Mechanical and automatic watches should be cleaned and serviced every three years to ensure trouble-free time keeping. The moving parts of quartz watches also need maintenance, as they are not under tension and any small, foreign particle is sufficient stop them.

Where fitted, the battery needs to be changed when drained. This is the time for routine maintenance. Apart from changing the battery, digital quartz watch need no routine maintenance. Where water resistant seals are fitted, cleaning is required less often, however seals must be changed whenever the case back is removed. Otherwise they should be changed annually and resistancy checked using pressure equipement, through the manufacturers' agent.

It is worthwhile remembering that regular exposure to chemicals, or sea water, can damage straps, plated cases and bracelets and a solid metal or specially constructed material is recommended if regularly used in these conditions. Cosmetics and perfumes can also cause damage if directly applied to plated dials and straps.

Usually between two and five years, depending on the type of the watch, its dimensions and the quantity of energy requested by the different functions. For instance, a chronograph will have a higher energy consumption than a watch indicating the hours and the minutes only.

Certain types of watches feature a power reserve indicator : when the seconds hand starts jumping every five seconds, it is time to have the battery replaced by a qualified watchmaker.Special lithium-iodine batteries reach a theoretical lifetime of ten years.