After sitting in a case or storage room for a while, watches accumulate dirt and grime that dull their glow and appearance. Aesthetic blights such as these can lessen their appeal to customers. Over time, watches also collect bacteria that cause them to wear down faster and dramatically increase the risk of corrosion. Offering your valued customers ultrasonic watch cleaning services during their watch’s entire lifetime is a great strategy to keep them coming back and to demonstrate your dedication to maintaining the quality of their watch. Fortunately, cleaning your watches is not a complicated endeavor, thanks to ultrasonic watch cleaning technology. Harness the power of advanced ultrasonic machines and specifically formulated solutions to clean all of your watches’ crevices that are too difficult to reach using manual cleaning methods. This approach also produces a deeper, more thorough clean than traditional procedures, such as scrubbing watches with a small brush or simply rinsing them in water.

Why Use an Ultrasonic Parts Cleaner for Your Watches?

When customers wear your watches over an extended period, acids, dirt, and other impurities seep off of their wrists onto their watch. Primarily, the sweat from their wrists, which contains salt, corrodes the watch over time. In addition, oils and dead skin cells from the wearer’s arm accumulate on the watch and the bracelet; these substances attract unwanted particles, such as dust, from other places. This mixture of different types of soil often manifests as a thick layer of black grime underneath the watch’s clasp—a cosmetic imperfection many customers would like to eliminate. Ultrasonic cleaners are optimal for combating the toughest grimes and soils on your watches with the utilization of frequencies above the range of human hearing (normally from 20-400 kHz). These frequencies agitate the solution, sending waves through it that vibrate and shake the watch bracelet. The vibrations produce minuscule bubbles that implode on themselves and create a vacuum effect to pull the dirt and debris off the watch bracelet being cleaned. Ultrasonic parts cleaning removes all the dead skin, dirt, acids, and residual oils clinging to your watches, uncovering the shiny, dazzling surface underneath. Your valued customers will thank you for offering this unique, deep cleaning service in store and for offering results far superior to traditional methods, such as using a toothbrush with household-grade soap to clean their watches. In-store watch cleaning can also prove a lucrative addition to your business, as some jewelry stores charge up to $30 per ultrasonic session.

Ultrasonic Solutions Developed Specifically for Watch Cleaning

Preserving your watches’ luster, shine, and longevity is not a job for generic hand soap and water. Using ultrasonic solutions designed particularly for watch cleaning, such as L&R’s #111 Waterless Watch Cleaning Solution Ammoniated, will provide you with a thorough cleanse that could never be achieved with standard soaps or detergents. L&R’s chief chemist, Jim Ferrone, highly recommends this combination of regular mineral spirits, oleic acid, and the active ingredient ammonium hydroxide for brightening even the dullest brass. The #111 solution can be used with all other L&R rinses and in any L&R ultrasonic watch cleaning machine. The #3 Watch Rinsing Solution is another optimal choice for professional watch maintenance and is one of L&R’s most highly rated watch cleaning products. The #3 is a clear petroleum distillate, which dries quickly. This solution contains no harmful ingredients, such as benzol or chlorinated solvents, that could damage your watches. It is composed of regular mineral spirits and a naphtha solvent. The #3 solution leaves your watch completely clean with no oily sheen or residue. L&R offers five watch cleaning solutions in total to ensure that every watchmaker’s needs are met. Quality solutions in conjunction with industry-leading ultrasonic cleaning systems can clean minuscule spaces, recessed areas, and intricate designs.

How to Clean Your Watches in an Ultrasonic Cleaner

Before cleaning your watches, disassemble them, removing the watch face. Set aside the delicate parts of the watches, such as the main spring, balance, and pallets, as these cannot be placed in the ultrasonic machine. Leaving the watch face on during the cleaning cycle opens your watch to the possibility of damage in two ways. First, the vibrations could propel bubbles past the seals and gaskets. Second, the frequency of the machine’s vibrations could disrupt the frequency of the watch’s balance spring. Instead, wipe the glass on the outside of the watch face down separately with a fresh rag, soap, and water.

Cleaning the Bracelet in an Ultrasonic Parts Cleaner Machine

The bracelet is the element of the watch that collects the most dirt and grime, making it the most difficult to clean using traditional methods. Ultrasonically cleaning a watch is a pretty simple process. First, pour your preferred cleaning solution into the tank, insert your watch bracelet into the ultrasonic parts cleaner basket, and place the basket in the bath. Then set a timer for the machine to run (about 15 minutes), choose the wattage level, and turn the machine on. Flip the watch over midway through the cycle with tongs. The ultrasonic solution will release the dirt, grime, oil, dust, and residue from the bracelet’s grooves into the water. Then initiate three rinse cycles, remove your watch bracelet from the bath, and dry it immediately.

Cleansing the Movement with an Ultrasonic Machine

Cleansing the movement precisely is crucial because over time the contact points between your watches’ moving parts will erode and produce microscopic grit-like particles. If these particles are not routinely removed, they can increase the rate at which the moving parts wear down and, in turn, reduce the lifespan of the watch. However, if you’ve recently cleaned the movement but the bracelet is dirty, simply remove the watch face from the bracelet and clean the latter on its own. To clean the movement, first pour your chosen solution into the tank. Let the parts soak in the cleaning solution for several minutes. After disassembling the watch face, load the pieces of the movement into the cleaning basket of your ultrasonic parts cleaner. Place the larger items in the tank’s basket before the smaller, more delicate ones to avoid damaging them. Let the machine run for 5-10 minutes. Dry all the parts carefully to prevent breakage.

Keep Your Jewelry Sparkling and Radiant with L&R’s Ultrasonic Watch Cleaning Solutions

Our company has been a trusted name in the ultrasonic manufacturing field since 1930. Jewelers and watchmakers from all around the country rely on us for state-of-the-art, long-lasting ultrasonic cleaning systems and professionally formulated cleaning solutions. Here at L&R, we supply manufacturers and jewelers with the equipment they need to make watches sparkle, shine, and last for longer than they would if maintained with traditional cleaning methods. Incorporating regular ultrasonic cleaning into your business’ routine will guarantee that your watches always dazzle your customers. Upgrading from manual cleaning methods to ultrasonic cleaning can also help you generate business since your reputation is built upon the aesthetic appearance of the products you sell. Our dedicated team of chemists, sales, and engineering professionals is always at your service to discuss options for ultrasonic solutions and systems. Contact us easily through our online form or by giving us a call.