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  1. stiofan WUS topic importer May 4, 2016

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  2. Canuck May 4, 2016

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    How much do you plan on running the Zenith? If rarely, it is unlikely to do itself any harm if you don't service it. Even if you weren't to wear it often, if it performs poorly when you wear it, servicing it would make certain you enjoy it when you wear it. If you plan on wearing it regularly, might be a good idea to have it serviced. Pretty much your decision.
     
  3. stiofan WUS topic importer May 4, 2016

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  4. efauser I ♥ karma!!! May 4, 2016

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    If the service costs more than the cost of the watch, you must be sending it to Omega. Seriously, the service shouldn't cost you nearly that much, unless it needs parts.
     
  5. stiofan WUS topic importer May 4, 2016

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  6. efauser I ♥ karma!!! May 4, 2016

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    I wouldn't think so but maybe I have a really inexpensive watchmaker.
     
  7. Tritium May 4, 2016

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  8. Archer Omega Qualified Watchmaker May 4, 2016

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    Not sure why he would be sending his Zenith to Omega for service...not sure they would accept it. ;)
     
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  9. cvera May 4, 2016

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    I used to think it made little sense to service if it costs more than the value of the watch.

    However, last week my mother asked if I could take a Bulova hand winding necklace style timepiece she's had since high school, and I told her it would most likely cost more than the watch itself and I could buy her an even nicer piece.

    She replied that she didn't care about the brand, she wanted the piece her mother gave her and she's had since high school.

    I now have a different opinion and decided to take it to my watchmaker and pay the cost, regardless of price, as a Mother's Day gift.

    For a new crystal and a cleaning it'll cost me around 120 bucks.

    So price just depends on your watchmaker I guess, but if it has sentimental value Or will, then I would get it serviced and cleaned.

    Good luck on the zenith and post results if you do go through with it


    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
     
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  10. Archer Omega Qualified Watchmaker May 4, 2016

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    I often service watches that are worth less than the cost of the service. These are usually family heirlooms, but not always. Some people just like to look after their things properly in order to make them last. You seem to like the watch and have no intentions of selling it, and you will be wearing it a fair amount, so for me there would be no question but to give it a proper service.

    Servicing a cheaper movement doesn't take less time that servicing an expensive movement, in fact to get good results it often takes longer. So labour really isn't going to be cheaper for a cheaper watch, unless corners are being cut.

    When I'm asked to give advice about this question of servicing or not, there's no one size fits all answer. In this case I would consider the things you already have, but I would also mention that you should think about the pricing and availability of replacement parts. If this was an ETA 2824-2, I would likely give very different advice than for this vintage Zenith Cal. 40. First, since this is a vintage movement, how many parts are out there and are they still being made? I can't answer that but my guess on the second part is no, they are not being made any longer.

    Looking at Jules Borel for some quick prices, the Cal. 40 parts are not over the moon expensive, but they are significantly more than say the 2824-2 parts. Some quick comparisons show that a new third wheel for the Cal. 40 would be $32.22 US, where I pay $7 Canadian for one for a 2824-2. A winding pinion for the Zenith is listed at $36.05 US, and I pay just over $5 for one for the 2824-2. Most parts have this sort of price discrepancy between the two movements...

    So I would just encourage you to consider that not servicing it, if you intend to keep it and have it serviced at some later date, may be a bit of a false economy. Of course parts could already need replacing now, so who knows without actually getting it fully apart, cleaning everything, and inspecting it all under a microscope.

    Just a few things to consider.

    Cheers, Al
     
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  11. RawArcher Measures thread drift on the Richter Scale May 4, 2016

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    To me, how much you paid should have little bearing. The better question (again, for me) is how long do you want to have it? If you want to have and wear it for years to come, get it serviced....and get it serviced now. It's kind of like the dentist's axiom....only floss the teeth you want to keep!
     
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  12. stiofan WUS topic importer May 5, 2016

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  13. Egatdagi May 5, 2016

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    It has been my experience that servicing/restoring a watch (even a really badly deteriorated one) is generally cheaper than buying a brand new one. If you look into dumping this one and buying a better example of the same watch you'll still need to consider getting the newer one serviced so you may not be any further ahead.
     
  14. Canuck May 5, 2016

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    This is all pure conjecture until you have a shop you can trust check it out and give you a price. On the surface, it looks as though a thorough recondition, and possibly a mainspring, might be all that is required. If so, you would need to evaluate what course to choose.
     
  15. Matty01 Port Adelaide's No.1 Fan May 7, 2016

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    Its lovely looking watch and at 350ish euro great bang for buck. Sure you might pay a couple of hundred euro getting it serviced but given you will be regularly wearing it and have no intention of selling it that cost is immaterial I reckon. Plus by servicing it now you'll potentially avoid futher, more expensive issues cropping up in the not too distant future.

    I tend to look at servicing costs as being a kind of rent ... not a cost ill recoup but worth paying for the opportunity to inhabit that particular universe for the time of my choosing...