Could anyone advise me on how often my watches should be serviced?

Ive got the following;
2001 Seamaster
Speedmaster Apollo 13 Silver Snoopy
Apollo Soyuz 35th anniverary meteorite dial
Speedmaster Apollo 11 50th anniversary

It’s occurred to me that I get my cars serviced at independent garages once out of warranty. Is this the same with watches? Do people stick with omega during the warranty period and then switch to independents?

I’ve been quoted £595 for the Apollo Soyuz by Omega. Does this sound reasonable? Should I send it to Omega or are there any other independents that I should consider?

Thanks.
Rob

 

Of course, many many good independents out there. My approach over the years has been to allow Omega, or sometimes, Rolex to handle it all during warranty periods. Outside of warranty there are many great options (and sometimes, as with cars, the independents are much much better way to go). . With Omega,. you are dealing with a major brand and accompanying supply chain of parts, etc. A quick Google search will give you the names and means to follow up on researching your way...good luck.

 

Some people have shaked their heads at me, but I have never serviced my omegas except one (which was more than 20 years - when it stopped and it went to omega - rate was a standard rate in any case whether working or stopped ). Most of my watches are 15 years . Several more than 20 years . Will be violent disagreement or inviting deriding or condemning remarks from others more knowledgeable but i am stating what i have done / worked for me.
There is a chap with his collection of
300 watches - 75% omegas- and I don’t see how he could send them for servicing http://en.worldtempus.com/article/w.../omega-the-first-shall-be-the-last-27607.html

You may want to contact him on his Twitter and on it send an email to him and ask as well https://instagram.com/vintagefusion_george?igshid=euvp2y3usx9x

BTW how about a photo shoot of your watches

 

Thanks both for the helpful info.

Bizcut- I will look for an independent to service the watch, which might save me a little money. I’ll have a look on google tonight but in the meantime If anyone is based around Leeds and can recommend somewhere then I’d appreciate that. I’d be willing to travel to get a good service.

EricCsN - again, thank you. I would be happy to not get them serviced, but the Apollo-Soyuz is losing 20s per day so this one specifically needs looking at. The others I suppose could wait, although I’m fond of the snoopy so may also get these done periodically. I’m thinking once every 6-8 years maybe. Thanks for those links; I’ll have a look this evening. Great suggestion RE the photo shoot. Some very amateur pics below;







The Apollo 11 hasn’t arrived yet so no pics of that unfortunately.

 

If it is losing time, then yes definitely to get it serviced. You got some enviable pieces already .

 

I service my watches every 5 years if worn regularly, whether they show signs of problems or not. Of course, if there is evidence of timing problems or other issues, I’ll do it earlier. If not worn regularly, then I will sometimes extend a year or two.

All those watches can be serviced by an independent, but make sure they have an Omega parts account and can get authentic parts if needed. Also, because that meteorite dial is so expensive to replace if damaged, I’d probably have Omega do it.

One thing to note about the Omega service is that it will come with a 2 year warranty, which IMO justifies a slightly higher cost. FWIW, my local independent watchmaker who is Omega certified charges exactly the same as Omega, but only has a 1 year warranty. Some independents only offer a few month warranty. So best to check that up front.

 

Not near Leeds, but I thoroughly recommend Christian at https://watchguy.co.uk/. Excellent service with costs on the website.

 

Thanks. I’d not considered warranty following a service. If it’s not much cheaper to go with an indie I’ll just get it done at omega.

 

Thanks very much for this. Will have a look at prices this evening.

 

Interesting take on servicing Eric, I am in the same boat, my daily use Seiko OM was bought new in 2000 and has done hundreds of dives, it has never been opened and still works just like it did in 2000... I am at the moment contemplating an Omega for the non-diving days and hope it will give similar reliability....