The need to care for a leather or satin leather strap is often overlooked, resulting in the strap needing to be replaced frequently. In this article we will look at how to extend the life of a leather strap.
Any watch must be regularly cleaned of dirt and dust, and if necessary, the steel or gold case must be polished - this golden rule is known to all watch owners. But the need to care for a leather or satin leather-based strap is often forgotten, and this leads to the fact that it needs to be replaced frequently: spend money on an expensive original belt (which, moreover, may already be discontinued) or choose another one - not always a perfect match, for example, in the color of the dial.
Leather is a relatively durable material, but it is still not nearly as strong and durable as metal or even plastic and rubber. It is subject to wear, fading, creasing, and loss of color. And under certain conditions, belts even crack or break. To delay all these unpleasant phenomena as much as possible and extend the life of the strap, it is enough to follow simple rules for its use and care.
What's wrong with a leather strap?
Let's start with the basics: it is better not to wash your hands, and especially not to swim or dive while wearing a watch on a genuine leather belt, even if the watch itself is maximally waterproof. Every contact with water (especially hot or salty sea water), and especially prolonged immersion in it, irreversibly damages natural leather. Traces of even drops and splashes on light (cream, yellow, pink) skin can remain forever. The stitching thread and glue that glues the top and bottom plates of the belt leather get wet and deteriorate.
And finally, a watch on a leather strap should not be worn without taking it off from morning to evening, especially in hot weather: sweat spoils the inner layer of the leather of the strap. It is better to take off the watch briefly several times during the day to allow the skin to “breathe.”
Cleaning a metal bracelet
The method for cleaning your watch depends on the material. If the strap is leather, then not all procedures available for a stainless steel product are suitable for it. And a gold bracelet must be handled with special care.
If possible, the strap should be separated from the watch. Then it will be more convenient to operate, because the risk of water and detergent getting into the mechanism will disappear. To clean a metal product, we recommend warm water with added dishwashing detergent or ordinary shampoo. Use it like this:
- pour into a shallow container;
- immerse the watch strap in it and leave it for half an hour;
- then take it out and wipe it with a polishing cloth or just a soft, lint-free one;
- fold and unfold several times to get to hard-to-reach corners, which is where dead skin particles and dirt tend to accumulate;
- You can use a toothpick to clean the most difficult places;
Before use, you need to completely dry the bracelet using a soft cloth or just air dry it.
If the watch has lost its shine, you can return it in this way: shape aluminum foil into a bowl, put a bracelet in it, then pour in baking soda and add hot water. Leave for half an hour, then remove and wipe off so that there are no streaks left. The same effect can be achieved by mixing water and ammonia.
You can prepare a special paste to wipe your watch: combine baking soda and vinegar in equal proportions. This same tool will come in handy if you have a question about how to clean a titanium watch bracelet or a product made of precious metals.
We recommend: How to clean silver using foil and soda?
How to care for a suede or nubuck strap
If the belt is made of reverse leather or nubuck, it is better to treat it with a special spray before use, as we do with suede shoes. This will make the belt more resistant to the same accidental splashes of water or oil. It would be nice to buy a spray that is not neutral, but a shade that matches the color of the strap. Then the spray will help not only maintain water-repellent qualities, but also refresh the color.
I have another cleaning method for you.
By the way, if the strap is too dirty and the melamine sponge no longer helps, you can use it together with window cleaning liquid - it won’t make it worse
Before I discovered melamine sponges, I used mirror and window cleaner to clean .
As far as I understand, in this case, alcohol, which is included in most of these products, helps get rid of dirt.
I simply sprayed the strap generously with liquid and then wiped it with a regular sponge. The result was almost always not much worse than using a melamine sponge.
How to care for a leather or patent leather strap
A leather strap should be regularly cared for using a special leather cream - a neutral shade or color. After the cream is absorbed, excess can be removed with a soft cloth. Special care is required when treating belts with light contrast stitching with cream: cream, even a neutral shade, stains the thread and can change its color. Patent leather straps should be cared for according to the instructions for caring for such leather (usually polishing with a soft cloth helps). Light leather straps can also become stained by rubbing against blue or black denim (or other natural fabrics that are prone to staining), so it's best not to wear these straps with denim jackets.
Advantages and disadvantages of silicone watch strap
It is more correct to call this material silicone rubber or silicone elastomer. From a chemistry course: silicones are organic substances, but their molecules contain not only carbon and hydrogen, but also silicon.
Silicones can have different physical properties depending on their chemical composition. The physical state of this material can be liquid, solid or elastic. It all depends on the size of the molecules that make up the chemical unit: the longer they are, the harder and tougher the material.
Silicone rubber has medium-sized molecules, so it has sufficient elasticity. Silicone rubber contains silicon; the chain of molecules of this substance has a spatial structure, the number of siloxane units (a compound of silicon and oxygen) in which varies from 3 to 10 thousand.
Ordinary rubber does not have silicon in its chemical composition, so its physical properties are different from silicones.
