One of the many pleasures of owning a prestige timepiece, is ensuring that your prized possession remains in premium condition. Much like a car or your home, it needs regular maintenance and care.

There are simple things you can do to look after your timepiece. Cleaning regularly should be standard practice but only use a soft and slightly damp cloth to clean metal watch cases and bracelets. This is even more important if the watch is made of precious metals – be especially careful of using any cleaning fluids at all as these can sometimes be too abrasive.

Avoid placing a watch near strong magnetic fields as this will affect its accuracy and ensure you know your timepiece’s water resistance. Be careful of extended exposure to sunlight and if there is a leather strap on your watch try not to spray perfume or cologne on it as it can weaken the strap, and finally when not wearing your watch, store it in the box it came in.

A premium watch will often have a mechanical movement and these parts will wear over a long period of time, so it’s critical that it is regularly serviced to ensure it still looks as good as the day when you first were given or bought it.

Finally – a regular service is critical in ensuring your timepiece is in perfect working order. Finding someone who has been acknowledged by leading luxury brands to look after your timepiece could prove to be a hard task but thankfully at one of the region’s leading luxury jewellers, that search can be made a lot easier.

At Whittles’ recently expanded showroom, the 155-year-old family owned jewellers has been recognised as a specialist in horology. Whittles is accredited as a Rolex repair centre – one of the first in the UK – thanks to the experience and knowledge of its in-house watchmaker, Barry Douthwaite, and the rest of the team.

“This accreditation is a real testament of the quality we have here in Barry Douthwaite and the product knowledge of the rest of our team. It really is a privilege to have this responsibility and we look forward to representing the Rolex brand when being entrusted to look after our clients’ prized timepieces.

Service is a hugely important aspect at Whittles and a core part of our customer service commitment. Not only are we a Rolex approved retailer but also one of the finest approved repair centres for the North of England.”

Joanna Rhodes Valentine, Managing Director of Whittles

The service centre at the Preston-based luxury jewellers also service Omega, Tag Heuer and Longines. In addition, Whittles also provide valuations for insurance and probate by its in-house expert valuer ensuring a client’s precious and often sentimental items do not leave the premises.