How to Clean Your Watch and Bracelet at Home

To clean a watch at home, wipe the case, crystal and bracelet with a dry microfibre cloth after every wear, and reserve mild soapy water with a soft brush for the occasional deeper clean of a water-resistant model. That is genuinely most of it. The mistakes people make are not gentle enough cleaning; they are running an unsealed watch under a tap or soaking a leather strap.

• Daily: dry microfibre wipe.
• Now and then: soapy water and a soft brush, crown screwed down.
• Never: soak leather, or wet a watch whose water resistance you cannot vouch for.

What to have on hand

• A lint-free microfibre cloth.
• A soft brush. An old, soft toothbrush is ideal.
• A bowl of lukewarm water with a single drop of mild soap.
• A dry towel for patting down.

Notice what is not on that list: no solvents, no ammonia-based glass cleaner, no ultrasonic tank. Those belong nowhere near an assembled watch.

The daily wipe does the heavy lifting

Skin oils, sweat and dust are what dull a watch, and they collect in the same places every time: the seam where the bezel meets the case, the gaps between bracelet links, the underside of the lugs against your skin. Thirty seconds with a dry microfibre cloth at the end of the day lifts all of that before it cakes. Do it consistently and you will rarely need anything more.

The deeper clean, done safely

Only on a metal bracelet or rubber strap, and only on a watch whose water-resistance rating you actually know. If you are unsure what that rating permits, read our water resistance ratings guide before you start.

1. Shut the crown. Screw a screw-down crown all the way in until it seats. This is the whole ball game. An open crown is an open door to the movement.
2. Brush gently. Dip the soft brush in the soapy water and work around the case, the bezel and between the links. No scrubbing.
3. Rinse briefly under clean water, crown still shut.
4. Dry properly. Pat with the towel, finish with the microfibre, then leave it to air out fully before it goes away, so no moisture is trapped against the caseback.

By strap type

• Metal bracelet: soapy water and the soft brush lift the grime that hides between links. Dry it thoroughly, links included.
• Rubber or silicone: the same method. These materials do not care about water or sweat.
• Leather: never soak it. A barely damp cloth, then air-dry away from direct heat, and give it rest days off the wrist. Perspiration is what kills leather straps, not dirt.
• NATO or fabric: take it off the watch entirely and hand-wash the strap on its own.

If a strap is past saving, replacing it is cheap and transforms the watch. Our strap comparison weighs up the materials, and the straps and accessories collection has the options.

What ruins a watch faster than dirt

• Solvents and harsh chemicals, which harden gaskets and cloud finishes.
• Cologne sprayed onto the wrist while the watch is on. It attacks leather and, over time, the lume.
• Home ultrasonic cleaning of an assembled watch. Heat and vibration can breach a seal.
• Tap water on a watch with weak or unknown water resistance.

Common questions

How often is a deep clean needed?

A daily microfibre wipe, plus a soapy-water clean every few weeks for a bracelet in heavy rotation. Leather gets wiped, never washed.

Can I use an ultrasonic cleaner at home?

Not on the whole watch. Ultrasonic cleaning is a workshop process, run on a stripped movement or a detached bracelet. With the case sealed, the vibration risks the gaskets.

Is a rinse under the tap safe?

Only if the watch is genuinely water-resistant and the crown is screwed down. A 30m dress watch is built to shrug off a splash, not a running stream. When in doubt, a damp cloth does the job with none of the risk.

My leather strap smells of sweat. Now what?

Wipe it with a barely damp cloth, dry it naturally, and give it a few days off. If the smell lingers it has soaked into the fibres, and a new strap is the quick, cheap fix.