I totally agree…especially when you have a large collection of watches you wear them not very often so the wear and tear should be minimal. And never use watch winders!
Thanks for the video, Chris, and I agree 100%. You're going to pay the same for the servicing no matter how old the watch is. My Speedmaster was produced in 2006, has never been serviced, yet still runs like a well-oiled machine.
I replaced a cristal glass by a safire glass on my festina tour the france. When they returned the watch the crown (time and date setting) was not working properly any more. Lesson do not send your watch to a service center when it’s not broken! Totally agree with this video. Keep up to good work. Thanks another watch fanatic
Dont take your watch to the AD or to "factory" service center unless there is no other option. Take it to an independent watchmaker. They tend to give only what is needed or what repairs are requested. Also much cheaper for ad good or better service.
Never send it to Tag Heuer if it is a vintage watch. They want to replace parts unnecessarily and which will de value the watch and not return your original parts.
Agreed. When servicing a watch, they take it apart completely. That's why it's so expensive. If your watch stops working and needs a repair, sure, it'll cost you a bit to get the new parts, but most of the cost will be for them to take apart the watch. In other words: servicing your watch and repairing your watch is gonna cost almost the same. Might as well cross your fingers and wait. Save your service money and use it for repairs if needed. And if it's never needed, you just saved your money.
That’s because the synthetic oil has evaporated and it’s will continue for many years and until it’s stop. Once it’s stop that mean you have destroyed your watch parts like balance staff, automatic weight. That’s why it’s needs to be replaced because it’s not serviced on time before the synthetic oil has evaporated. But again, it’s your watch and it’s will cost you more parts to replace This is same for Rolex or any watches.
Fully agree with u man! I owned hundreds of watches in my collection and I probably only serviced/repaired less than 10 pieces over 20 years of this hobby. If u have a large collection as well and to minimise issues with them, always wind up the watches every 2-3 months. Don’t let them sit in the watch box not running for more than 3 months.
I agree with you; like the old saying goes, If it ain't broke don't fix it. However one tiny bone to pick: questioning whether it always costs the same to service perfect condition vs broken watches. Couldn't extra costs be assessed if some parts are broken and need to be replaced? Or am I mostly thinking of vintage pieces?
You missed one big important point...service interval does not cover watch repairs. It is a **service**. So, if a balance wheel is jacked, you're paying for it. If two wheels are rusted together, well, there's a cost involved, not free. So your regular service of $1000 to keep your watch up-to-snuff and wear limited, could become $2000 or more if things are damaged internally. Now granted, $1000 every 5 years... pocket the $$ and wait for year 20 where the watch stops working. I have $4000 saved, that should covered service and any type of repair, right? Well, maybe. 1) Is it fixable or will the factory not bother due to lack of service and movement being "beyond repair". 2) Fixable but parts are hard to come buy. You 1month service is now a 6m-1yr wait. 3) old parts (e.g. dial) may need to be replaced with new versions. You may not like the "new" version. So, here is my take - it all depends. 1) If we're talking a Seiko worth $200, no way. The service is more than the watch. 2) If we're talking about a $10,000, $20K, $50K watch, then I would argue to do it. A lot of money into a watch like that. 3) A $1k - $10k watch? Depends :-) How much do you love the watch? How often do you wear it? Conditions on how you use it - diver you depend on (yes!!) Diver for show but no H20 - eh... skip a few.
Hmmm.... let me share with u this true incident. A collector friend of mine have his PAM233 quoted for regular servicing at boutique for about $1000. Another friend of mine bought a used PAM233 with 2 years factory warranty as it was just serviced. The service cost is $1250 which include replacing the sapphire crystal, all hands, 2 barrels, some wheels & gears. Costs different is only $250. Parts are usually not expensive unless they are made of precious metals or exotic materials. Watchmakers time is very expensive. FYI PAM233 is retail for about $15,000.
You are right. Mechanical watches are not like cars, and watches are non-essential. But, once they are down it’s recommended to go authorised service centres. Because the real watchmaker who knows well and repair well your particular watch model is like finding needle in haystack nowadays. SC will give warranty after you paid high price so at least you can fall back on, well better so than any watchmaker you have dealt with. Just back from omega SC ‘cos my never serviced 19-yrs old Seamaster AT co-axial running slow few minutes daily which I can’t take it anymore.
im on board with this idea. Bought a Seamaster 6 years ago and haven't serviced it once yet...still butter smooth as day 1 and still incredibly accurate...its scary how that thing doesnt lose any time...i compare it over weeks of running to my other cheaper dive watches (tisell, Phoibus. Longines) and its not losing time like these....the Longines is obviously very close. So yeah, no servicing on the horizon for any of these bad boys.
it's something that we should do if their is a fear for a complex complication like perpetual Callender or minute repeater , in that case the watch might show the right time, but it doesn't mean anything yet.... in our daily life watches obviously observed shock in a tiny amount of energy, but with time it might be a trouble all those shock.
SO VERY TRUE!! I totally agree with you. I've always been using the same policy as yours, especially if you own several luxury watches. Additionally, like for cars, the more you touch it, the worse it can be!!!
1978 timex marlin here, bought new, never serviced! Why would i bother servicing it, if it starts to lose chunks of time then maybe id get it looked at!
I think this perspective makes sense for a segment of watch users. There are other groups of watch users who do not buy luxury watches for the price, but more so for craftsmanship, art, heirloom, and for the more interested hobbyist. Look, my 4 thousand dollar Nomos is more than just a price tag now, it is an heirloom that I prefer to preserve the original mechanical parts as much as possible without needing to replace them. In my mind, if we have to complain about the cost of a service, we are probably in the wrong hobby. A mechanical watch is not about practicality, it is art, and people spend all kinds of money on art and maintaining art. If cost is a worry, then there are different hobbies and art for the more frugal kind of mindset ! Just my opinion.
I have couple of pieces and have never sent them for service. I had a fantastic canon lense that in a nonsense conversation with canon service they convinced me to service it. Long story short they fucked up the lense, couldn't prove it was them and had to sell it as unusable. If ain't broken don't touch it. I am with you it is not big deal couple of seconds up or down a day, and if it stop working, the world will continue spinning. Nice advice!
