Why your automatic watch deserves travel-ready care
Automatic watches demand a little extra care when you fly. Movement from winding rotors, exposure to metal detectors, magnets, shocks and changes in position can affect accuracy and power reserve. Packing choices and storage also influence whether your watch arrives running or needs a reset.
This guide gives clear, practical tips for before, during and after flight. You’ll learn simple checks, safe transport methods, how to handle security screening, and steps to manage time zones and complications. Follow these routines to protect function, preserve reliability, and travel with confidence. Keep your watch service-ready and enjoy stress-free travels every trip today.
Watch Maintenance Mastery: The Ultimate Guide
Pre-flight preparation: winding, power reserve and basic checks
Top up the mainspring
Wind your automatic so it leaves home with a full reserve. Most modern automatics run 38–72 hours; filling it before a long flight avoids waking up to a stopped watch.
A quick real-world rule: if you expect a 10–12 hour international flight plus layovers, aim for a full wind so you have at least 48 hours of reserve afterward.
Safe time and date setting
Set time and date before you leave rather than fiddling in transit. Important safeguard: avoid changing the date between roughly 8 PM and 3 AM (varies by movement) — the date-change mechanism can be engaged and vulnerable then. When setting, move hands forward; if you must move backward, consult the manual for your model.
Visual inspection and crown security
Scan for obvious issues: a loose hand, cracked crystal, bent springbar, or a crown that doesn’t screw down securely. A screw-down crown on models like the Rolex Oyster Perpetual or Omega Seamaster must be tightened to preserve seals.
If your strap hardware looks worn or a springbar feels weak, swap it before you travel. Small failures are one of the most common causes of lost watches during trips.
Check water resistance and service history
If your trip includes swimming or high humidity, ensure the watch has been pressure-tested within the past 12 months, or get the seals checked. If your watch hasn’t seen service in 3–5 years, is losing/gaining time significantly, or shows condensation, consider a quick service visit before departure.
With these checks done, you’ll be ready to decide whether to wear the watch through security or pack it safely for the journey ahead.
Carry or wear: packing, travel cases and how to transport safely
Wear it or pack it?
Deciding whether to wear your watch through a journey is a trade-off: wearing keeps the rotor turning and the mainspring topped up, while packing reduces bump-and-theft exposure. If you move through crowded transit or plan to remove outer layers, consider packing. If you have a long travel day and want the watch running for meetings on arrival, wear it—prefer a secure strap and keep it under a jacket cuff.
Best cases and how to pack
Use a padded travel case or watch roll rather than the original branded box (which advertises value). Store watches face-up with the crown fully secured (screwed down or pushed in) to prevent accidental crown damage. Good options: compact hard cases (Pelican 1010-size for bracelets) or soft leather rolls like those from Worn & Wound—both protect crystal and keep parts from rubbing.
When packing:
Straps, comfort and security
Choose a comfortable, secure strap for travel. A NATO or single-pass strap keeps the watch on your wrist if a springbar fails and avoids pinching under long flights. Leather can stiffen on long trips; a ventilated rubber or lightweight nylon is often more comfortable.
Carry-on, documentation and theft deterrence
Always keep valuable watches in carry-on—checked luggage is more likely to be lost or mishandled. Photograph serial numbers and receipts and store them in cloud storage; a quick photo speeds recovery and insurance claims. Pack discreetly: use nondescript pouches or conceal the case in an interior bag pocket instead of leaving a bright watch roll visible to opportunistic thieves.
Passing airport security: scanners, metal detectors and magnets
X-rays and metal detectors — are they safe?
Good news: airport X-ray scanners and walk-through metal detectors do not harm mechanical watch movements. The radiation levels in baggage X‑rays and the low magnetic fields in standard metal detectors are far below anything that would affect an automatic’s balance spring or lubrication. Many pilots and frequent flyers routinely pass vintage Omegas, Tudor divers and Rolexes through security with no ill effect.
Handling your watch at screening
If security asks you to remove your watch, follow instructions and avoid tossing it directly onto the belt. Place it in a bin or a soft pouch to prevent scratches and dents, and keep an eye on it as it goes through the conveyor.
Practical tips:
Magnets — what to watch for
Strong magnetic fields can magnetize the hairspring and change timekeeping. Common culprits in travel:
Spotting magnetization and quick fixes
Watch a few indicators that your watch has been magnetized:
If you suspect magnetization:
In-flight handling: comfort, turbulence and functional precautions
To wear or to remove?
Wearing your automatic in flight is fine for most situations — it keeps the watch winding and gives you easy access to the time. During severe turbulence, though, consider removing it and stashing it in a padded pocket to avoid hard knocks against armrests, tray tables or the seat frame. For short bouts of chop, leaving it on is usually safe; for long periods of unpredictable movement, a mindful removal is wiser.
