A beautiful watch is a great piece of jewelry that adorns your wrist and also looks attractive. However, there are some basic maintenance tasks you need to handle to keep it working and looking great. Here are some recommendations to help you take care of your watch so it keeps time and works well for you for years.

Regular Oil Service

Although your watch is not a vehicle, it still needs to be oiled regularly when it runs on a mechanical movement. A mechanical watch is the type of watch that you wind up periodically and then it slowly unwinds as the internal components rotate around. Over time, however, your watch can slow down even though you keep it wound regularly, and this is because the oils inside the watch's internal components have dried, thus causing the mechanics to stick against one another. 

Take your mechanical watch to a local watch service professional or jeweler and they can take apart your watch and apply new oil to the inside of it after they clean all the components. This removes the old buildup of oil and replaces it with new lubricant. If you wear your mechanical watch on a regular basis, this type of service should be completed every four to five years.

Replace the Battery

If your watch is not a mechanically powered watch, then it is regulated by a quartz crystal inside, which keeps the movement of the hands constant and even. This type of watch does need a battery to power it, and it will be necessary for you to replace the battery when it begins to slow the watch. You will know when this is the case because your watch will not keep time appropriately, and then you will notice the hands begin to stop periodically altogether. 

Your local jeweler can replace the battery in your quartz watch by removing the back panel. Then if your watch is a waterproof watch, they will reseal the back panel to ensure it has continual water resistance. Don't neglect to replace your watch battery once it begins to slow. A bad battery left inside your watch can corrode and ruin the interior of your watch with battery acid.

Repair Damage

Other situations in which you need your watch repaired include when you scratch the crystal that covers the face of the watch. The crystal looks like a glass plate but is really made of a white sapphire crystal or acrylic crystal. Your jeweler can replace the crystal with a new one and also repair, clean, or replace the watch band with a new one. This type of repair will restore the band to brand-new condition and keep up the appearance of your watch.