Without the proper tools, a watch collection is incomplete.

Words  Troy C. Medina | Photography  John Chua

Watch winders

Many modern automatic watches have a power reserve of just under two days—38 to 42 hours— which means a long weekend away from home will render your go-to timepiece dead when you get back. Not really a problem, just reset it and get on with your life, but the problem multiplies the more watches you own. Save yourself the trouble with a winder or two.

Left: S1 plug-in watch winder, finished in light brown leather, and featuring an enclosed compartment. Mounted on the winder: Sinn 757 pilot’s chronograph on an Equus brown bridle leather strap and (not shown) a Sinn satin-finish clasp. Right: Omega-branded Swiss Kubik small square winder finished in leather, battery-powered and suitable for safes or cabinet storage. Mounted on the winder: Alpina Startimer Pilot Manufacture Automatic Regulator watch in matte black.

Straps

Changing the strap is the easiest way to refresh an old watch’s looks. But beyond end-of-useful-life replacements, straps may need to be swapped out temporarily for something more suitable to the occasion­—rubber strap for the beach, for instance, or exotic leather for dressy events.

Left to right: Sinn back calf leather strap, comes stock with watch, 20mm. Hodinkee tan textured calf leather strap, 20mm. Jean Rousseau Drake’s Silk and leather navy strap, 20mm. Worn & Wound rye Horween leather strap, 22mm. Sinn black Russian leather strap with white stitching, 20mm. Jean Rousseau lizardskin strap, 20mm.

 

Extra spring bars

The weakest link in any watch, no matter how expensive, is the humble spring bar, which attaches your strap or bracelet to the lugs on the watch case. Anyone who has ever changed a watch strap has bent a bar or two, but the real danger is that a spring bar, compressed and then released accidentally, can fly impressive distances to behind a bookshelf or a TV cabinet, never to be seen again. Better to have spares if you don’t want your watch to be a paperweight. 

Spring bars in various widths by S1.

 

Tools and cleaning materials

The most important source of freebies is watch companies, who routinely give out things like microfiber cleaning cloths (keep them around—they’re extremely handy) to extra straps to watch travel cases. Once in a while they’ll throw in a free jeweler’s screwdriver or spring bar tool, but honestly, the really nice specialized tools are something you’ll want to buy yourself. They’ll more than justify the investment if you work on your watches often enough. An important secondary source of tools which you can repurpose for horological use is your other hobbies. Photography companies, for instance, have a number of useful accessories for cleaning glass or getting rid of dust. You’ll need to get creative about which ones you can use. 

Left to right: Jeweler’s screwdriver, comes free with selected Oris bracelet watches.  Lenspen glass cleaner and duster brush. Bergeon spring bar tool. Sinn spring bar tool. Page & Cooper spring bar tool. Empire brass pocket calipers. Polywatch cleaner for acrylic watch crystals. Bergeon Rodico cleaning putty.

INCIDENTAL INTELLIGENCE

S1 spring bars and watch winders:  www.watch-tool.de
Omega/Swiss Kubik watch winders: Omega stores in Hong Kong
Sinn and Alpina watches: Segnatempo, Greenbelt 3
Sinn replacement straps and clasps: pageandcooper.com
Straps: hodinkee.com, wornandwound.com, thearmoury.com.
Bespoke straps: equusleather.co.uk, jean-rousseau.com
Tools and cleaners: Free from many watch companies,
or amazon.com and www.watch-tool.de.
Lens Pen optical glass cleaner and dust brush: At fine photography stores.
Rolex, Tudor, Omega, Montblanc watches: At authorized dealers everywhere.
Vintage German Air Force-style “observer” watches  by Archimede and Steinhart: Architectural Audio, 4th Floor, Greenbelt 5, Ayala Center, Makati City.

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