Secure crowns and pushers
Before takeoff or when you expect bumps:
Avoid operating complications during turbulence
Pressing pushers or changing the date while the plane is bouncing increases the chance of accidental activation or mechanical shock to delicate levers and cams. Best practices:
Comfort and extra protection
Wearing the watch on the inside of the wrist cushions it from direct impact and hides the case from scratching; pilots and flight crew often prefer this. Avoid tucking wrists into tight hand-luggage crevices or under tightly latching armrests that can compress the case.
Long-haul tip: keep it wound
If you choose to wear the watch on long flights, gently roll your wrist every hour or so (a few 10–20 second rotations) to keep the rotor engaging and maintain a healthy power reserve without overworking the movement.
Next up: post-flight checks to make sure everything landed as it should.
Managing time zones and complications while traveling
Safe time changes: a quick how‑to
When you arrive, stop the watch (if it hacks) and set the minutes and seconds to a known reference (phone atomic time or airport clock). Then adjust local hours — either by:
Single‑hour jumps are gentler on the movement and avoid accidental date flips; pilots and frequent flyers swear by this for fast zone changes.
Using quick‑set date safely
Never use the quick‑set date during the date‑change window (commonly ~8pm–4am on many movements). A safe routine:
This avoids bent teeth on the date wheel and misengagement of the jumper.
GMT and world‑time workflow
GMT hands and world‑timers are travel game‑changers. Typical workflow:
For world‑time watches (e.g., Seiko Astron GPS or a Patek Philippe World Time), use the city ring or GPS sync to update rapidly without disturbing local minute accuracy.
Crossing many zones & avoiding AM/PM mistakes
Keep a reference: keep home time on the GMT hand or set your phone to home zone. Always verify AM/PM by checking a 24‑hour indicator or confirming with your phone before changing the date.
Phone‑assisted syncing
Use your phone’s atomic time app or airport departure boards as a master reference. Stop the seconds, sync to the displayed seconds, then start — a quick, reliable field method.
These tactics get you through multi‑stop itineraries cleanly, leaving only post‑flight checks and routine care to follow.
Post-flight care: checking, demagnetizing and routine maintenance
Immediate inspection — a 3‑minute checklist
Right after you unpack, run a quick field inspection to catch problems early:
Recognizing and treating magnetization
Magnetized watches typically run fast, erratically, or stop sporadically. Other signs: the seconds hand jumps, or the regulator behaves oddly after exposure to speakers or airport scanners. A small consumer demagnetizer (e.g., compact units sold by Tilswall or Esslinger) can fix mild cases — follow the device instructions and slowly withdraw the watch after demagnetizing. If performance doesn’t normalize immediately, stop and consult a technician; repeated DIY demagnetizing is not a substitute for professional service.
When to seek professional servicing
Take your watch to a qualified watchmaker if you notice any of the following:
As a rule of thumb: full service every 3–5 years for regular use; if you travel frequently, expose the watch to saltwater or dive often, consider 2–3 year checks and annual pressure tests.
Cleaning, documentation and storage
After humid or salty trips, rinse metal bracelets in fresh water and dry thoroughly; treat leather with a conditioner and avoid soaking. Photograph any travel‑related damage, keep receipts and log incidents — helpful for both insurers and service centers. Store watches in a cool, dry place with silica packs if you won’t wear them immediately.
With these post‑flight steps complete, you’ll be ready to adopt the smart habits covered in the Conclusion.
Smart habits for stress-free watch travel
Prepare the movement before takeoff: wind sufficiently or secure the rotor, check the power reserve, and stow the watch in a protective case. During travel choose secure transport (worn or cushioned), follow security instructions, avoid strong magnets, and protect against shocks and turbulence while flying.
On arrival, set time and complications carefully, demagnetize if necessary, and inspect for moisture or damage. Schedule service for persistent problems and keep routine maintenance current. Travel with these habits and your automatic watch will be a dependable, low-stress companion on flights and beyond.
Short and sweet: love the Cheopz case mentioned in the article 😍
Keeps my watches safe and looks cute in my bag. Also — if you have bracelets, loosen them a bit before long flights so your wrist doesn’t swell and pinch the watch.
Cute case + practical tip = sold. 😂
Thanks for the tip about bracelets — swelling wrists are real on long flights and loosening helps comfort and reduces clasp stress.
I once misaligned a clasp and it was annoying for weeks 😅
I wear an elastic travel strap for flights now. Less bother than adjusting bracelets mid-air.
Totally — bracelet micro-adjusts are lifesavers on 12+ hour flights.
One more: if you plan to loosen a bracelet, put a small tag or photo note so you can reassemble correctly after travel.
Packing vs wearing is always a: do I want security or comfort? For me:
– Short flights: wear it. Keeps me comfortable and I like the time check without digging.