1. Only send it in IF it truly needs a new part etc eg: date stops working...... 2. Service centres will leave watches on a shelf for weeks before even touching it. Months later you'll be on the phone "where's my watch". 3. A local watch maker costs about a quarter compared to the brand's service department. There's a guy on RUclips, he owns a Rolex for 20 years, without a service ever - and the watch works fine.
Yeah I have like 10 autos so to service them all every 5-6 years would cost a fortune and is the reason I’ve been switching over to quartz to avoid all this BS. BUT if only servicing when it stops running he’ll that makes perfect sense. I think the 5 year service is just a money grab.
I totally agree. I have never serviced a watch. It's the old adage "if it ain't broke, don't fix it." Servicing a watch also doesn't guarantee it won't have a problem in the near future.
Heres my take as a guy with a pretty big collection of vintage watches, I wind them up fully once a month, any issues, straight to service, no issues, no service till I have a problem, my daily wear watches, I get them serviced every 10-15 years. I rarely wear a lot of watches in my collection, (I have a large collection of Hamiltons, 25 and counting and it would be a crazy pain to get them fixed every 3-5 years which some people say is the correct amount. Edit: I'm wearing my Hamilton Rodney that hasn't been serviced since 2010, still runs like a champ and loses/gains less than 20 seconds a day.
Hi, I have a Rolex Explorer 114270 which now makes a weird whirring noise when shaken. I’ve got to say that I’m actually scared as to where I should take this watch for repair. Several years ago my partner Sarah’s Tissot automatic dropped onto the bathroom floor and the hands went loose and a local watchmaker (who has gone now)fixed this for £16.
I have a family friend who is a watch maker, and he was certified by Omega for something like 30years before his retirement. According to him you are just wasting your money if you service your watch before you service it. He was from the time when you oiled the watch and it dried out and he still thinks that you should only service it when you had to have that replaced. So I would say I agree with this video. Omegas, and other luxury brands used to be serviced every 10-15 years. At most, or when they stopped. And we are to believe that when watches have gotten better and so on over they years they now need more service than ever? It's for profit, nothing else. If you however are an avid diver, yes, changing the gaskets every 3ish years is a good idea. Having your watch stop if you are using it to time a dive is not good. However I don't know anyone who dives without some sort of diving computer now. But that is a different issue.
I tend to go for a one-off, full service by a very well respected independent watchmaker, every time I pick up a vintage piece with an unknown history. After that, I add the watch to my 'wear rotation', allow it to regularly rest, wipe clean and store in a proper watch-box. I just keep an eye on them, and that seems to work...
this is a very interesting point. Similar to the idea of not doing anything to your car until it stops working. I recently picked up a Brosnan Seamaster that is in rough shape. I want to send it to Omega like you did with the speedmaster. However, once it's fully restored other than checking the water resistance it will probably be a while until its next service. You do make an excellent point that you could dig a rolex out of a dumpster and it would cost the same to service.
Another reason not to service unnecessarily...sometimes you can have a poor service experience. The watch cones back with debree or smudges that were not present before service...not to mention what you may not know or see internally. If it's not broken don't fix it. Great advice.
How about replacing gaskets once in a while? Wouldn't WR be at risk if you extend service intervals and the rubber gets too old? Thank you for the video!
But if parts get worn and need replacement because accuracy begins to slip when you send it in for service it will still be the 1000 charge because they go thru and replace worn parts for that 1000 charge anyway is my understanding. So why service for no reason other than it’s been 7 years and the watch is keeping good time?? Why do that?
For those who collect older watches (20+ years) I cannot imagine not ensuring proper lubricant is present. You don’t want to replace any parts on a watch where getting those part could basically equal the value.
For a mass produced watch with parts in abundance then I get it. For vintage HELL NO! Denying a service on a watch means the oil drys up or even worse turns into a gritty paste which causes masses amounts of friction thus causing rubbing and metal wearing. Good luck trying to source the parts that you'll need in order to replace them. This wouldn't be a chilled case of hitting up Swatch group and hoping they have an abundance of NOS parts for obsolete watches that are 50 to 60 years old. For a simple service of a vintage watch could very easily turn into a very expensive nightmare or even worse totally not repairable at all!
If you have an older but common movement (ex. Sellita) say 10 yrs old and really need some parts replaced. Some luxury watch service centers will just replace the entire movement with a brand new one. When you get that watch back, it is no longer the same watch that you love and holds some emotional attachment to it.
I totally understand that a 1000 euro service is ridiculous. However, would you not want the lubrication to be refreshed/added at some sort of interval? I exclusively have watches from the 60’s and 70’s so maybe this doesn’t hold for any new watches.
Good vid!When I started my journey with auto watches Ive read that auto watch need a winder,servicing every 5 years to lubricate the mechanism etc.Now I know that any of this isnt needed.Its only unnecessary costs,especially that I dont have thousands worth watches.In case of a failure I can buy a new mechanism without much costs.
Seamaster 22 yo works fine im taking to Independent far cheaper than omega Submariner 12 yo is in for service but plan on keeping it and passing it on Othet newer rolex’s not going in unless greater than 10 Years or issue
Thank you! My Dad left me a very nice size watch collection on mostly Renato, Invicta and Android/Aragon watches from ShopNBC and QVC. They are fun and they look like a million bucks. Most are from around 2006. There's no way I can afford to service them and they all keep time as good as the day he got them.
My mate's girlfriend had her Omega serviced last week..................it now loses 5minutes every 2 days! Never service a watch if it's running fine, they're scamming you
I dunno, I have a Planet Ocean 600m 43.5mm and a Superocean II 44mm, both overdue for the recommended service, actually both never serviced since new. The Planet Ocean is running a bit slow around -8s/d, and my Superocean is running a bit fast around +10s/d, and the auto rotor in the Superocean also sounds a bit noisy to me although it seems to work ok keeping the watch wound. I plan to have both serviced, but not a full overhaul, a clean outside and in, lubrication, regulator adjust, check the Superoceans auto rotor centre bearing etc, but yeah I won't be sending them to Omega or Breitling I know a very good watchmaker/horologist who I trust and who will do this for me at a reasonable price.
When I started out I was sold on regular servicing but quickly did the math after a service and found it would become very expensive and probably unnecessary if you are only wearing the watches in a rotation instead of one watch continuously.
