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Too many questions about watch servicing/maintenance
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STANDY
··schizophrenic pizza orderer and watch collectorThis thread has been very helpful, thank you all for your responses!
I wanted to pick up a bang for your buck watch (perhaps a vintage omega) but am now second guessing that decision due to higher maintenance costs for vintage pieces (I would get routine services as watch condition is important to me).
This thread has also guided me towards a smaller collection, which I am now considering to be 3-5 watches excluding beaters.
Modern and vintage have the same maintenance cost 😗
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Civic4982
·Everything I purchase that’s “expensive” gets serviced as soon as I get it. I do not trust any sellers that state a watch has been serviced since it may not have been done to mine or my watchmaker’s standards. I take the chance to replace worn parts right away and change out for a fresh mainspring. It usually gets a crystal replaced or hand polished if I can’t get them easily replaced.
After that, I’m an ongoing basis they go back to my watchmaker when they have issues.
When one has issues in a part and I’m able to find the part, i tend to buy a spare if I can or an entire spare movement for vintage watches where it might be inexpensive.
For less expensive watches I wear them as is from purchase and usually within a year or so I’ll send them for service once I’ve gotten a bit of them to enjoy them. They all head to the spa eventually since I don’t sell all that many and mostly buy. I’d like to keep them in nice running shape to wear anytime.
After that, I’m an ongoing basis they go back to my watchmaker when they have issues.
When one has issues in a part and I’m able to find the part, i tend to buy a spare if I can or an entire spare movement for vintage watches where it might be inexpensive.
For less expensive watches I wear them as is from purchase and usually within a year or so I’ll send them for service once I’ve gotten a bit of them to enjoy them. They all head to the spa eventually since I don’t sell all that many and mostly buy. I’d like to keep them in nice running shape to wear anytime.
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Rochete
·Yeah, if one saw an ad for a ‘63 Corvette that read “ All original, original battery, belts brakes, fluids, oil filter, tires- factory original and unmolested with great patina” I think a sane person would bring a trailer and not jump start it and drive it home.
Your life is not in danger if your watch suddenly stops.
I only care about and buy vintage. I buy more than I can possibly service. I sell more or less as much since I decided to keep collection size stable (thinking about downsizing now). All my watches are below €1000 and I don't plan to go much over that mark, might slightly for an exceptional piece in my taste. I wear a different watch almost every day, have about 60, so 6 times/year is the aprox. rotation rate.
Given above circumstances my approach is: If watch comes with obvious issues I send to service straight away, if an issue appears in a watch previously "fine" I send to service, otherwise it just joins a queue but it may never get a service before it's sold though.
Edited:
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Yak1
·I’ve had one watch serviced thus far...when the crown broke. But I don’t have that many watches and only a couple of vintage ones. As my collection grows, I suspect that may change. I also tend to wear watches for weeks on end before switching.
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Wryfox
·It’s clear that “running fine” is not a guarantee of anything with regards to movement condition
This is a sure condition of never being happy in life.
Take the most beautiful woman in the world and look close enough you will find flaws.
I never intend to look that close.
You could take a brand new watch and zoom in as you did with those pictures and find flaws, but if they don't affect function, who cares?
There are things that matter, and things that don't. Most don't, even if they're not perfect.
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Archer
··Omega Qualified WatchmakerThis is a sure condition of never being happy in life.
Take the most beautiful woman in the world and look close enough you will find flaws.
I never intend to look that close.
You could take a brand new watch and zoom in as you did with those pictures and find flaws, but if they don't affect function, who cares?
There are things that matter, and things that don't. Most don't, even if they're not perfect.
This isn't a philosophy class or group therapy. This is about simple physics and what happens when lubricants fail.
Watches can run fine to the casual observer even when they are not fine inside. This idea is not the least bit controversial...
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Wryfox
·This isn't a philosophy class or group therapy. This is about simple physics and what happens when lubricants fail.
Watches can run fine to the casual observer even when they are not fine inside. This idea is not the least bit controversial...
You made it philosophical by talking about beliefs and religion.
But you've missed my point.... Look at anything close enough youll find a flaw...physics be damned....it doesn't mean it matters.
In the real world, results matter.
If it's running fine, it's running fine.
That 3rd gen watchmaker I mentioned? He actually said servicing was a scam to make money, always has been. Period.
Worn isn't bad until it affects results.
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Archer
··Omega Qualified WatchmakerBut you've missed my point.... Look at anything close enough youll find a flaw...physics be damned....it doesn't mean it matters.
No, I haven't missed your point. And yes, if you look close enough, you will find flaws in a perfectly good pivot. Here's a photo of one taken with an electron microscope:
And yes there are minute flaws that don't matter, even when you zoom in:
There are standards that watch companies like Omega put out for when wear is acceptable or not. So if it's beyond what's acceptable, you replace the parts not just for performance now, but for performance years from now. When servicing a watch you don't just think about the present, but if the parts are going to last for years or not.