– Long-haul/noisy airports: pack it in a padded case (ROSELLE roll is great because it takes two watches and doesn’t flop around).
– Bonus: if you bring a 155-Piece Comprehensive Watch Repair Kit with Case, don’t try to fix complicated stuff in a hotel room lol. Just basic strap changes and springbars only.
Also — PSA for people who travel with chronographs: reset them before you store the watch for a flight.
Thanks @Carlos! I carry a small microfiber cloth in the roll too, cleans up fingerprints in a jif.
And for chronographs, leaving pushers undisturbed during turbulence is smart — mechanical chrono pushes are delicate.
Also: don’t forget to screw the crown down if your watch has that feature before stashing it away.
Excellent practical breakdown. Good reminder about not attempting complex repairs while traveling — that 155-piece kit is best for at-home tinkering.
Totally agree about the ROSELLE roll — double watches fit neat and it looks classy in my carry-on.
Great article — I always worry about my vintage automatic when I fly. Ended up buying the Cheopz Single Travel Watch Case mentioned here and it fits my 42mm just fine. Small tip: put a bit of tissue around the crown if it’s particularly tall, stops it from knocking around in the case.
Thanks Sarah — good call on cushioning the crown. The Cheopz case is snug but crowns and big lugs can still shift during rough handling.
I did the same with a foam strip once — saved my watch from a nasty scratch after baggage went through a rough ride.
Oh nice, I have the ROSELLE roll but never thought about the tissue trick. Will try next trip!
I bought the JOREST Complete Watch Repair Kit with Tools and a cheap case. For basic stuff like changing straps or replacing spring bars it’s fine. Don’t expect to overhaul a movement with it though. The article’s advice about taking photos before disassembly is golden — I saved myself with that once.
If turbulence is gonna beat your watch to death, I want a refund on the plane ticket. 😂
Jokes aside, I clip my watch roll in my carry-on and wear a silicone strap in-flight for comfort.
I do the silicone strap thing too — so much comfier for long flights.
Question for the community: when traveling with a complicated watch (moonphase + chronograph), do you guys leave complications set or reset them before storing? I’m worried about damaging gears if a chronograph accidentally engages during turbulence.
If possible, reset chronograph functions to zero and avoid leaving pushers engaged. For moonphase and calendar complications, set the watch to a neutral time (like 6 AM) before storing so date-change mechanisms aren’t under load.
I also remove leather straps for humid destinations — protects the strap while the movement stays set.
Does anyone have experience with wearing a GMT like the Stuhrling when hopping 5+ time zones in 24 hours? I get confused toggling the 24-hour and local hour hand. Any simple routine to avoid mis-setting the day/date?
I set the GMT to UTC and treat the local hour like a quick-adjust — works for me when crossing multiple zones.
Short routine: set home time on the 24-hour hand first. When you change local time, only move the local hour hand (if your watch allows) to avoid moving the date near midnight. If not, adjust to a safe time (like 6 AM) before changing the date to avoid damage.
Long post because I tried to cover everything from the article while testing it in real life:
1) Winding before leaving actually helped — my 5-day power reserve lasted a cross-country trip with no issues.
2) I keep a small demagnetizer in my toolbox at home; saved me once when my watch started running fast after sitting next to speakers.
3) If you have a GMT like the Stuhrling mentioned, set home time on the 24-hour hand and adjust local hour when you land — way less hassle.
Also, the Single Automatic Watch Winder Box with Motor is tempting for storage at home, but it’s loud in a bedroom, FYI.
Appreciate the detailed test, Daniel — good point about winder noise. Some winders are quieter; others use different TPD settings to reduce noise.
Which demagnetizer do you use? I keep hearing mixed things about cheap ones.
Loved the bit about scanners not ruining your watch. Still, airport security sometimes acts like we’re carrying nuclear devices instead of wristwear. I now pretend I’m James Bond and dramatically remove my watch. Works for laughs but doesn’t speed things up 🙄
You should get a velvet-lined case and do it with flair 😏
I salute your theatrics. I clap at the end for extra drama next time.
Next trip: tux, watch flourish, wink at TSA. If only 😂
Haha — dramatics aside, showing willingness to remove it if asked usually makes the process smoother. And yes, the article tries to calm fears about X-rays.
I love the idea of a Single Automatic Watch Winder Box with Motor for keeping my automatics wound when I’m on travel sabbaticals, but two things:
1) Make sure the winder has multiple TPD (turns per day) settings to match your movement.
2) Place it on a soft surface if it’s noisy — I keep mine in a closet with a towel underneath. Saves the partner from complaining 😂
Great practical tips. Matching TPD to the movement is important — too many turns can overwind the mainspring system over long periods.
Is it bad to leave the watch on the winder for months? I travel long stretches and worry about wear from constant motion.
I hid mine in a cedar box and it’s whisper quiet. Also the cedar is a nice bonus for straps.