Totally agree if it isn’t broke don’t fix it, I know one chap had his watch that worked fine got serviced and it didn’t keep time after that, a lot of back and forth over a year and it works right now
Hey totally agree I put a *** on the description just saying that if you're using your watch as a true dive watch or tool watch you definitely need to do regular service intervals because your safety depends on it.
Like Indiana Jones said, “It’s’ not the years, it’s the mileage.” I have just one nice watch that I wear every day and have been doing so for the last 23 years. I only wear another watch when my nice watch is being serviced. My 5 years is very different from a watch collector that is rotating through 3, 4, or a half dozen watches throughout the year, even if they are using auto winders, which I doubt puts as much wear on parts as having it on your wrist all day. Servicing via AD is not cheap and just gets more expensive over the years so if you aren’t putting a lot of mileage on a given watch, I’d agree that regular, preventive maintenance servicing intervals are likely overkill.
Once had a very respected watch seller in Los Angeles that starts with an "F" and ends in "MAR" service my Breitling SuperOcean. They stripped the crown and wouldn't take responsibility. I had to send it elsewhere for a new case at $650. Never again.
My AD said the same thing. If the watch is running fine, you don’t really want to open it up or change anything about it. Only when the watch is not working properly did they recommend to bring it in for service. Glad you included that disclaimer in the description, in some specific situations, a regular service is the obvious choice. Good video Chris!
Chris, I already do this. But never seen anybody expressing this pov. The exception is the rubber seals, but to wash dishes, or be exposed to some rainy days it's ok for a lot of years. If I have to swim, I'll take a G Shock or wear a modern diver. 😎⌚👍🏼
I got a 80 years old chronograph watch, a chronographe suise, nothing really fancy with a Venus movement. Is working well . I don't use that much so i don't think it has much wear. probably in whole life has been ticking For less than a year. Some Say that the lubricante gets bad after time.for about a bottle of good oil like 20 years ago. I dont use that much of it. For what i do. The oil if You dont let the dust get to it. Pretty much didnt change. so i believe that this is the same with a close watch. Maybe i AM worng
Get a timegrapher and learn how to use it. Even better, learn how to service your own. Timegrapher shows easily when it's time for service or just needs an adjustment.
Thank you very much Chris for your sensible and reassuring advice. This is the only time I have corne across such good advice through all my years of surfing watch blogs and forums. Thanks again and best wishes to you!
I service all my watches myself. Face it if you own a $1200.00 Hamilton why would you even consider servicing the watch? The watch center you take it to is going to charge about what the watch is worth to buy outright. So I never let anyone service the majority of my collection. I do have a Daytona and Deeo Sea that are always taken care of by a service center. My Omega's and Hamiltons and Cimier as well as many others I always service myself. I know what has been done to it and what issues may arise if I do not replace certain parts. But I always replace parts when needed. Also many of the Jewellers in major cities often do a poor job when it comes to the service. We actually took 3 watches to separate repair centers while knowing what is wrong with the watch well before they touch them. All but one service center had big stories on what was wrong. Thinking they are talking over your basic knowledge of these movements. I do not trust them as they are lazy and quite often want to charge you for parts that are not needed. Oh and one of the centers actually charged us yet when we opened it all of the parts were there before they got their hands on it. And we purposely marked major parts before taking the watch in. It happened to be a Tag Heuer Aquaracer auto chrono. Yes ut is expensive to buy all the tooling to service your own watches. But the money you save in the long run makes it well worth the payout. I primarily work on 7750 series of movements. So I have all I need to work on all my chronographs. If you have a good sized collection believe me it is worth your time to learn and do it all yourself.
I could not agree more. I have the original Bond Omega Quartz. It has drained 2 batteries in a few days each. The AD suggested an Omega service. If it needs a new movement, it is INCLUDED in the cost of service.
For me It depends $200 Seiko probably wait till it’s not keeping time. A watch costing over $700 I’m probably going to get it serviced after 10 years mainly due to worn stem O rings can cause moisture ingress and ruin the hair spring and other costly components. Secondly any watch with a screw down crown and has a water resistant of 100m should be maintained every 7 years as the stem O rings received constant pressure and movement that can cause leakage.
Was looking for this answer as my Rolex has hit 3 years and they say service every 5 years but hell no I’m going to wear it and leave it until it stops working
Sounds good to me. The day I have to service my Navi is going to hurt. I have a 19 year old Aquaracer quarts that only gets batteries and my brother has a 17 year old Aquaracer auto that has only been demagnetized because it started running really fast.
I don't own a watch that's worth $1,500 total at the moment, but that was going to be my plan when I finally buy the Omega and or Breitling. Thanks for the confirmation. God bless
I quite like having my recent vintage rolex aquisitions serviced immediately upon purchasing. But I have a guy I trust 100% and he only charges me $350 + required parts. So to add $500 on a $15,000 purchase to know it is not grinding itself up because of dried up oils is worth it to me.
I think having a good, trusted and reputable independent shop that you have history with, there’s not a huge threat of these massive charges you’re talking about. much the same as you would have for you car, you should have a trusted source of information and service. I get my watches cleaned and checked over once a year. Maybe it’s a waste, but for me it’s not. I enjoy the experience, and value the watches I put on my wrist. But to each their own, we all but watches for different reasons, and I guess we all chose to have them serviced or not.
So is servicing the same as lubing the watch in the right areas were friction can build and ruin vintage parts that we may not be able to find or is lubing not part of servicing?
@@hasininan5501 Thank you for asking , it wasn't a daily wear watch it spent alot of time in safety deposit box it was running well never really timed it just thought it might be a good idea to get it serviced .
I'm planning not to get my speedmaster serviced seeing how much it is. But just a little bit worried if I will end up stripping the metal teeth when there's no more oil in the movement.
Your some what right but that all depends on how tuned you want that watch to run or how much money your willing to drop as for myself I have a 1967 Longines with a manual 370 calibre from my dad that he barely wore and I only wind it when I feel like it but enough to keep it active without freezing or seizing up on me and that watch runs great for over 50 years! I keep and eye on how accurate it performs and seems fine for a grammar watch lol but I'm sure the wear and tear is minimal as I do the same for all my watches I let um run for a couple of days and may rest it for a few weeks or month and run it again to keep them active and strong!
