Watch cleaning

Hi, I have an Ingenieur ME with a rubber strap. I was given a cleaning gel for the strap when I purchased it, but I was wondering if there is a cleaning kit out there for the case? A polish with the cloth is good but it doesn't get in the nooks and crannies!

Hi Richard,

I think the consensus is ... for the watch and bracelet only water and no soap and a micro-fiber cloth for drying ... for the leather strap a little bit of Lexol if needed to get rid of spots ...for the rubber strap water & mild detergent & old toothbrush and rinse well

CLEANING METHODS: A QUESTION

CLEANING

BEST FOR CLEANING SS AQUATIMER?

HOW TO TAKE CARE OF A RUBBER STRAP? (see Michael's response)

LEATHER STRAPS (AND CLEANING THEM) VS STAINLESS STEEL (see Blue Orca's response)

CLEANING OF CROC STRAP...

my 2 cents - corrections greatly welcomed.

IWC cleaning kit.

Cheers,
sc

Watch cleaning, my favorite topic.

For rubber strap, clean the side that touches the skin with soapy water and rinse it with clean water. Use a soft toothbrush and brush gently if you have to remove salt or soil deposits in small and hard to reach areas. Instead of soapy water, I have used Neutrogena clear shampoo mixed with water with great results. That Neutrogena can remove oil and grease really well.

To keep the rubber strap looks moist and not dried out, apply Lexol Vinylex to the top side of the strap, indirectly with a cotton towel.

I use the above techniques on my Galapagos every now and then.

To clean any metal watch cases (i.e. steel, gold, platinum, titanium), I use pre-moistened lens cleaning tissue, such as the Bausch & Lomb Sight Savers tissues.

Good luck.

Blue

Awesome - how/where do I get one of these???

I am interested too.

I think I have one of these watch care kits laying around. It's nice but not as special as it looks. If I recall it contains

--a soft polishing cloth (no big deal)
--a small bottle of fluid, probably like a window cleaner
--a loupe
--a few tools, like a spring bar tool

These parts are easily obtainable by themselves. Nothing proprietary nor expert. Nice case, though.

Opinion: Many watches have been damaged more by "cleaning" than by dropping. If you must, please be careful.

I breath some moist on the watch, like with my glasses, and rub it carefully with a soft cloth. A finger nail behind the cloth for the difficult ridges et voilà, the watch is spotless. But most importantly, I take the watch off when doing some dirty job.

Kind regards,
Paul

I keep some of the little micro fibre cloths that are shipped with screen protectors for your phone screen (they are usually about 10cm square) laying about on my desk and car door. When I am stuck in traffic or waiting on the phone I usually grab one and give my watch a quick clean - with the smaller cloths it is easy to get them in between the strap and case and other nooks and crannies for a clean.