Hi William, glad I make you smile 
I cant imagine anything bad happening to the watch or clock as long as the parts are dried quickly, but again this would be dependant on how long the mechanism was in the steam for. I just dont see how it could be a better way of cleaning a mechanism, its not going to remove tough oily grime any more effeciently than the methods we already employ, now if you could find a way of steam cleaning with a horological cleaner, now that might make a difference but you would have to make pretty sure you wouldnt be breathing in any of the vapour. If we are talking about hot water steam cleaning as opposed to cold water pressure cleaning I think you would have to be carefull with any shellac glued stones as the heat could melt the shellac. Thats all I can think of at the moment.