Thanks for your thoughts. Very good point. Debating between a mechanical and quartz watch. The thought of servicing was putting me off. This has put my mind at rest. Cheers
Dude, why are you shocked it needed a complete overhaul. After a while the oils inside actually starts drying slowly, and if you wait long enough you will have to have certain parts replaced, because it will cause damage over time. If you collection consists of only cheap Seiko watches, sure, wait until it stops working. If you have watches in the 4k USD and upwards, then you should consider getting it serviced every 8-10 years. If you do the math of how much you need to save up every month, it’s not that much. But again, it all depends on how much the watch is worth.
As a watchmaker there's alot of falsehoods in this video it typically costs more if you don't get it serviced for years you're talking only from an AD perspective
Rolex, I service once every 20 years and I get a two year warranty, which is worth the cost of service since the watch is a daily. Rolexes are high, high quality watches.
I've had my Omega six years from new and was feeling almost guilty not servicing it until I saw your video, my watch loses about four seconds a day which |I've been told is ok, but got a tiny scuff mark on the glass and a few small scatches, but I'd lovce tp see the back of. Thanks for posting yor helpful video.
they should really provide guideline on the servicing interval should based on the mileage instead of year. Diver watches should be serviced as they are a tool, but a speedmaster… Should avoid water and focus on time keeping? And so they should provide a guideline on that!
Sure thing, but all you need to remember after all that is that the movement and such has no harm but the waterproof barring will damage after years because it comes loose and has engravings. So after a 4-7 years your Rolex has no waterproof features anymore
Just change gasket rubber every 5 years to ensure there will be no humidity get inside the watch that could damage the watch and causes rust , otherwise you're good to service your watch every 20 years
I service my own watch when I want whenever I want. Most of my watches are out of their service period, and I'm not paying for them clowns and waiting 6 weeks for it when majority kf the time I can do it in 3 hours tops.
The part about a watch stopping and the fix costing the same as the service that would have prevented that issue is not correct. As a watchmaker I see moments that have irreparable damage done because of wear and lack of lubrication. This means that parts need to be replaced or fixed. This can double the cost of the service quite easily because man hours are expensive for competent watchmakers. This is especially true for vintage watches as parts may be hard or near impossible to find in some cases. I love your channel but I'm not sure this advice makes sense.
thanks boss, i do fully agree now, before i didn't know i had to service few watches coz they are given to me as present and the mean alot.. but they cost as a price of super watch i could buy at time... but now i will do as mentioned once it's stop i will keep it for good memory
The synthetic oils now used have a shelf life of five to six years before they start to deteriorate losing the ability to stop friction of the moving parts, if the timepiece is constantly worn and you want to keep it in tip top condition the ideal service time is every five years and if only worn occasionally then every ten years. Also the silicone rubber case back and crown seals will age and deteriorate over a period of time so will need to be replaced. So anyone who says a watch doesn't need to be serviced even if it hasn't been worn for ten twenty thirty years is talking out of their backside.
I disagree and I'd wager nearly all watchmakers will say your expensive watch should be serviced. Like with your car, the lubrication in a mechanical watch has a lifespan. A point where it looses its effectiveness. Once that happens, the metal pivots will wear. The rotor on your automatic watch is also a moving part and will wear over time if the lubrication loses it's ability to lubricate.. Mainsprings also get tired over time and should be changed. I'd stick with the manufacturers recommendations if you want to keep your watch running. There's a reason you need to replace parts sometimes...usually it's because the owner neglected it.
I tend to agree. I've only sent in an omega 2x for running slow and a Momdaine, one of my few quartz watches that was not working correctly. I'm curious just how long gaskets last before they lose function. I've heard annual service to replace them is required. I doubt that frequency is really required. I've known some Rolex owners who have never serviced their only daily driver for 20 years without gaskets failure.
@@WatchChris I’ve also got an Ollech&Wajs, ETA 2824. It’s about 15 years old. My watch service guy said “If the power reserve decreases or the accuracy goes off then we’ll give it a service. If it’s running well? Leave it alone.”
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I totally agree…especially when you have a large collection of watches you wear them not very often so the wear and tear should be minimal. And never use watch winders!
The manual on my IWC XVIII says exactly this: no service unless there’s a problem.
Thanks for the video, Chris, and I agree 100%. You're going to pay the same for the servicing no matter how old the watch is. My Speedmaster was produced in 2006, has never been serviced, yet still runs like a well-oiled machine.
Agreed. I have only serviced my watches if they stopped working. It doesn’t make any financial sense but buying expensive watches doesn’t either.
I replaced a cristal glass by a safire glass on my festina tour the france. When they returned the watch the crown (time and date setting) was not working properly any more. Lesson do not send your watch to a service center when it’s not broken! Totally agree with this video. Keep up to good work. Thanks another watch fanatic
Dont take your watch to the AD or to "factory" service center unless there is no other option. Take it to an independent watchmaker. They tend to give only what is needed or what repairs are requested. Also much cheaper for ad good or better service.
Never send it to Tag Heuer if it is a vintage watch. They want to replace parts unnecessarily and which will de value the watch and not return your original parts.
Agreed. When servicing a watch, they take it apart completely. That's why it's so expensive. If your watch stops working and needs a repair, sure, it'll cost you a bit to get the new parts, but most of the cost will be for them to take apart the watch. In other words: servicing your watch and repairing your watch is gonna cost almost the same. Might as well cross your fingers and wait. Save your service money and use it for repairs if needed. And if it's never needed, you just saved your money.
That’s why I own Omega and they can go up to 10 years without needing a servicing. 😎
Like Rolex
Like Seiko
Like Casio
That’s because the synthetic oil has evaporated and it’s will continue for many years and until it’s stop. Once it’s stop that mean you have destroyed your watch parts like balance staff, automatic weight.
That’s why it’s needs to be replaced because it’s not serviced on time before the synthetic oil has evaporated. But again, it’s your watch and it’s will cost you more parts to replace
This is same for Rolex or any watches.