The advantage of silicone rubber over rubber and other silicone substances is its high elasticity and softness. It should also be noted that silicone rubber is hypoallergenic and absolutely safe for both humans and other living organisms. Due to this property, silicone rubber is actively used in medicine and the pharmaceutical industry, as well as in the production of products for children and goods that are in direct contact with humans.
Silicone is used to make medical gloves, some parts of medical equipment, and much more. Everyone knows that implants used in surgery are made from silicone. By the way, the opinion that silicone should be multi-colored, but not black, is erroneous. Most likely, this misconception was formed due to the use of silicone in medicine. When producing silicone items, special dyes are added that give a certain shade to this material, including black.
Most often, silicone parts used in medicine are painted in light colors or even made transparent. Rubber used in industry, on the contrary, is mainly black in color, as it is the most practical.
Armand NicoletA132AAA-BU-P974BU2 More details
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BallDG2018C-S3C-BE More details
Silicone has much higher elasticity and softness than hydrocarbon rubber. These materials are very different in appearance and tactile sensations. To recognize silicone, it is not necessary to carry out chemical experiments in the laboratory, since even to the touch it is completely special. Silicone is smoother and glides in your hands. This is due to the low coefficient of friction, which allows it to be used in the manufacture of lubricating fluids. Another advantage of silicone rubber is frost resistance. Thus, straps made of this material do not harden even at temperatures down to -50 degrees Celsius.
The main disadvantage of silicone is its fragility compared to plastic or rubber. Straps made from this rubber are soft and flexible, but they need to be replaced quite often. The wear resistance of silicone is 7 times less than that of rubber. This material is also less durable than rubber. Studies have shown that it is much easier to tear or tear than rubber.
Another significant disadvantage of silicone rubber is its high cost.
How to properly clean a watch strap at home
During use, wristwatches collect dust, dirt, absorb sebum and become dirty. As a result, the product strap loses its attractive appearance. In addition, such pollution creates a favorable environment for the proliferation of harmful bacteria, which negatively affects human health.
Therefore, it is recommended to clean the product periodically. In this article we will look at how to clean a watch strap, be it leather, silicone, rubber or any other material.
How to clean a silicone bracelet?
The light-colored fitness tracker bracelet has dark spots in the places where it rubs against clothing. How to clean a silicone bracelet?
The problem is that silicone absorbs dirt very well. And if the stains are old, then nothing will help. Therefore, it is recommended to wash silicone products frequently to prevent dirt from being absorbed. Of course, you can try regular laundry soap and a toothbrush. But the silicone cannot be completely cleaned. The stain will remain anyway. Just keep in mind for the future that such material needs to be cleaned more often, then it will not absorb anything and you won’t have to think about what to do in this case. This applies to soft silicone.
If the silicone is dense, then there is still hope. Soak it in soapy hot water, and once your hands can tolerate warm water, start scrubbing the bracelet with a regular toothbrush.
Perhaps you have your own opinions on the topic “How to clean a rubber watch bracelet”? Write about it in the comments.
Faux leather
There is an opinion that artificial leather is more practical to wear compared to natural leather. However, practice suggests the opposite. Synthetics quickly lose their original appearance, so this is not an easy choice, and you also need to look at your financial capabilities. As for preventive measures, they are the same as for leather products.
As for cleaning, for this we need cotton pads/tampons or soft sponges. Of course, it is better for our purposes to use specialized cleaning products, since synthetics are not so easy to clean, since they have the ability to strongly absorb odors and dirt, especially after prolonged wear. It is important to remember that when treating the strap with products or rinsing it afterward, you should not allow it to get too wet, since any moisture has a destructive effect on the material. Therefore, the remnants of detergents are first removed with a damp cotton pad, and only then quickly washed under water. Dry synthetics at room temperature in a straightened position. We do not recommend using old-fashioned methods, as they are ineffective and destroy the structure of artificial leather, so it makes sense to spend money on a normal cleaning product.
How to clean smart and waterproof watches
Smartwatches or smart watches like the Apple Watch are washed with soap and water. By the way, soap can also be replaced with dishwashing liquid. The strap is removed and placed in the prepared solution, left for 30-40 minutes, then cleaned with a clean cloth, washed in running water and left to dry.
Shockproof and waterproof, the G shock type watch can be safely washed entirely. First, rinse the product under running water, then place it in a glass of warm water at a temperature of 30-40 degrees and leave for 15-20 minutes.
Take out the accessory and clean it with a cotton swab, especially carefully wiping the inside of the strap. The dial is wiped with a dry microfiber cloth. After the procedures have been completed, the remaining water is removed from the product using a vacuum cleaner.
Smart, shockproof and waterproof watches are recommended to be washed regularly. Dirt, dust and sweat that accumulate in the product negatively affect the operation of the sensor. As a result, the clock will show the wrong time.
Do not use a hair dryer to dry your waterproof watch! It can melt plastic parts. By the way, to avoid such lengthy cleaning, just leave the product in water for a few minutes after wearing it every day, and then rinse under running water.
