I have particles in my watch, should I at all attempt to clean them at home?

Adamh · May 18, 2020

It's been 6 months since I've had this watch serviced by a local watchmaker. It looked clean when it was returned to me, however, small particles have appeared on the dial over the months. You can see them most clearly in the corners/on the side. Is cleaning this up doable at home?

The case has screws on the back which can be easily removed. I'm hesitant to get started, however, because once the case is open, I'm completely lost. The idea of removing the crown/stem, pulling out the movement, etc, makes me nervous. I've never attempted it before. Am I overreacting, or should I hold off until some jewelers in the area are open? Covid has had them shut down for a while now.

killer67 · May 18, 2020

I would definitely not touch the caseback unless you have done this before. I would take it back to the original watchmaker and have them blow off the dial with the correct tools

NGO1 · May 18, 2020

You can, but you can’t pressure test it afterward.

Dan S · May 18, 2020

There is so much that could go wrong in the process of trying to remove that dust. A watchmaker uses a precision screwdriver to avoid marring the screws and slots, you might damage them or scratch the case-back. Then there is removing the stem and movement. Again you could mar or scratch screws or plates in the movement, or damage something even worse. And then you need to ask yourself how you will remove that dust without introducing new contaminants, and how will you reassemble it without getting more dust inside. IMO, the odds of marring or damaging the watch are greater than the odds that you will improve the situation.

Adamh · May 18, 2020

Thanks for the responses! It seems that exercising patience is the right course of action here (as it often is). I'll hold off and wait for a professional to take a look when things open up. Thanks again!

Evitzee · May 18, 2020

No idea where you live but things are starting to open up rapidly now, your watch guy should be open soon. He should clean up the particles at no charge.

Canuck · May 18, 2020

To thoroughly rid the case of lint, dust, skin cells, and other such detritus before you open the case is not likely to be 100% effective. Which means you’ll admit more dirt then you are trying to remove. Add to that the exudate from your fingers as you experiment in trying to remove the movement to access the dust you refer to. Your watch will be much worse off when you are done than it is right now. Let the watch repair shop do it.

Larry S · May 18, 2020

Any watchmaker of worth would take care of this. Mine would. This is a fine watch, not a piece of junk for an amature to practice on.

wagudc · May 18, 2020

That is a gorgeous watch, let the watchmaker take care of it!

watch3s · May 19, 2020

seeing as how youve never done this before, save it for your watchmaker