@@SeniorChaChaCha lol, Casio needs no service at all, God tier watch
Fully agree with u man! I owned hundreds of watches in my collection and I probably only serviced/repaired less than 10 pieces over 20 years of this hobby. If u have a large collection as well and to minimise issues with them, always wind up the watches every 2-3 months. Don’t let them sit in the watch box not running for more than 3 months.
Exactly let the mechanism run for a few days and let it rest for a month or two or a week or two.
I wind mine at least once a month.
I agree with you; like the old saying goes, If it ain't broke don't fix it. However one tiny bone to pick: questioning whether it always costs the same to service perfect condition vs broken watches. Couldn't extra costs be assessed if some parts are broken and need to be replaced? Or am I mostly thinking of vintage pieces?
You missed one big important point...service interval does not cover watch repairs. It is a **service**. So, if a balance wheel is jacked, you're paying for it. If two wheels are rusted together, well, there's a cost involved, not free. So your regular service of $1000 to keep your watch up-to-snuff and wear limited, could become $2000 or more if things are damaged internally.
Now granted, $1000 every 5 years... pocket the $$ and wait for year 20 where the watch stops working. I have $4000 saved, that should covered service and any type of repair, right? Well, maybe.
1) Is it fixable or will the factory not bother due to lack of service and movement being "beyond repair".
2) Fixable but parts are hard to come buy. You 1month service is now a 6m-1yr wait.
3) old parts (e.g. dial) may need to be replaced with new versions. You may not like the "new" version.
So, here is my take - it all depends.
1) If we're talking a Seiko worth $200, no way. The service is more than the watch.
2) If we're talking about a $10,000, $20K, $50K watch, then I would argue to do it. A lot of money into a watch like that.
3) A $1k - $10k watch? Depends :-) How much do you love the watch? How often do you wear it? Conditions on how you use it - diver you depend on (yes!!) Diver for show but no H20 - eh... skip a few.
Hmmm.... let me share with u this true incident. A collector friend of mine have his PAM233 quoted for regular servicing at boutique for about $1000. Another friend of mine bought a used PAM233 with 2 years factory warranty as it was just serviced. The service cost is $1250 which include replacing the sapphire crystal, all hands, 2 barrels, some wheels & gears. Costs different is only $250. Parts are usually not expensive unless they are made of precious metals or exotic materials. Watchmakers time is very expensive. FYI PAM233 is retail for about $15,000.
You are living in fools paradise
Please see "just one more watch" you tube channel , where guy paid 150 $ servicing charge for 150 $ seiko watch
You are right. Mechanical watches are not like cars, and watches are non-essential. But, once they are down it’s recommended to go authorised service centres. Because the real watchmaker who knows well and repair well your particular watch model is like finding needle in haystack nowadays. SC will give warranty after you paid high price so at least you can fall back on, well better so than any watchmaker you have dealt with. Just back from omega SC ‘cos my never serviced 19-yrs old Seamaster AT co-axial running slow few minutes daily which I can’t take it anymore.
im on board with this idea. Bought a Seamaster 6 years ago and haven't serviced it once yet...still butter smooth as day 1 and still incredibly accurate...its scary how that thing doesnt lose any time...i compare it over weeks of running to my other cheaper dive watches (tisell, Phoibus. Longines) and its not losing time like these....the Longines is obviously very close. So yeah, no servicing on the horizon for any of these bad boys.
Agree 100 percent. I have 35 year old watches that work perfectly fine and are part of my regular rotation...
it's something that we should do if their is a fear for a complex complication like perpetual Callender or minute repeater , in that case the watch might show the right time, but it doesn't mean anything yet.... in our daily life watches obviously observed shock in a tiny amount of energy, but with time it might be a trouble all those shock.
You should always have your luxury watch serviced at authorized service center if you bought it on the grey market or second handed.
In my experience, watches START having issues after the first service.
SO VERY TRUE!! I totally agree with you. I've always been using the same policy as yours, especially if you own several luxury watches. Additionally, like for cars, the more you touch it, the worse it can be!!!
Completely agree. I’ve had many watches over many years & my collection is many years old.
Never had a service.
Ever.
1978 timex marlin here, bought new, never serviced! Why would i bother servicing it, if it starts to lose chunks of time then maybe id get it looked at!
I think this perspective makes sense for a segment of watch users. There are other groups of watch users who do not buy luxury watches for the price, but more so for craftsmanship, art, heirloom, and for the more interested hobbyist. Look, my 4 thousand dollar Nomos is more than just a price tag now, it is an heirloom that I prefer to preserve the original mechanical parts as much as possible without needing to replace them. In my mind, if we have to complain about the cost of a service, we are probably in the wrong hobby. A mechanical watch is not about practicality, it is art, and people spend all kinds of money on art and maintaining art. If cost is a worry, then there are different hobbies and art for the more frugal kind of mindset ! Just my opinion.
I have couple of pieces and have never sent them for service. I had a fantastic canon lense that in a nonsense conversation with canon service they convinced me to service it. Long story short they fucked up the lense, couldn't prove it was them and had to sell it as unusable. If ain't broken don't touch it. I am with you it is not big deal couple of seconds up or down a day, and if it stop working, the world will continue spinning. Nice advice!
1. Only send it in IF it truly needs a new part etc eg: date stops working......
2. Service centres will leave watches on a shelf for weeks before even touching it. Months later you'll be on the phone "where's my watch".
3. A local watch maker costs about a quarter compared to the brand's service department.
There's a guy on RUclips, he owns a Rolex for 20 years, without a service ever - and the watch works fine.
Yes yes and hell yes !!!!
Yeah I have like 10 autos so to service them all every 5-6 years would cost a fortune and is the reason I’ve been switching over to quartz to avoid all this BS. BUT if only servicing when it stops running he’ll that makes perfect sense. I think the 5 year service is just a money grab.
I totally agree. I have never serviced a watch. It's the old adage "if it ain't broke, don't fix it." Servicing a watch also doesn't guarantee it won't have a problem in the near future.
Heres my take as a guy with a pretty big collection of vintage watches, I wind them up fully once a month, any issues, straight to service, no issues, no service till I have a problem, my daily wear watches, I get them serviced every 10-15 years. I rarely wear a lot of watches in my collection, (I have a large collection of Hamiltons, 25 and counting and it would be a crazy pain to get them fixed every 3-5 years which some people say is the correct amount.
