How to Store Your Watches
How to Store Your Watches
I’ve heard a few horror stories about people finding watches that were improperly stored. I’ll save you the gory details, but I think you can imagine what they found – leaked battery acid, water damage, and cracked glass. To prevent more of these horror stories from happening, we’ve compiled a list of rules to keep your watches looking pristine even after months or years in storage.
Whether you’re leaving on an extended trip or want to store your collection for a longer period of time, you need to follow these quick-and-easy rules to avoid inadventantly damaging your watch.
Table of Contents
Everyday Storage
1. Watch Storage Case: These cases have soft, plush compartments that will prevent scratches or dents. These cases are similar to a jewelry box, but they’re designed to fit watches comfortably.
2. Travel Case: If you need a smaller storage case for home or travel, you can invest in a travel case. About the same size as a glasses case, this case won’t take up much room. It’s an easy solution for individual storage.
3. Watch Rolls: A watch roll is a case made of flexible materials, oftentimes leather or fabric. You can store your watches in the pouch to prevent accidental scratches. This storage option would be ideal for home or travel.
4. In-Home Safe: For valuable watches, we suggest storing them safely in an in-home safe. Not only will your watches be secure, but you’ll also have peace of mind when you’re away from your house. Unlike storing your watches at a bank, this option will allow you to easily access your watches and documents.
Long Term Storage
1. Individually wrap your watches in soft cloth pouches. The cloth pouches will cushion your watches, allow them to breath, and whisk away any moisture. If you do not own cloth pouches, you can store your watches in plastic bags with silica gel packets to absorb any moisture that sneaks in.
2. Avoid storing your watches next to a magnetic force, such as a computer. Although most watches can easily be demagnetized, it’s even easier to avoid the problem in the first place.
3. Remove the battery from a quartz watch if you intend to store it for a long period of time. Leaked battery acid will destroy the watch movements, causing the value of the watch to significantly decrease.
4. Keep everything together. The original watch boxes and papers should be kept near the stored watch to make it easier to find what you need when you’re looking for it. However, the papers should be kept in a secure plastic sheath to prevent water damage from destroying the documents.
5. Store the watches in a secure location. A safe deposit box or an in-home safe would be ideal places to store your valuable watch collection.
