Mechanical Swiss watches are built to last, but they still need proper care from their owners to last a lifetime, or even longer. Fortunately, normal wear and tears from day-to-day use aren't too much to worry about when it comes to a mechanical watch. Regular servicing should be enough to keep a watch in optimal condition for years to come.

That being said, these beautiful Swiss timepieces can still be easily sent to watch repairs by several common unintentional mistakes that could have been avoided if its owner had only possessed the right knowledge on how to take care of his/her watch.

Common Ways You Can Damage Your Watch

1. Dropping It

Dropping your Swiss watch can be bad news if it happens at the wrong time. Depending on how hard the surface is and what direction you drop it in, you could very well manage to cause some serious damage to your watch. If you drop it while wearing it, the force without a doubt will be great enough to turn things ugly. To make sure that doesn’t happen, and you have to take it for watch repairs, take your watch off before doing anything potentially hazardous like attempting to run into walls or other hard surfaces for example!

2. Improper Watch Storage

It's also important to keep your Swiss watch in a temperature-controlled environment. Extreme hot or cold temperatures can cause damage to the movement and gaskets in your watch. Quick transitions in hot or cold weather conditions could result in the movement expanding and contracting which could lead to water vapor entering the dial and movement, damaging it. Heat can especially dry out lubricants in your watch which eventually leads to the lubricant congealing, resulting in friction that damages gears in your watch.

3. Setting Functions Wrong

Incorrectly setting the functions of your watch can also result in broken parts. Setting the date on a watch during its "danger zone" (9 pm to 3 am) may cause a misalignment of the date window, rendering it ineffective. Be sure to refer to the watch instruction manual for safe times and procedures for setting/changing data else you will need to take it for regular watch repairs.

4. Using the Chronograph Underwater

Starting your Swiss timepiece's chronograph function underwater can make the case vulnerable to wetness. To keep it running smoothly, use a single-direction rotating bezel while you are swimming or treading water. Pressing the pushers underwater might compromise their seal. This could allow water into the movement causing rust. The dial can also be damaged, becoming discolored, or turning brown because of its moisture content and can only be made usable for watch repairs.

5. Exposing the Watch to Magnetic Fields

A magnetic field is like an unsuspecting culprit that can damage your Swiss watch's movement, which helps determine its proper timing. Although the escapement regulation gear (sometimes also known as the balance wheel) may acquire magnets too, they are most likely to be attached to speakers, radios, televisions, and even some clothing. Therefore, you need to put your watch on a non-magnetic surface at night if you want it to keep working efficiently and not spend a lot on watch repairs.