Edit: I'm wearing my Hamilton Rodney that hasn't been serviced since 2010, still runs like a champ and loses/gains less than 20 seconds a day.
That makes a lot of sense to me. You keep your watches going until they are not, only then you service. Thanks for the comment!
Hi, I have a Rolex Explorer 114270 which now makes a weird whirring noise when shaken. I’ve got to say that I’m actually scared as to where I should take this watch for repair. Several years ago my partner Sarah’s Tissot automatic dropped onto the bathroom floor and the hands went loose and a local watchmaker (who has gone now)fixed this for £16.
I have a family friend who is a watch maker, and he was certified by Omega for something like 30years before his retirement.
According to him you are just wasting your money if you service your watch before you service it.
He was from the time when you oiled the watch and it dried out and he still thinks that you should only service it when you had to have that replaced.
So I would say I agree with this video. Omegas, and other luxury brands used to be serviced every 10-15 years. At most, or when they stopped. And we are to believe that when watches have gotten better and so on over they years they now need more service than ever? It's for profit, nothing else.
If you however are an avid diver, yes, changing the gaskets every 3ish years is a good idea. Having your watch stop if you are using it to time a dive is not good. However I don't know anyone who dives without some sort of diving computer now. But that is a different issue.
I tend to go for a one-off, full service by a very well respected independent watchmaker, every time I pick up a vintage piece with an unknown history. After that, I add the watch to my 'wear rotation', allow it to regularly rest, wipe clean and store in a proper watch-box. I just keep an eye on them, and that seems to work...
this is a very interesting point. Similar to the idea of not doing anything to your car until it stops working. I recently picked up a Brosnan Seamaster that is in rough shape. I want to send it to Omega like you did with the speedmaster. However, once it's fully restored other than checking the water resistance it will probably be a while until its next service. You do make an excellent point that you could dig a rolex out of a dumpster and it would cost the same to service.
Another reason not to service unnecessarily...sometimes you can have a poor service experience. The watch cones back with debree or smudges that were not present before service...not to mention what you may not know or see internally. If it's not broken don't fix it. Great advice.
How about replacing gaskets once in a while? Wouldn't WR be at risk if you extend service intervals and the rubber gets too old? Thank you for the video!
Ah, I see someone brought this point up already.
Yes I agree I added a disclaimer to my description...
Ive only sent my watch once in 5years of owning it,for gasket change and WR test..
I think that if you overlook periodical lubrication, the mechanical parts could suffer due to increased friction.
But if parts get worn and need replacement because accuracy begins to slip when you send it in for service it will still be the 1000 charge because they go thru and replace worn parts for that 1000 charge anyway is my understanding. So why service for no reason other than it’s been 7 years and the watch is keeping good time?? Why do that?
Not so. Periodic servicing is there to make money.
For those who collect older watches (20+ years) I cannot imagine not ensuring proper lubricant is present. You don’t want to replace any parts on a watch where getting those part could basically equal the value.
@@vinex19 honestly the service exceeds the value... that's why a lot of old watches are in junk drawers
correct. This is bad advice in this video
Best way is to don't buy over expensive watch and then learn servicing your own watch to get freedom from your watchmaker. 😊
Yes that is the best I agree Thanks for the Comment!
For a mass produced watch with parts in abundance then I get it. For vintage HELL NO!
Denying a service on a watch means the oil drys up or even worse turns into a gritty paste which causes masses amounts of friction thus causing rubbing and metal wearing. Good luck trying to source the parts that you'll need in order to replace them. This wouldn't be a chilled case of hitting up Swatch group and hoping they have an abundance of NOS parts for obsolete watches that are 50 to 60 years old.
For a simple service of a vintage watch could very easily turn into a very expensive nightmare or even worse totally not repairable at all!
How old does a watch have to be to be considered Vintage?
This is exactly my opinion, too. Good to speak out.
If you have an older but common movement (ex. Sellita) say 10 yrs old and really need some parts replaced. Some luxury watch service centers will just replace the entire movement with a brand new one.
When you get that watch back, it is no longer the same watch that you love and holds some emotional attachment to it.
I totally understand that a 1000 euro service is ridiculous. However, would you not want the lubrication to be refreshed/added at some sort of interval? I exclusively have watches from the 60’s and 70’s so maybe this doesn’t hold for any new watches.
Good vid!When I started my journey with auto watches Ive read that auto watch need a winder,servicing every 5 years to lubricate the mechanism etc.Now I know that any of this isnt needed.Its only unnecessary costs,especially that I dont have thousands worth watches.In case of a failure I can buy a new mechanism without much costs.
Seamaster 22 yo works fine im taking to
Independent far cheaper than omega
Submariner 12 yo is in for service but plan on keeping it and passing it on
Othet newer rolex’s not going in unless greater than 10
Years or issue
Thank you! My Dad left me a very nice size watch collection on mostly Renato, Invicta and Android/Aragon watches from ShopNBC and QVC. They are fun and they look like a million bucks. Most are from around 2006. There's no way I can afford to service them and they all keep time as good as the day he got them.
My mate's girlfriend had her Omega serviced last week..................it now loses 5minutes every 2 days! Never service a watch if it's running fine, they're scamming you
I concur once opened or in the hands of someone else ...u open the door for issues
Make sense 👌. I have omega for over 20 years never serviced, works perfect. Tks
I dunno, I have a Planet Ocean 600m 43.5mm and a Superocean II 44mm, both overdue for the recommended service, actually both never serviced since new. The Planet Ocean is running a bit slow around -8s/d, and my Superocean is running a bit fast around +10s/d, and the auto rotor in the Superocean also sounds a bit noisy to me although it seems to work ok keeping the watch wound. I plan to have both serviced, but not a full overhaul, a clean outside and in, lubrication, regulator adjust, check the Superoceans auto rotor centre bearing etc, but yeah I won't be sending them to Omega or Breitling I know a very good watchmaker/horologist who I trust and who will do this for me at a reasonable price.
When I started out I was sold on regular servicing but quickly did the math after a service and found it would become very expensive and probably unnecessary if you are only wearing the watches in a rotation instead of one watch continuously.
