Watch brands and watches in general are intimately tied to the world of sports. Omega is the official timekeeper of the Olympic Games. Dozens of watch models have been specifically designed for extreme sports like deep sea diving and race car driving. Not to mention that tennis and golf pros regularly play in their Rolex and designer watches.
However, the catch to all this is that not all luxury automatic watches should be worn during physical activities, including your morning work out. Before you don your watch to the gym, read these important watch care tips!
Screw down the crown before swimming laps.
Assuming your watch is water-resistant, your automatic watch is only water-resistant if the crown is fully pushed in and screwed down. So always double-check that the crown is properly set before you dive into the pool.
And if your watch fogs up, it’s a sign that water leaked into your watch and you should have it serviced to ensure its internal components were not damaged.
Use your diving watch’s rotating bezel to time your swim.
Never use your watch’s chronograph (or stopwatch) pushers while you’re already in the pool; pressing them compromises your watch’s water-resistance and may allow water to seep inside. Therefore, only use the rotating bezel to avoid any water damage.
Invest in a sweat-friendly band.
Swap out your watch’s leather or exotic strap for more a resilient or easier-to-clean band like a silicon, rubber or NATO strap. (Leather does not fare well when it gets wet with sweat.) Metal bracelets are a fine option but wipe down the links with a polishing cloth after your workout to avoid build-up.
Keep your watch in your locker during weight lifting and contact sports.
If you wear your watch during a strength training workout, you run the risk of brushing and scratching the crystal against the metal dumbbells, weights and exercise equipment. As for contact sports, a sudden impact to your watch can break its balance staff, which keeps the balance wheel and hairspring in place. If that happens, you’ll need to have your watch expertly repaired.
Double-check your cardio equipment’s method of resistance.
Treadmills, bicycles and elliptical trainers have different types of resistance systems—motors, tension belts, air and magnets—help you work up a sweat. But, if your gym has magnetic cardio equipment, they pose a threat to your automatic watch’s inner components. Magnetic fields can throw off your watch’s escapement (which regulates your watch’s oscillations so it keeps proper time) and damage the movement.