Originally Posted by
rjones28
Gasoline was our number one solvent at home, back in the 70s.
Back at the end of WWII, the Army released a Technical Manual, TM9-1575, all about the various wrist and pocket watches issued to soldiers, and how to take care of them, including substitute cleaning fluids if you can't get the official ones. The wash involved water, ammonia, and Castile soap. The rinse? Gasoline.
Professional watch cleaning fluids for decades have been based on Mineral Spirits, aka Stoddard's Solvent, with various additives. The wash solution usually has some form of ammonia in it (brightens up the plates). A lot of hobbyists just use Naphtha, aka Ronsonol, which is shorter chain hydrocarbons so it's more volatile and evaporates faster.