MIF = Maintenance Induced Failure. Common in general aviation aircraft. I wouldn’t subject my Rolex to a service for fear of MIF.
Totally agree if it isn’t broke don’t fix it, I know one chap had his watch that worked fine got serviced and it didn’t keep time after that, a lot of back and forth over a year and it works right now
Great point. I have a question. If your watch gets condensation do you just get the gasket replaced?
Thanks & good job. I have had bad experiences with watch & car repairs. I do my own work.
I feel that a watch should be serviced from time to time. Let's not forget that the seals are rubber and they wear out.
Hey totally agree I put a *** on the description just saying that if you're using your watch as a true dive watch or tool watch you definitely need to do regular service intervals because your safety depends on it.
@@WatchChris, right on 👍
Very good points! Crazy that they would just fix the crystal on your watch!
I think you are 100% spot on. Do not mess with it unless it starts acting up.
Like Indiana Jones said, “It’s’ not the years, it’s the mileage.” I have just one nice watch that I wear every day and have been doing so for the last 23 years. I only wear another watch when my nice watch is being serviced. My 5 years is very different from a watch collector that is rotating through 3, 4, or a half dozen watches throughout the year, even if they are using auto winders, which I doubt puts as much wear on parts as having it on your wrist all day. Servicing via AD is not cheap and just gets more expensive over the years so if you aren’t putting a lot of mileage on a given watch, I’d agree that regular, preventive maintenance servicing intervals are likely overkill.
Thanks for the comment!
Once had a very respected watch seller in Los Angeles that starts with an "F" and ends in "MAR" service my Breitling SuperOcean. They stripped the crown and wouldn't take responsibility. I had to send it elsewhere for a new case at $650. Never again.
My AD said the same thing. If the watch is running fine, you don’t really want to open it up or change anything about it. Only when the watch is not working properly did they recommend to bring it in for service. Glad you included that disclaimer in the description, in some specific situations, a regular service is the obvious choice.
Good video Chris!
Chris, I already do this. But never seen anybody expressing this pov. The exception is the rubber seals, but to wash dishes, or be exposed to some rainy days it's ok for a lot of years. If I have to swim, I'll take a G Shock or wear a modern diver.
😎⌚👍🏼
I got a 80 years old chronograph watch, a chronographe suise, nothing really fancy with a Venus movement. Is working well . I don't use that much so i don't think it has much wear. probably in whole life has been ticking For less than a year. Some Say that the lubricante gets bad after time.for about a bottle of good oil like 20 years ago. I dont use that much of it. For what i do. The oil if You dont let the dust get to it. Pretty much didnt change. so i believe that this is the same with a close watch. Maybe i AM worng
Don't service your watch if there is nothing wrong with it. What an amazing conclusion...
Get a timegrapher and learn how to use it. Even better, learn how to service your own. Timegrapher shows easily when it's time for service or just needs an adjustment.
Thank you very much Chris for your sensible and reassuring advice. This is the only time I have corne across such good advice through all my years of surfing watch blogs and forums. Thanks again and best wishes to you!
I service all my watches myself. Face it if you own a $1200.00 Hamilton why would you even consider servicing the watch? The watch center you take it to is going to charge about what the watch is worth to buy outright. So I never let anyone service the majority of my collection. I do have a Daytona and Deeo Sea that are always taken care of by a service center.
My Omega's and Hamiltons and Cimier as well as many others I always service myself. I know what has been done to it and what issues may arise if I do not replace certain parts. But I always replace parts when needed.
Also many of the Jewellers in major cities often do a poor job when it comes to the service. We actually took 3 watches to separate repair centers while knowing what is wrong with the watch well before they touch them. All but one service center had big stories on what was wrong. Thinking they are talking over your basic knowledge of these movements. I do not trust them as they are lazy and quite often want to charge you for parts that are not needed. Oh and one of the centers actually charged us yet when we opened it all of the parts were there before they got their hands on it. And we purposely marked major parts before taking the watch in. It happened to be a Tag Heuer Aquaracer auto chrono.
Yes ut is expensive to buy all the tooling to service your own watches. But the money you save in the long run makes it well worth the payout. I primarily work on 7750 series of movements. So I have all I need to work on all my chronographs. If you have a good sized collection believe me it is worth your time to learn and do it all yourself.
I could not agree more. I have the original Bond Omega Quartz. It has drained 2 batteries in a few days each.
The AD suggested an Omega service. If it needs a new movement, it is INCLUDED in the cost of service.
well said.
As a car guy first and foremost, watches now being my second passion.
True definition of: If ain’t broke don’t fix it.
For me It depends $200 Seiko probably wait till it’s not keeping time.
A watch costing over $700 I’m probably going to get it serviced after 10 years mainly due to worn stem O rings can cause moisture ingress and ruin the hair spring and other costly components. Secondly any watch with a screw down crown and has a water resistant of 100m should be maintained every 7 years as the stem O rings received constant pressure and movement that can cause leakage.
Love this take
Was looking for this answer as my Rolex has hit 3 years and they say service every 5 years but hell no I’m going to wear it and leave it until it stops working
Sounds good to me. The day I have to service my Navi is going to hurt. I have a 19 year old Aquaracer quarts that only gets batteries and my brother has a 17 year old Aquaracer auto that has only been demagnetized because it started running really fast.
I don't own a watch that's worth $1,500 total at the moment, but that was going to be my plan when I finally buy the Omega and or Breitling. Thanks for the confirmation.
God bless
I quite like having my recent vintage rolex aquisitions serviced immediately upon purchasing. But I have a guy I trust 100% and he only charges me $350 + required parts. So to add $500 on a $15,000 purchase to know it is not grinding itself up because of dried up oils is worth it to me.
I think having a good, trusted and reputable independent shop that you have history with, there’s not a huge threat of these massive charges you’re talking about. much the same as you would have for you car, you should have a trusted source of information and service. I get my watches cleaned and checked over once a year. Maybe it’s a waste, but for me it’s not. I enjoy the experience, and value the watches I put on my wrist. But to each their own, we all but watches for different reasons, and I guess we all chose to have them serviced or not.
So is servicing the same as lubing the watch in the right areas were friction can build and ruin vintage parts that we may not be able to find or is lubing not part of servicing?
I've owned a Rolex Datejust since 1974 I had it serviced last year for the first time !!
