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Input welcome: service or wait?

Annapolis
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Fellow OFers—just wondering what you’d do with these variables.

-Modern coaxial Omega—c.2012.
-Time only (with small seconds)
-No known service history so I’m assuming it’s never been serviced.
-Running perfectly fine. I haven’t timegraphed it, but it’s within a couple seconds a day.
-No visible issues of any kind, functional or cosmetic.
-Although it’s a Seamaster rated to 120m, I regard it as a dress watch and do not expose it to water (beyond, I suppose, whatever droplets it might encounter when I wash my hands or when it rains.

As it’s a new-to-me piece that I intend to keep, my instinct is to get it serviced right away. I’m not keen to be without it for months and months or in a hurry to pay $$$, though. I’ve been exploring non-Omega options for service, but the ones I’ve encountered with Omega parts accounts and good reps are basically the same cost as Omega and have two-month lead-times themselves.

This would just be preventive maintenance. Brushing your teeth, not getting an emergency root canal.

…So is it worth servicing now? Or would you keep wearing it til something goes awry? I’m not worried about water resistance, I don’t think.
 
ErichKeane
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Annapolis Annapolis
Fellow OFers—just wondering what you’d do with these variables.

-Modern coaxial Omega—c.2012.
-Time only (with small seconds)
-No known service history so I’m assuming it’s never been serviced.
-Running perfectly fine. I haven’t timegraphed it, but it’s within a couple seconds a day.
-No visible issues of any kind, functional or cosmetic.
-Although it’s a Seamaster rated to 120m, I regard it as a dress watch and do not expose it to water (beyond, I suppose, whatever droplets it might encounter when I wash my hands or when it rains.

As it’s a new-to-me piece that I intend to keep, my instinct is to get it serviced right away. I’m not keen to be without it for months and months or in a hurry to pay $$$, though. I’ve been exploring non-Omega options for service, but the ones I’ve encountered with Omega parts accounts and good reps are basically the same cost as Omega and have two-month lead-times themselves.

This would just be preventive maintenance. Brushing your teeth, not getting an emergency root canal.

…So is it worth servicing now? Or would you keep wearing it til something goes awry? I’m not worried about water resistance, I don’t think.

So there are basically two schools of thought here that I'm on the fence about.

The first : IF you have no problems with it, you can just wear it until it NEEDS service and pay it then.

The Second: Omega will be willing to replace ANY movement part for 'free', so there is no sense in doing 'preventative' maintenance. Just pay when it actually NEEDS it. Note if you go to someone with a parts account, you DO typically end up paying for parts, so the second thing doesn't really ring true anymore.

I see both ways here. My fear on the 2nd is 3 fold:
1- WOULD you actually take it in when that happened? Or would it sit in your 'to bring into the shop' pile for months on end?
2- Omega's service prices are going to go up. In the last ~4 years that I've been paying attention, its been like +$300 for a chronograph.
3- When it finally 'needs' it, would the time not being serviced actually cause damage to the dial/hands in a way that I'd have to pay for that, making it costlier. Something like a gasket going bad over time and letting water in would potentially double the cost.

I personally have watches on BOTH sides of this 😁 Some I'm waiting on (though a lot of it is lazy, not money/time), some I brought in right after I got them. So... i dont know?!
 
Annapolis
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100% I’d service it promptly if it began to show signs of needing work. I suppose my fear is that the service would somehow cost more if it came to that, but maybe that’s untrue.
 
ErichKeane
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Annapolis Annapolis
100% I’d service it promptly if it began to show signs of needing work. I suppose my fear is that the service would somehow cost more if it came to that, but maybe that’s untrue.
At least Omega service center itself includes all of the movement parts if necessary. If you see the 176.007 I had them service, they replaced basically the whole thing at no additional cost. The "would somehow cost more" is if deferring the maintenance causes dial, hand/case damage, which they WOULD charge you for.
 
Donn Chambers
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ErichKeane ErichKeane
At least Omega service center itself includes all of the movement parts if necessary. If you see the 176.007 I had them service, they replaced basically the whole thing at no additional cost. The "would somehow cost more" is if deferring the maintenance causes dial, hand/case damage, which they WOULD charge you for.
It’s my understanding that hands are replaced at every service as part of the standard cost. Only dials, bezels, cases are extra. I believe it is because they want t o save time by not being as careful about not damaging the hands when removing them.
 
rendo
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I would get it serviced sooner than later since you plan on keeping it.
 
oddaffinity
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How often do you plan on wearing it? If it's in the weekly rotation/multiple times a week, I'd get it serviced. But if it's less often, then maybe just hold off. For comparison's sake, I bought a pre-owned Aqua Terra with an unknown service history a few weeks ago and I wear it daily, but I'm not planning on sending it off for service for another few months. Apparently the service turnaround time at Omega is super slow at the moment...I've seen users quoted months-long waits.
 
Annapolis
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Yeah the last watch I had serviced by Omega took a couple months—but the independents are also quoting 6-8 weeks.

I wear it two or three times a a week, typically.
 
oddaffinity
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Annapolis Annapolis
Yeah the last watch I had serviced by Omega took a couple months—but the independents are also quoting 6-8 weeks.

I wear it two or three times a a week, typically.
Hmmm, I gotcha. If you want to send it to an independent like Nesbit's, then I'd do it sooner rather than later. But if it's to Omega, then I like waiting for a "dry" season (aka no holidays/vacations/personal milestones/etc.) to send it in. Add a pic of the watch to the thread, we want to see it!
 
hen
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Here is what you need to do:


1. Post some pictures.


😉
 
Crunchie
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If you’re not going to get it wet, you’ve nothing to gain by servicing it now.

If you wait until it starts running fast or slow, it’ll cost you the same through Omega (apart from inflationary price rises, of course), but you NEXT service will be delayed too.

No real reason to pay for preventive maintenance on modern watches.
 
Archer
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No reason to service it now if you plan to send it to Omega…
 
bsowers34
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I wait until they break. Costs the same on a modern watch anyway.
 
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