FOUND: World's Best Cleaner For Rolex Watches

[enjoythemusic]

It has come to my attention, after many comments and deep concerns by forum members, that many of you are deeply concerned about showering with your Rolex (see thread "Do you shower with your Rolex on?" at www.RolexForums.com/showthread.php?t=589460 .

A valid concern as there are expensive luxury mechanical timepieces that may not be able to withstand such use. In addition to water possibly reaching the fragile internal mechanical movement, the chemicals, soaps, etc used need to also be factored in. And with knowing a Rolex is sufficiently waterproof, we need to focus on not the physical act of showering but the soaps and possible abrasives. Watch used is a daily beater worn 24/7/365 SS SkyD blue.

As a ‘professional’ reviewer for decades within the luxury goods sector, it comes as a surprise that not a single watch magazine has reviewed and tested common showers soaps. With such a high probability and variety of exposure to such substances, it is then a good idea for someone to test popular shower bars and liquids to determine which is best. Each soap was used (dedicated) over the course of a week (hence the time delay from original TRF shower post to this review). A few others were tested besides the below, yet I feel the best are a good ‘all around’ average… with one very special wild card (for a reason, read on).

First i tested Dove bar soap. Dove is 99 44/100 Pure, and so was a reasonable caudate for testing. During normal shower use over the course of a week a grippy film-like substance built up. It was more felt than seen, yet little bits of the bar soap did, at times, remain on the bracelet or case. These factors leads us to believe Dove soap might not be the best choice. It did leave the watch smelling quite nice though.

Next up was Neutrogena Rainbath, a popular liquid soap for showering. Neutrogena is highly respected in the field of skin care and their golden-brown bodywash fluid has a slight smell (Note: Rainbath comes in various scents/colors, i tried their ‘original’ formula). Results were quite good as the Rolex SS SkyD blue had a very nice shine, yet still had a tiny bit of ‘extra grip feel’ to the metal surface. Usually a ‘raw’ Rolex SS timepiece, when new sans stickers) can feel a small bit slippery. This could be why some have accidents as their Rolex slips out of their hands. Neutrogena Rainbath cleaned the 904L stainless steel metal plus provided a bit more grip.

As a wild card, I tried the TRESemme Smooth & Shine shampoo with Vitamin H and silk protein intensely moisturizes dry, rough hair. Figuring some esteemed Rolex owners might use their ’up-scale’ hair shampoo as body wash, plus this shampoo is what was in-house and so…. Results were about as expected, not bad and not great. So perhaps hair shampoo is really for hair.

During the holidays we received a nice gift box of L'Occitane Soaps Of Provance. The Shea Butter Extra Gentle Soap is in bar form, made in France, and had a wonderful fragrance. It also did quite well at cleaning the watch’s metal bits. Unlike Dove that seemed to form a hazy build-up over the course of a week, this soap kept the stainless steel less murky due to a film residue. It also left the metal feeling very grippy, unlike the grip ‘n’ slip when the Rolex was brand new.

And the best soap for showing with your Rolex 904L stainless steel is…. Armani Code Shower Gel for men. This clear gel is $22 for one liter size when you purchased $80 of other Armani Code products (from Macy’s). Armani says that their Code men’s products are “a seductive and mysterious fragrance for the contemporary man. Fresh, spicy, and oriental, Armani Code for Men embodies the style of Armani through the power of scent”. Personal preferences aside, we’re testing how well it cleans your Rolex. Armani Code Shower Gel was the overall best in maintaining a clean timepiece, it does not leave bits of soap in small crevices like bar soap, and the feel of the metal was perhaps a bit more grip than raw/stock, yet perhaps not by very much. This is good as it means virtually zero residue. Of course the fragrance part did not last that long, yet when did amaze me was the shine. When using Armani Code Show Gel, the cleanliness and shine of both the polished and brushed bits on the Rolex SS SkyD blue were magnificent! I could let the watch air dry and there were virtually no water spots.

So there you have it TRF’ers, the best soap for your Rolex in the shower. It’ll keep it clean and smelling nice too! For my next review, we’ll find out what the best bathroom sheet / towel is to dry your elegant Rolex mechanical timepiece (spoiler alert, it’s Frette). As always, in the end what really matters is that you… enjoy your time.

Side Note: Please check the original date of my posting this review before replying.

[dysondiver]

you missed out white toothpaste ,, lol

[abozz]

Nice to read!

[harvey]

I found Johnson’s baby shampoo works best...

[nachopc]

Very nice article, I suppose you mean the Armani Code Shower Gel for men.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

[enjoythemusic]

Originally Posted by nachopc

Very nice article, I suppose you mean the Armani Code Shower Gel for men.

Yes sir, you are correct.

Sent from my HP Jornada using MySpace

[tyler1980]

have you tried oyster soap?

[Jim Smyth]

I buy use the cheap stuff` that smells the best at Walmart. It all works well on my watch and every bit of it gets rinsed off before the microfiber pat down. No soap build up at all and looks brand new again.

[enjoythemusic]

Originally Posted by tyler1980

have you tried oyster soap?

Alas, no. Did try Vagisil, yet the results were inconclusive (and unpredictable from a scientific point of view).

[RoyalOac]

https://www.wristclean.com/

this is one of the best I've used aside from Windex

[Valhala]

Originally Posted by tyler1980

have you tried oyster soap?

[usling15]

Originally Posted by enjoythemusic

Alas, no. Did try Vagisil, yet the results were inconclusive (and unpredictable from a scientific point of view).

Does alcohol make it fit better ?

[traf]

Blast! I’ve been using the wrong soap for years then... is it reversible?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Flstfirider]

I have found “Scrubbing Bubbles” cleaner sprayed on the bracelet works very well.

[benvh]

I use axe body spray and steel wool

Ben

[enjoythemusic]

Originally Posted by usling15

Does alcohol make it fit better ?

Yes, have found that after drinking a good dose / drams of Glenlivet 25 year old XXV scotch whisky the fit is better. Maybe i never gave it much thought during this experiment, so will have to repeat often, when possible, for further study.

[ttomczak]

I’ve been using oxyclean, not much of a fresh smell, but after an hours soak, they look pretty clean. A good rub with a terry cloth towel after doesn’t leave many scratches.

[Danny83]

April Fools ....

[Spam16v]

Originally Posted by harvey

I found Johnson’s baby shampoo works best...

No tears formula would help

[Nikrnic]

This works good too

Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk