Cleaning Your Forge & Foster Watch

Our watches are made to last. Investing in our timepieces means investing in quality and style. However, they do require to be nurtured and cleaned every once in a while.

The good news is, it isn’t hard to keep your watch clean. You certainly don’t need an expensive fancy cleaning kit either.

Let’s look at the various areas you should focus on when it comes to cleaning your timepiece to ensure that it stays as pristine as the day you got it.

Firstly, let’s talk tools

There are only a few things needed to give your watch the clean it deserves:

- A soft bristle brush, such as a toothbrush will become your sidekick when it comes to getting dirt off your timepiece.

- Having a microfibre cloth at hand will also be useful. It will help polish up your watch and lift any dirt or residue from the cleaning process.

We would recommend removing your straps to ensure they get a thorough clean, however it isn’t an essential step and only needs to be done if you are giving your watch a detailed clean.

To remove your straps you can purchase spring bar tool relatively cheap to help with this process.

Glass

To see your watch in all its glory, you will want the face to be spotless. The best solution? Warm water and mild soap. By dipping a soft cloth or toothbrush into this solution, you can carefully rub away any smears or grime. 

Make sure it is dry with a clean microfibre cloth, leaving any residue can affect your watch over time, so give the glass a good polish once cleaned.

Stainless Steel

One of the most durable materials we use on our watches. Our stainless steel straps and cases can withstand a lot. 

We would recommend gently rubbing your watch down with warm water daily, and use a thin chamois cloth wrapped over a toothpick to lift any ingrained grit in those tricky, smaller areas.

A detailed clean is recommended every 1 to 2 months. Using a soft brush and a gentle liquid soap, you can clean away the deeper marks. When using a soft brush, avoid hard scrubbing as this can cause unwanted scratches! 

For our PVD coloured watches such as Onyx Rose and Revere, it is best to stay away from using soap and water. A polish cloth will lift the dirt well of these and prevent the colour from fading. 

The key thing in maintaining stainless steel is to ensure that you dry this thoroughly with a soft towel afterwards.

Rubber

Rubber straps, like stainless steel, have the benefit of being durable and long-lasting. But just like stainless steel, it needs attention when cleaned. Especially since rubber can hold smells too. 

We would suggest soaking a cloth with soapy water and give the strap a soft scrub. You can use a cotton bud to get in those hard to reach areas. If there are any deep stains, a toothbrush will lift these without issue. 

Once cleaned you can take a dry cloth to lift any excess water and soap. The straps can be then left to air dry. Before you know it you will be wearing your clean timepiece again!

Leather

With leather, the process of soaking up moisture and then drying out again is what causes the material to break down and crack. A cautious approach is needed when it comes to cleaning leather!

You can use a leather solution on this if you wish, but ensure it is compatible with our leather. An alternative would be just the classic water and antibacterial soap, but use this cautiously. 

Ensure you don’t soak the leather and that you gently buff the strap to remove any unwanted marks.

Things To Avoid

There are things you should stay away from when it comes to watch maintenance:

- A big one would be do not over-saturate your watch with water and hard scrubbing. This will lead to your timepiece deteriorating very quickly, and you wouldn’t want that!

- If your watch is exposed to water regularly, ensure you dry it off fully as this will help prevent deterioration of the watch, as well as prevent any irritation on the skin.

Following these simple steps will ensure your Forge & Foster watch lasts for years. If you do have questions about maintenance and looking for more advice, please drop us a message and we will be more than happy to help.