The Breitling Watch Source Forums

Personally I've never submerged a Navi. I tend to clean my with a very soft toothbrush, mild soap and water under a very gently running tap. (i.e. more than a drip so the water is constant, but only just). I also make sure I don't concentrate the water for too long on the "weak spots" like the crown, push-pieces and bezel join. This method has served me well and I've never had a single problem with any Navi's I've owned.

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Driver8

Site Moderator

I'm exactly the same. Soft toothbrush with soap, gently running water and a conservative clean i.e. I don't excessively scrub for hours but give it a thorough once over, a good rince and a pat down dry with a soft cloth. I too tread very carefully around the weak spots as described above; one thing I do is ensure the crown and push-pieces are on the opposite side of the water flow. I've never had any issues with my Navi either and probably give it a clean say once to twice a month depending on how dirty it is and my motivation at the time

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Happines is Good Health and a Bad Memory.
"Ingrid Bergman"

I'm thinking about trying these Cape Cod cloths, can you all confirm that they're really that good?
These are special microfiber cloths treated with some kind of chemical, right?
So I'm wondering if they can in any way damage the watch, or leave a smell on the watch?

These questions may sound silly, but I just want to be sure, I like to take good care of my watches.

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Breitling Headwind SS Blue Dial (Current)
Breitling Colt Ocean Automatic (Sold)
Breitling Colt Quartz (Sold)

A word of caution about immersing watches. It's ok if it is a true "diver's" watch. They are well protected from intrusion. At the opposite end are the "Water Resistant" watches. They are designed to provide functionality and to prevent accidental intrusion of water, perspiration, etc. If you get caught wearing it in a rain shower, you're ok. Intentionally sticking it underwater is another thing entirely.

Chronographs have pushers. They are probably the weakest link in the water prevention chain. Along with the crown, they have tiny o-rings around the stem. All these deteriorate over a period of time. The watch is tested to the water tolerance specification prior to leaving the factory. The conditions to which it will be subjected determine the life of the gaskets and o-rings.

The bottom line is if you keep the watch long enough, without regular service, it will eventually fail to prevent the intrusion of water. Not too long ago I purchased a 1969 cosmo. What remained of the gaskets and o-rings was the consistency of a stiff gel. I had never seen anything like in 50 years of watchmaking. No protection whatsoever.

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1809 Cosmonaute
1903 Navi
Navi Olympus
Super Avenger

Cape Cods are brilliant, and they are as you describe - a microfibre cloth impregnated with a polishing compound. However, it's worth noting that they are designed to polish and should only be used to remove tiny scratches, or just to bring back that factory shine. They are NOT cleaning cloths per se. As with any polishing compound they do remove tiny (and I mean tiny) amounts of metel - that is how things are polished after all - so I wouldn't recommend using them daily (or even weekly) unless you want a smaller watch! No, seriously, they are pretty gentle but they do nevertheless remove metal during their use.

I use them for scratches (on polished surfaces obviously!) and that's it. Cods are a great addition to your watch care arsenel, but for general cleaning I just use good old soap and water as described above.

In terms of damage that Cods can cause - well, just keep them off the crystal as they can remove the AR coating, and obviously wash your watch thoroughly after use, first with soap and water, and then plenty of fresh water, as I guess the compound could possibly degrade the gaskets if left there for aby length of time. But to be honest you'll WANT to wash your watch after using the Cods as they smell very strongly of vanilla! It's not unpleasant at all, but not what you want your watch smelling of!

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Driver8

Site Moderator

Thanks Driver8, that's exactly the kind of info that I needed.

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Breitling Headwind SS Blue Dial (Current)
Breitling Colt Ocean Automatic (Sold)
Breitling Colt Quartz (Sold)

You're very welcome! Happy to assist.

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Driver8

Site Moderator

I just put my Bentley Speed bracelet back on my Motors. When my cleaning kit arrives from Boston, I'm going to polish the crap out of it! I would like to see my beautiful face shining back on my from the bracelet.

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Breitling Bentley Motors
Breitling Chrono-Matic 49
Breitling Super Avenger
Breitling Cosmonaute 2010 limited edition
Rolex Submariner
Rolex GMT Master 11
Rolex Daytona
Rolex Sea Dweller Deepsea
Tag Heuer Carerra
Graham Chronofighter GMT Oversize