate than letting the watch run down and restarting it.
Automatic watches
If an automatic has stopped, give it twenty to thirty gentle turns of the crown to build a starting reserve before putting it on. Wearing it keeps it running; the rotor handles the rest. A vintage automatic doesn't need a winder—regular wear is kinder to it.
Take it off to wind
Winding on the wrist puts sideways pressure on the crown and stem, which is one of the most common ways a vintage winding stem gets bent or snapped. Hold the case in one hand and turn the crown with the other.
Screw-down crowns
Unscrew slowly until the crown pops free, wind or set, then press in gently while turning to re-engage the threads. If it resists or feels gritty, stop—cross-threading a vintage tube is an expensive repair.
Water &
moisture.
Treat every vintage watch as not water resistant
Our watches are sold as neither waterproof nor water resistant, regardless of markings on the dial or case. Gaskets age, and an original depth rating does not establish current water resistance. Take the watch off before washing your hands, showering, swimming, or doing the dishes.
Keep crowns and pushers closed around water
Never pull the crown or press a chronograph pusher when your hands or the watch are wet. Those are direct paths into the movement.
Watch for fogging
Condensation under the crystal means moisture is already inside. Don't wait for it to clear—take the watch to a watchmaker promptly, before rust sets in on the movement or the dial marks.
Avoid steam and sudden temperature changes
Saunas, hot tubs, steamy bathrooms, and moving from a hot car into air conditioning can draw moisture in past tired seals.
Everyday
wear.
Shock
Many vintage movements predate modern shock protection, and even those that have it are decades old. Take the watch off for golf, tennis, gym work, and anything involving a hammer. A drop onto a hard floor can break a balance staff.
Magnetism
Phones, laptop lids, tablet covers, speakers, magnetic bag clasps, and induction hobs can magnetize a hairspring, which usually shows up as the watch suddenly running minutes fast. Keep it a few inches away. A watchmaker can demagnetize it in seconds.
Chronographs
Use the pushers in order—start, stop, then reset—and don't press reset while the chronograph is running unless your watch is a flyback. Press pushers firmly and fully rather than tapping at them.
Chemicals
Perfume, cologne, sunscreen, hand sanitizer, and cleaning products can stain dials through tired seals and break down leather straps. Put the watch on last, after everything else.
Storage &
cleaning.
Where to keep it
Somewhere cool, dry, and dark—a drawer or watch box, not a bathroom counter or a sunny windowsill. UV fades dials and lume, and humidity is the enemy of everything inside the case.
Keep watches apart
Store each watch in its own pouch or compartment. Steel bracelets will scratch polished cases and acrylic crystals in seconds.
Long-term storage
If a mechanical watch will sit for months, wind and run it for a day every few weeks to keep the oils moving. Remove the battery from a quartz watch you won't wear—old batteries leak and can ruin a movement.
Cleaning
A soft, dry microfibre cloth is all the case needs. Clean a metal bracelet with a soft dry brush; take it to a watchmaker if it needs a proper wash. Never soak a vintage watch, never put it in an ultrasonic cleaner, and don't polish the case—original edges and finishes are a big part of a vintage watch's value.
Servicing
& repair.
Watch oils thicken and dry out over time, whether or not the watch is running well. A full service—disassembly, cleaning, fresh lubrication, new gaskets, and regulation—every five to seven years keeps wear from building up on parts that are no longer made.
Choose a watchmaker who regularly works on vintage pieces. Ask them to keep original parts wherever possible and to return any parts they do replace. Ask them not to polish the case or refinish the dial unless you specifically want that done—originality can’t be put back.
For quartz watches, replace a dead battery promptly rather than leaving it in the case, and have the gaskets checked when you do.
Signs it needs a watchmaker
- Gaining or losing noticeably more time than it used to
- Running for much less time on a full wind
- A crown that feels gritty, loose, or stiff
- Condensation or fog under the crystal
- A rattle, or anything moving loose inside the case
- Hands or calendar that snag, stall, or change slowly
Common questions.
Unsure about your watch? Write to the atelier before you force anything.
Can I set a vintage watch backwards?
On many vintage movements it's best to set the hands forward only, and it matters most on calendar watches, where turning backwards through the date change can strain the mechanism. If you overshoot, go forward around the dial again.
My watch is running fast after I got a new phone case. Is it broken?
Almost certainly not—it's probably magnetized. A sudden jump of minutes a day is the classic sign. Any watchmaker can demagnetize it quickly and inexpensively.
The date is halfway between two numbers. What happened?
Usually the calendar was set, or the watch stopped, while the change mechanism was in progress. Don't force it. Move the hands to about 6 o'clock and try advancing through midnight again. If it still won't clear cleanly, stop and have a watchmaker look before anything breaks.
How accurate should a vintage mechanical watch be?
These are vintage timepieces, many several decades old. Timekeeping can vary with age, service history, position, temperature, and how fully the watch is wound. Accuracy is not guaranteed. Any timing observations in a listing describe performance when observed, rather than a promised daily rate or future accuracy.
Does 25 Jewels service watches after purchase?
We don't offer a post-sale service warranty, but we're glad to point you toward a watchmaker who works on vintage pieces. See our warranty and condition policy for what's covered, and contact us if you have questions about a watch you bought from us.
A watch worth
looking after.
Every piece in the collection is inspected before it’s listed, with condition and known service history described plainly. Read our warranty & condition policy for what’s covered after delivery.