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How often have we bought watches and never given it a thought as to how to take care of them? Here's some ideas:

Hand-wound watches

With a new watch, wear it every day for at least two weeks. First wind the watch, then set the hands.

Wind slowly and regularly.

Wind daily, if possible, in the morning.

Automatic watches

With a new watch, wear it every day for at least two weeks.

First wind the watch, then set the hands.

When winding an automatic, count the number of times you turn the crown. Thirty to forty revolutions guarantee optimum torque.

If you wear your watch every ray and take it off at night; there is no reason to wind it by hand.

Setting the date with hand-wound & automatic watches

Never use the rapid-advance feature between 8 p.m. and 3 a.m.

Never wind the hands back beyond 12 midnight.

Special instructions apply to watches with a perpetual calendar like the Romana, the Grande Complication, the Novecento and DaVinci Ref. 1850, GST Automatic Alarm and other models. Please see the operating instructions for watches with these complications.

Quartz watches

Pull out crown to "hands position" if the watch will not be worn for a long period of time.

Have the battery checked every two years.

Only allow an official IWC agent to change the battery.

Water-resistant watches

Remove water-resistant watches before showering (soap reduces the surface tension of water and allows it to attack seals very effectively)

Have your watch checked at least once annually and have the seals replaced if necessary.

If condensation appears on the inside of the glass, take your watch to a watchmaker immediately.

Check that the crown is screwed in before swimming or bathing.

After swimming in the sea or in water containing chlorine, rinse the watch under running tap water.

Temperature, shocks, magnetic fields

Avoid extreme fluctuations of temperature.

Avoid extreme shocks and vibrations. Strap the watch firmly to your wrist.

Avoid lengthy periods in strong magnetic fields.

Service intervals

On average, every four to five years.

Only entrust the watch to an official IWC agent.

Leather straps, glasses

Change the leather strap of a watch that is worn daily every one to one-and-a-half years.

Scratches on Plexiglas can be removed by polishing, sapphire glass is scratch-resistant.

Have new glass fitted immediately if the glass is cracked.

Enjoy your watch!