How to Store Watches Long-Term

To store a watch long-term, put it away clean, dry and cushioned, with the crown screwed down, somewhere cool, dark and low in humidity, and away from magnets. A mechanical watch can rest fully wound down for months and come to no harm; you simply wind and set it when you take it out again. The mistakes are storing a dirty or damp watch, or leaving leather against a humid surface.

• Clean it first; skin oils and sweat corrode over time.
• Crown screwed or pushed fully in to keep the seal shut.
• Cool, dry, dark. Heat and humidity are the enemies.
• Away from speakers, laptops and magnetic clasps.

Prepare the watch before it goes away

Never store a watch dirty. Sweat and skin oils are mildly corrosive, and months of them sitting on a caseback or in the links of a bracelet do real harm. Wipe the case, crystal and bracelet down, and clean a metal bracelet properly if it needs it, using the method in our home cleaning guide. Make sure it is bone dry. Any trapped moisture will corrode in a sealed box far faster than in open air.

Where to keep it

The ideal spot is cool, dark and stable. Avoid:

• Humidity. The single worst factor for stored watches, and a real concern in a humid climate. Rust and mould thrive in it.
• Heat and sunlight. High temperatures degrade lubricants and can fade a dial; direct sun over months bleaches it.
• Magnets. Do not store a watch on a speaker, beside a laptop, or near a magnetic clasp. Magnetism is covered in our demagnetising guide.
• Loose drawers. A watch rattling against keys or other watches picks up scratches.

A watch box or roll with individual cushioned slots is the sensible answer. In a genuinely damp environment, a sealed container with a couple of silica gel sachets keeps the air dry, and the sachets want swapping every few months.

Automatics: to wind or not to wind

You do not need to keep a mechanical watch running while it is stored. Letting it wind down and rest is completely fine; the oils do not care whether it is ticking. When you retrieve it, give it a wind, set it, and it carries on. General care is in caring for an automatic watch.

A watch winder is a convenience, not a preservation tool. Its only real job is to keep an automatic with a calendar or other complications running and set, so you do not have to reset the date each time you rotate it. For a plain three-hander in long storage, a winder achieves nothing except adding wear and running the movement between services. If you do use one, keep it away from the watch's position as its motor holds a magnet.

Straps and bracelets

• Leather: store it dry and unbuckled, flat or gently curved, never coiled tight. Keep it away from humidity, which is what rots leather from the inside. For long storage, a separate strap off the watch fares better.
• Metal: clean and dry, then away. Steel is easy, but still wants dry air to avoid corrosion at the clasp and between links.
• Rubber: the most forgiving. Just clean and dry.

The trade-offs between materials are in our strap comparison, and spares live in the straps and accessories collection.

Long storage checklist

• Cleaned and fully dry.
• Crown screwed or pushed fully in.
• Cushioned in a box or roll, not loose.
• Cool, dark, low humidity, silica gel if the air is damp.
• Clear of magnets and heat sources.
• Checked every few months for condensation or a fogged crystal.

A watch stored well emerges years later ready for a wind and a service. Browse the automatic and mechanical collection or the wider shop.