There is something about the first mango shower that makes us just forget everything. The smell of wet earth, the sudden chills, fog rolling down the hills, the mad dash to the cover under a shop awning. Our watch, quite understandably, often gets slipped to the back of our minds.
Monsoon can be hard on watches: from the humidity that gets into places it shouldn’t, sweat and rain quarrelling with the leather, metal cases swinging between an air-conditioned office to a soaked motorcycle commute, the list, as you guessed, can go on. Now, of course, none of this is anything dramatic, but over months, they can add up to fogged dials, rusted buckles and straps that smell faintly of wet puppies (not as cute, though).
What water resistance ratings actually mean
Most of us remember the water resistance rating we read on Amazon or the number the salesman may have oversold, and move on. But IRL, the numbers are more limited than they sound.
First things first, the “X” metres rating does not really mean how deep under water the watch can survive. So what exactly does it mean? It means X meters of resistance in static, laboratory conditions. What we deal with in real life: commutes, heavy wind, varying altitudes, all that contributes to dynamic pressure. Kind of a “terms and conditions apply” type deal, huh?
- 30 metres (3 ATM): This is basic splash resistance, nothing more. It will survive a bit of rain on your wrist or an accidental splash from a puddle. It will not survive a swim, and it will certainly not survive being worn while washing your hands under a strong tap. What’s more, it probably will have trouble with a motorcycle commute under the average Indian monsoon shower.
- 50 metres (5 ATM): A light step up. This watch can handle a shower, a heavier downpour, or being caught out without cover for a few minutes. Still not a swimming watch. Won’t have too much trouble with that motorcycle ride in the rain, but we still wouldn’t recommend making it a habit.
- 100 metres (10 ATM): Here you get genuine confidence in wet conditions. Swimming, snorkelling, a proper soaking during monsoon commutes, all fine.
- 200 metres and above: Built for serious water sports and diving. For most of us living through an Indian monsoon, this is more capability than you will ever use, though it does mean one less thing to worry about. You can comfortably wash the watch daily under a tap and it won’t look be offended. (Some of us onlookers may frown though)
That said, the detail we forget however, is that these ratings assume the watch is new, the seals are intact, and the crown is pushed in or screwed down properly. A ten-year-old watch rated at 100 metres does not necessarily perform at 100 metres today. Gaskets age, rubber hardens and seals lose their grip over time. If your watch has not been checked in three or four years, monsoon is a reasonable prompt to get that done.
Oh, one more note for the soakers: never operate the crown or pushers when the watch is wet or underwater, even on a watch rated for it. A metal/plastic pusher that moves while wet may slip a tiny drop or two past the rubber seal, and that, as before, definitely adds up.
Strap care through the wet months
The case usually survives monsoon just fine. Straps however, may be a different story.
Metal bracelets handle rain well, but the joints between links trap moisture and can develop faint water marks or, over long periods, light corrosion if not cleaned. Wiping the bracelet down with a soft dry cloth after a wet day, and giving it an occasional rinse with plain water followed by thorough drying is a decent fix.
Leather straps, on the other hand, are the most vulnerable. Leather absorbs moisture and sweat, and once damp, it stays damp for a long time against warm skin, which happens to be a very comfortably furnished motel for mould. If your leather strap gets properly wet, take the watch off and let the strap air dry away from direct heat, never on a radiator or in direct sun, as both cause cracking. A light leather conditioner every few weeks during the season helps keep the material supple. Talk about high maintenance, right? But hey, they’re called dress watches for a reason. If you know it is going to pour, it’d be best to switch to a different strap (or watch) that day.
Rubber and silicone straps are the easiest option for monsoon, largely indifferent to water. The one thing to watch is grit and sand working into the texture, which can be rinsed off under a tap.
Fabric and NATO straps dry slowly and can hold on to a musty smell if left damp (Yes, considerably worse than puppies). Give them a chance to air out fully before wearing again.
Simple habits to start
No, no, they really are pretty simple. Basics, if you will.
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Dry your watch properly after any exposure to rain. Pay attention to the underside of the case and the strap attachment points, which is where moisture lingers the most.
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Avoid extreme temperature swings where possible (okay, small correction: mostly simple). Stepping from monsoon rain straight into strong air conditioning causes condensation to form inside the case if the seals are even slightly compromised. It sounds minor, but this is one of the more common causes of fogged crystals during the season, tying further into the whole “don’t press wet buttons” point.
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A small pouch of silica gel in your watch box during the wettest months absorbs ambient humidity and genuinely helps, especially if you rotate between several watches and leave some sitting unworn for weeks.
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Check the crown position regularly if your watch has a screw-down crown. It is an easy thing to forget after winding or adjusting the date, and a loose crown undoes whatever water resistance rating you were relying on.
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If your watch does get properly soaked and you notice fogging on the inside of the crystal that does not clear within a couple of hours, get it looked at. Trapped moisture left unaddressed leads to rust on the movement, and that is a repair worth avoiding.
A few showers aren’t really that big a problem for most reasonably good watches. A little awareness of what your water resistance rating actually covers, some basic watch care during monsoon for whichever strap you are wearing, and a habit of drying the watch properly after exposure will carry most timepieces through the season without incident. The rain will pass, as it always does (some of us are not happy about it), and with a bit of care, your watch will see it through in the same condition it went in.