That's what I'm talking about!!!!
Was it a daily wear watch? And how did it keep time just before you sent it for a service?
@@hasininan5501 Thank you for asking , it wasn't a daily wear watch it spent alot of time in safety deposit box it was running well never really timed it just thought it might be a good idea to get it serviced .
At RSC or independent watchmaker ? What did they charge you ?
WatchChris
Don’t talk rubbish.
It’s clear that Rolex watch is hardy worn.
If it did, the balance staff would be asboutley knackered.
Whoa, this actually got me pretty shook how many pieces were involved.
I'm planning not to get my speedmaster serviced seeing how much it is. But just a little bit worried if I will end up stripping the metal teeth when there's no more oil in the movement.
Your some what right but that all depends on how tuned you want that watch to run or how much money your willing to drop as for myself I have a 1967 Longines with a manual 370 calibre from my dad that he barely wore and I only wind it when I feel like it but enough to keep it active without freezing or seizing up on me and that watch runs great for over 50 years! I keep and eye on how accurate it performs and seems fine for a grammar watch lol but I'm sure the wear and tear is minimal as I do the same for all my watches I let um run for a couple of days and may rest it for a few weeks or month and run it again to keep them active and strong!
no service for 50 years?
Thanks for your thoughts. Very good point. Debating between a mechanical and quartz watch. The thought of servicing was putting me off. This has put my mind at rest. Cheers
this kind of content earns credibility.
Dude, why are you shocked it needed a complete overhaul. After a while the oils inside actually starts drying slowly, and if you wait long enough you will have to have certain parts replaced, because it will cause damage over time.
If you collection consists of only cheap Seiko watches, sure, wait until it stops working. If you have watches in the 4k USD and upwards, then you should consider getting it serviced every 8-10 years. If you do the math of how much you need to save up every month, it’s not that much.
But again, it all depends on how much the watch is worth.
As a watchmaker there's alot of falsehoods in this video it typically costs more if you don't get it serviced for years you're talking only from an AD perspective
Rolex, I service once every 20 years and I get a two year warranty, which is worth the cost of service since the watch is a daily. Rolexes are high, high quality watches.
I've had my Omega six years from new and was feeling almost guilty not servicing it until I saw your video, my watch loses about four seconds a day which |I've been told is ok, but got a tiny scuff mark on the glass and a few small scatches, but I'd lovce tp see the back of. Thanks for posting yor helpful video.
Has it always lost 4 sec a day? Even from new?
So Rolex doesn't charge for parts? They just charge a set price?
Yeah. I’m curious with this as well.
Good points and makes a lot of sense. I have not serviced any of my Rolex or Omegas. My oldest Rolex is 12 years old. Still runs perfectly.
I think if you own a 300-USD watch like say Seiko 5, when and if it ever stops etc, it is wiser to buy a new one.
Be careful where you send you watch.. mine was returned in a plastic bag in pieces.. WATCH REPAIRS USA , BBB Classification F
they should really provide guideline on the servicing interval should based on the mileage instead of year. Diver watches should be serviced as they are a tool, but a speedmaster… Should avoid water and focus on time keeping? And so they should provide a guideline on that!
Sure thing, but all you need to remember after all that is that the movement and such has no harm but the waterproof barring will damage after years because it comes loose and has engravings.
So after a 4-7 years your Rolex has no waterproof features anymore
Just change gasket rubber every 5 years to ensure there will be no humidity get inside the watch that could damage the watch and causes rust , otherwise you're good to service your watch every 20 years
I service my own watch when I want whenever I want.
Most of my watches are out of their service period, and I'm not paying for them clowns and waiting 6 weeks for it when majority kf the time I can do it in 3 hours tops.
The part about a watch stopping and the fix costing the same as the service that would have prevented that issue is not correct. As a watchmaker I see moments that have irreparable damage done because of wear and lack of lubrication. This means that parts need to be replaced or fixed. This can double the cost of the service quite easily because man hours are expensive for competent watchmakers. This is especially true for vintage watches as parts may be hard or near impossible to find in some cases. I love your channel but I'm not sure this advice makes sense.
thanks boss, i do fully agree now, before i didn't know i had to service few watches coz they are given to me as present and the mean alot.. but they cost as a price of super watch i could buy at time... but now i will do as mentioned once it's stop i will keep it for good memory
What about oils drying up? And gaskets?
The synthetic oils now used have a shelf life of five to six years before they start to deteriorate losing the ability to stop friction of the moving parts, if the timepiece is constantly worn and you want to keep it in tip top condition the ideal service time is every five years and if only worn occasionally then every ten years. Also the silicone rubber case back and crown seals will age and deteriorate over a period of time so will need to be replaced. So anyone who says a watch doesn't need to be serviced even if it hasn't been worn for ten twenty thirty years is talking out of their backside.
...you make a good point !!! ...
Depends on the watch really. No point in servicing any mechanical watch that was less than $200 retail
I disagree and I'd wager nearly all watchmakers will say your expensive watch should be serviced. Like with your car, the lubrication in a mechanical watch has a lifespan. A point where it looses its effectiveness. Once that happens, the metal pivots will wear. The rotor on your automatic watch is also a moving part and will wear over time if the lubrication loses it's ability to lubricate.. Mainsprings also get tired over time and should be changed. I'd stick with the manufacturers recommendations if you want to keep your watch running. There's a reason you need to replace parts sometimes...usually it's because the owner neglected it.
I tend to agree. I've only sent in an omega 2x for running slow and a Momdaine, one of my few quartz watches that was not working correctly.
I'm curious just how long gaskets last before they lose function. I've heard annual service to replace them is required. I doubt that frequency is really required. I've known some Rolex owners who have never serviced their only daily driver for 20 years without gaskets failure.
My Omega was never serviced and it only ran for 103 years.
(Uncle’s father’s watch which he bought during WW1)
Lol omg
@@WatchChris I’ve also got an Ollech&Wajs, ETA 2824. It’s about 15 years old. My watch service guy said “If the power reserve decreases or the accuracy goes off then we’ll give it a service. If it’s running well? Leave it alone.”
Lol hahahaha, excellent.
Sound advice..new to the watch addiction. Your video makes sense 👌