Okay, so lemme tell you how I spent last weekend neck-deep in watch parts and cleaning machines. See, I’ve been collecting vintage watches for years, and the cleaning process always drove me nuts. Hand-cleaning with brushes? Took hours and my wrists hated me. I kept hearing about these ultrasonic cleaning machines, especially the fancy L&R ones watch nerds rave about. So I grabbed my trusty old Casio F-91W (you know, the terrorist watch lmao), a broken Seiko 5 with dead movement, and a crusty Soviet Raketa to put machines through hell.

The Setup Battle

First up was this cheapo ultrasonic cleaner I bought off Amazon for $50 back in 2020. Filled the tank with distilled water and dish soap like the manual said. Dropped the Raketa’s disassembled case into the mesh basket. Hit start and… it sounded like angry bees trapped in a tin can. After 15 minutes? Still saw gunk in the case grooves. Did two more cycles – same grime spots laughing at me. Finished by blow-drying it with canned air like a caveman. Total time: almost an hour just for ONE part.

L&R Time Baby

Then I pulled out my new-to-me used L&R Mastermatic I scored off eBay. This thing’s built like a Soviet tank. Filled the big stainless tank with their special blue juice solution, preheated to 140°F. Dropped the Casio and Seiko parts into separate wire baskets hooked on the rotating arm. Hit the cycle button and immediately heard the difference – deep humming vibration like a submarine engine. Watched bubbles violently blasting every surface. After the timer dinged (8 minutes flat), I dunked parts into rinse jars and finally their dry box. Case backs looked like factory new – even between lug threads.

The Ugly Truth

But here’s where things got messy:

• That cheap cleaner overheated midway through the third test cycle – smelled like burning plastic. Had to unplug it.
• The L&R juice? Costs more than whiskey. Spilled some wiping the tank and my kitchen counter turned Smurf blue.
• Forgot to remove the Casio’s original elastomer strap before L&R bath. Came out swollen like a dead caterpillar. RIP strap.

Who Won My Bench?

Obviously the L&R nuked grime way better. But unless you’re cleaning daily or running a repair side hustle, it’s total overkill. For average joes with three watches? Stick with hand tools. If you go ultrasonic, skip the toy cleaners – they’ll die fast. My verdict: L&R cleans like a god, but only pays off if you’re drowning in movements like I am after that Raketa hoarding phase last winter.