Testing a watch-protection sticker kit: Is it like living with a plastic cover on your sofa?
Jason MarsdenBack in September 2019, during my visit to Australia’s first Watchfest, I happened to win a RX-8 watch protection sticker kit. Whilst I was aware that there were such protection kits out there, at the time I never really thought that they would be for me. Just like the old image of plastic covers over lounge suites, they just left the question: “why”? Surely if you wear a luxury watch then it will pick up micro (and maybe bigger) scratches and scuffs. That’s all part of the deal and part of the watch’s life story. Traditionally, this is where I have sat, but it turns there are some advantages to adding a little protection to your timepiece.
Today many sought-after watches, in particular steel Rolex pieces, are rapidly escalating in value. Now these are not necessarily rare watches. Sure, you can’t typically walk into an AD and just buy one, but there are many for sale on the secondary market at a seemingly increasing premium. With so many available, one key influence on price will be the condition. For someone with a view on the current market value of their watch, who has been lucky enough to buy one at retail or on the secondary market, then maintaining that value or maximising the potential value increase will mean looking after the watch. Either leaving it in the box and parking it up in a safe or looking at what options are out there to protect the watch whilst worn. I really can’t see the advantage of keeping a great watch in a safe unless you have multiples of them or are purely speculating on future value. As watch lovers we want to wear our pieces, admire them on our wrist, have them spark a conversation (this never happens enough in the real world) or at least share them on social media. Sure, we will be careful with them, but even the most diligent of us will still pick up marks and light scratches from desk diving.
Having the choice of protection kits from RX-8, I went with one for my James Cameron as that was my top watch of the day, although today I find myself wearing my no date Sub more often, with the JC falling out of my top four in my collection (the other three being my Grand Seiko Snowflake, Omega Ploprof and yellow dial Rolex Oyster Perpetual).
The kit came with a pair of metal and a pair of plastic tweezers (also good for battery replacements), instructions and the custom laser-cut sticker kit. The stickers are made out of six layers of TPU film (thermoplastic polyurethene), which has a self-healing property against light scratches.
Anyone who has applied window graphics or other decals by first wetting the surface with water and a drop of detergent will be familiar with the process. Combine this with the level of detail cleaning and alignment required for a phone-screen protector and you are starting to get the picture.
The stickers are exactly the right size and shape such that, when correctly applied, they cover the entire surface without overhanging the edges to cause an area to get pulled up or collect dirt. Some are only a few millimetres across and none run across a step or around a corner, but rather each surface will have its own individually shaped sticker. This can be fiddly but results in an almost invisible finish. Besides covering the watch case and clasp, stickers are provided to cover the outside of links so you may end up with a few extra if you have removed links from your bracelet at any time.
Whilst the finished protection is practically undetectable, the big sell is the feel of the TPU plastic when you handle the watch – not noticeable at all to the wearer. The clarity of the material preserves almost entirely the renowned mirror polish to be found on Rolex watches.
Over the last two years the James Cameron has seen a good rotation through the collection and seen a reasonable amount of wear. The RX-8 system has definitely kept all the usual and expected scratches off the clasp, and for me this is the most useful part of the kit. I would seriously consider buying kits just for clasps on my other steel Rolex if they were available as a clasp-only kit, these would be fast and easy to apply compared to the whole watch kit and provide, at least for my type of wear, really good practical protection. After a couple of years I’m just starting to see some lifting of corners on the clasp stickers, still hardly noticeable and probably not unexpected with regular handling and use of the clasp as well as sliding of cuffs etc over it. There are certainly some micro scratches on the TPU film visible under magnification (along with some dirt around the edges) and I’m confident the film has protected the watch in this regard.
Today there are other watch protection kits out there from various manufacturers with options covering many of the top tier watches available today.
So if you have a desirable and appreciating watch that you enjoy wearing, rather than keeping it in a safe, there is an option to preserve the finish from most of the daily wear and tear. If, down the track, you decide protection stickers are not for you, then you can always just peel them off to uncover that pristine factory finished surface again and reset the wear clock.