You probably don’t give much thought to when you set your watch –if you notice that your watch is not showing the proper time or date, you set right away. However changing the date when your watch is showing between 9pm and 3am can cause damage to the watch – the date should never be changed during this time period. The reason for this is simple. The day/date gear for most watches begins to engage at 9pm and does not fully disengage until 3am, well after the date has changed. If you use the crown to change the date during the 9pm-3am “danger zone”, you can damage the day-date gear or dial and earn your watch an all-expenses-paid trip for repair.

Even if you put your watch on in the morning, you need to be aware of this potential problem in the event your watch stopped while in the “danger zone”. Always make sure to advance the time first to sometime in the “safe zone” (say, 7am) and then advance the date setting. If the date is only off by one or two days, it is always safe to manually advance the time past midnight until the correct date is shown.

A water-resistant wristwatch should be tested for water-resistance once a year and the seal replaced if necessary.

The constant influence of environmental factors such as perspiration, cosmetics or temperature can have a drastic effect on watch seals, which age with time and lose their sealant properties in the process. Sharp knocks can also adversely affect the water-resistance of your watch.

Significantly enough, professional divers have their watches checked for water-resistance at least once a year and resealed if necessary. We recommend this safety check for all water-resistant watches.

In the case of quartz watches, this test should be carried out after every battery change at the very least.

A watch with condensation under the crystal needs to be examined by a watchmaker without delay, even if the condensation disappears after a short time.

This is one of the worst things that can happen to a watch. It means that minute particles of water have penetrated the case but the seals are still tight enough to prevent the water from evaporating.

What you have on your wrist is in effect a miniature hot tub, where the water condenses at the coolest point. The constant damp atmosphere inside the case is very corrosive and, at worst, can destroy the movement.

The difference between these two movements is the way in which the watch is wound up.

Manual-winding watches must be wound by hand every day. Self-winding watches are wound by an internal rotor, which responds to wrist movements.

Self-winding watches usually have a power reserve of at least 40 hours and therefore have sufficient energy reserves to maintain a stable rate when the watch is not being worn (e.g. overnight).

We replace batteries in almost all brands of watches; most can be done on the spot while you wait. Examples of common brands we work on are Bulova, Hermes, TAG Heuer, Omega, Breitling, Rado, and lots more!

These include

• Accutron
• Baume & Mercier
• Birks
• Burberry
• Bvlgari
• Cartier
• Concord
• Croton
• Dior
• Ebel
• Orient
• Patek Phillipe
• Phillip Stein
• Raymond Weil
• Rideau
• Rolex
• Rotary
• Tissot
• Titan
• Tudor
• Wittnauer
• etc…

During a service procedure, the watch will be completely dismantled and any worn or defective parts will be replaced. The movement will then be ultrasonically cleaned, reassembled, lubricated to manufacturers’ specifications and electronically timed. The case and bracelet will be refinished to the original specification where possible. We carry an extensive range of spare parts for many calibres to ensure that your watch is returned to optimum condition. For more information, kindly call our hotline or come and visit our watch doctor in outlet.

Bring it to Time & Motions Publika immediately for a dry-out; the sooner the better as rust and corrosion can cause permanent damage. DO NOT APPLY HEAT! You will melt delicate parts inside and ruin the watch!

You should replace the strap when the leather is torn or when the leather starts to shrink where it attaches to the watch.

The best bet is to bring the watch in so we can accurately measure your watch wrist and ensure the strap fits properly.We carry a wide selection of watch straps in a variety of textures, colours and sizes. We can also do special orders.

We are able to remove scratches and marks from watch cases and bracelets. Our fully equipped Case and Bracelet Department caters for all refinishing requirements. As well as polishing and graining we also offer lapping and sand blasting finishes, allowing us to refinish watches to the original specification.

While it’s possible the watch might need an internal repair, there are also a variety of small issues that might be stopping it. These can include the need for a new battery (a jolt can short a battery), the battery being jostled out of place, or even hands/digits being lose or jammed.

This is often a sign of a low battery. If you come into the store, we can test the battery, and replace it if it is low.

Some watches have a low-battery warning built-in. When the battery gets low, the second-hand will pause, then jump to where it’s supposed to be. Common intervals are three and five seconds. Come in so we can test the battery, and replace it if necessary.