On a car, 10,000 miles or one year...change the oil. It's easy. On a watch, is it just ~5 years since the last, or will there be other tell tale signs? Reason I ask: I recently (early Feb. '19) purchase a 3592.50 from a reputable dealer. I've worn it nearly every day since and have noticed I lose about a minute per week. My first thought is that it's a mechanical watch, and if I want exact precision on time, buy a quartz...but no thanks!

Is the loss of time an indication that a service should be performed, and at what point does one say 'that's enough time per day lost, it's time to get back on time!'?

A few details: I don't know the service history prior to my acquisition. I have read many threads that would suggest service in this case, but also would like to learn how to tell when it's time to track down a watchmaker in the Wash. D.C. area and get her in for service.

Any knowledge is gratefully received!

And a pic, because that's what we do!

 

What would you ask yourself if you bought a nice car that you had no idea as to when was the last service...

... drive it around awhile and wait ‘til there’s a problem?

 

"Any knowledge is gratefully received!"

This is a watch, not a car facing a $20 oil change.
I wish I had the knowledge to properly answer your questions.
I'm certain there are others on this site who will be willing to do so.

 

Indeed!!

My personal approach:
- for a modern watch, wear the watch until it stops working or the precision is significantly affected (i.e., the watch gains/loses 30 sec per day);
- for a vintage one, IF service parts are difficult to source AND you plan on wearing it regularly, I would have it serviced before wearing out parts unnecessarily.

 

I guess it all depends on whether you want to use 'preventive maintenance' or not, and also how much you actually value your watch or car...

.... for me, I prefer to keep mine running smoothly, reliably, and for a long time to come, without having to buy parts that may or not be available later...
@Archer

 

That sounds all fine, but given:
- the cost of a service,
- the (remote... depending on the quality of the watchmaker) potential for damages during the service,
I would personally think twice before sending my watch out for several weeks.

Also, the "recommended service interval of 3-5 years" that many brands communicate on, are unnecessary and often a ploy to make more money servicing watches.

In the particular example of the OP, I would probably be on the fence, but would likely not yet send it in.

 

Indeed, I am on the fence, but all the points noted so far are completely valid and lean me to one side then the other. I guess the question I'm asking is more to the point of 'how much gain or loss of time in a week (or day) is a clear indication of service needed'?

Then again, I did buy a nice car second hand, and even though the dealer said it was just serviced, I took it to my specialist for a fresh service.

Fences...evil little boogers!

 

A good, reputable watchmaker can take a look, and might even say it doesn't need the full service, only a simple regulation.

I wouldn't be negligent on a nice watch such as a Speedmaster!

 

My beater was last serviced in 1979 and it's now losing 20/30 seconds a day so I may consider getting it serviced in a few years as preventive maintenance whether it needs it or not.
If I can find "A good, reputable watchmaker."
But I'll probably just give the A/R arrow a gentle shove.

 

Thanks @MTROIS and @dougiedude! I've seen that post from @Archer, and I do believe I'll get this one in for a checkup. If it's just an adjustment of regulation, that might bring her back to +-5 seconds per day spec. She's running ~-8 at the moment. Always good to get a professional eye on the engine to see if anything else stands out that would indicate she needs service. If she needs more, it makes sense to do it right the first time!

Much appreciate guys, and I'll keep my eye on this thread for additional guidance!

 

Nice Beater!!

 

My 1980 Speedy, which now is at +20s/d and which has never been serviced, says hello!!

 

Your watch is within Omega's tolerances for the 863 movement, so unless you know for sure otherwise, it could well have had a recent service.
As @dougiedude said, get a decent watchmaker to give it a once over.
Edit, I missed the lose in your first post.

 

The amount of time gained or lost is not sufficient information to know whether a service is needed. For all you know, the watch has been slow by that exact same amount since the last time it was serviced. Or maybe it started to get worse just before you bought it. No way to tell. A watchmaker will be able to make additional measurements (beat error, amplitude) and inspect the movement for signs of lubrication.

 

Like anything mechanical, the deterioration in accuracy will be gradual as the lubricants start drying out and gear damage becomes significant. Beside accuracy checks against a standard (I compare against www.time.gov every few days), if you have access to a timegrapher, you can also track the changes in amplitude and beat error drift. If a accuracy regulation starts going south soon afterwards, then the timepiece is probably due for a complete overhaul.

 

In a previous life, I was involved in preventive maintenance on aircraft and ships.
We often only inspected/checked/tested items at regular intervals in order to identify potential failures and through knowledge gained, changed out items before their failure timeframe.
Leaving aircraft and ships to run on and on until something went wrong would eventuate in disaster of some kind.

While your watch may not need an "overhaul" right now, an inspection to establish condition would be a wise move.

 

Thanks for actually directly addressing the OP's question with a knowledgeable, informative and helpful reply.

 

Wow! My watch quit and I missed my freakin' dental appointment!

 

Thank you Jim and all!!
It does seem that we have consensus that bringing the watch to a watchmaker for a quick look-over and a timegrapher assessment is a good idea and the recommended course of action.

Let’s try to take this a bit farther, if you guys don’t mind.

First, we can (hopefully) all agree that the severity of a “catastrophic failure” potentially involved with such a watch (however precious it may be to all of us…), is nowhere close to the ones possibly related with ships, airplanes or even automobiles breaking down.
So, having put out of the way the fact that we would not be faced with a breakdown that would be so dramatic that it could not be fixed anymore (since spare parts are readily available for cal. 861/863), let’s discuss when a complete overhaul would be truly warranted.

In your post, Jim, you mentioned that the preventative maintenance activities you performed were based on both inspections and/or knowledge gained. Same can be done with car engines or transmissions, amongst others, through inspections and analysis of oil samples. These will help you make an informed decision about oil change intervals that will land somewhere in between the insane “lifetime use” pushed by some manufacturers, and the unnecessary and costly (both for one’s wallet AND for Mother Earth) “old school maintenance schedules” that advocate for synthetic oil changes every 5,000 miles or 12 months, whichever comes first.

I am thus asking all watchmakers and experts out there who have experience with these 861/863 calibers: how often have you guys experienced premature (and costly) wear and tear on parts that would NOT have been otherwise replaced if the watch would have been serviced at regular intervals?

I am really curious and interested beyond ensuring accuracy of my watch, so thank you for your comments.

 

Hi Syzygy - My thoughts (perhaps not knowledge, but my thoughts!) on this; don't know if it will help... If I didn't know the service history, I would take it in for service. I would know what I'm starting off with then. I subscribe to the mindset of regular maintenance and the suggested service intervals put out there - I get my watches serviced every 5 years, even if they aren't showing signs of being out of spec. I do the same with my car - regular oil changes even though it's running fine on the day of the oil change with no apparent issues. I just subscribe to the regular maintenance.