That 3rd gen watchmaker I mentioned? He actually said servicing was a scam to make money, always has been. Period.
I know, you have posted this before. As I've already said in this thread, taking an approach with some watches where you let them go until there's obvious problems can certainly be the most cost effective approach. I'm not, and never have said that people should stick to the service recommendations that brands put out.
What I'm saying is, that may not actually be the most cost effective way to handle all watches. In particular vintage watches that will require expensive and/or hard to find parts. Again this is not some extreme position, no matter how much you want to make it out to be...
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Archer
··Omega Qualified WatchmakerPretty sure the background info would be - worn on the wrist.
Bet you have fun at the Doctors
Yes, a collector I know well had bought this for his father, who only has this one watch, and he wore it every day for 7 years. Of course I didn't follow his father around for the last 7 years, but I have no reason to doubt what he is telling me.
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Larry S
··Color Commentator for the Hyperbole.Yeah, if one saw an ad for a ‘63 Corvette that read “ All original, original battery, belts brakes, fluids, oil filter, tires- factory original and unmolested with great patina” I think a sane person would bring a trailer and not jump start it and drive it home.
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JwRosenthal
·I don’t get why people get so bent about this topic! Archer has said, it’s your watch, do what you want- yet advises on the side of regular service just from his personal exposure to what happens if you don’t. He isn’t telling anyone what to do, just sharing evidence of what he has seen as a professional in this trade. My watchmaker differs in opinion from Archer (don’t fix if it ain’t broke), but I still have him service “working” pieces- and he invariably finds things that are out of spec and need replacement.
Don’t shoot the messenger guys, nobody is trying to sell you anything.
Don’t shoot the messenger guys, nobody is trying to sell you anything.
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Stufflers Mom
·You made it philosophical by talking about beliefs and religion.
But you've missed my point.... Look at anything close enough youll find a flaw...physics be damned....it doesn't mean it matters.
In the real world, results matter.
If it's running fine, it's running fine.
That 3rd gen watchmaker I mentioned? He actually said servicing was a scam to make money, always has been. Period.
Worn isn't bad until it affects results.
It sure is and all the project fear BS is to get you to part with your hand earned cash sooner than is needed.
Send your Aqua Terra watch to Omega and the cost of a full service is £430, and it will be £430 if the watch has been serviced 5 years ago or 10 years ago, the cost of a full service is still £430.
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Archer
··Omega Qualified WatchmakerSend your Aqua Terra watch to Omega and the cost of a full service is £430, and it will be £430 if the watch has been serviced 5 years ago or 10 years ago, the cost of a full service is still £430.
Yes, this is exactly what I've said...
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JwRosenthal
·It sure is and all the project fear BS is to get you to part with your hand earned cash sooner than is needed.
Send your Aqua Terra watch to Omega and the cost of a full service is £430, and it will be £430 if the watch has been serviced 5 years ago or 10 years ago, the cost of a full service is still £430.
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Stufflers Mom
·Yes, this is exactly what I've said...
Great, so now you agree that there is no cost benefit to sending a watch that is keeping good time in for a service because it's age.
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Archer
··Omega Qualified WatchmakerGreat, so now you agree that there is no cost benefit to sending a watch that is keeping good time in for a service because it's age.
I am most certainly not dogmatic when it comes to servicing watches. When someone asks me how often to service a watch, my answer is always the same - it depends. My answer will be different based on many factors, such as modern or vintage, rarity and cost of parts, what the brand policies are, if you are using a service center, etc.
Here's what I said once again...maybe you missed it when I stated it in my post on page 1...
If you're the type of person who primarily cares about costs, and you have a modern watch that you will be sending to the brand service center, then from an economic standpoint letting it run until it stops working could very well be the most economic option. It would depend on the brand, what they charge, how many parts they include in their base service pricing, etc.
Since this servicing question is posted in the "open discussion" section, it is not specific to Omega, and different brands may treat the issue of what's included in the way of parts differently. Again as I've said many times there is no one size fits all approach if your goal is to have the lowest ongoing costs, so do your research and find out what's best for the watch you are considering servicing.
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Stufflers Mom
·I am most certainly not dogmatic when it comes to servicing watches. When someone asks me how often to service a watch, my answer is always the same - it depends. My answer will be different based on many factors, such as modern or vintage, rarity and cost of parts, what the brand policies are, if you are using a service center, etc.
Here's what I said once again...maybe you missed it when I stated it in my post on page 1...
Since this servicing question is posted in the "open discussion" section, it is not specific to Omega, and different brands may treat the issue of what's included in the way of parts differently. Again as I've said many times there is no one size fits all approach if your goal is to have the lowest ongoing costs, so do your research and find out what's best for the watch you are considering servicing.
You said a lot of things, some of them contradictory, but I have done my research and any Omega watch I have will be going back to Omega for service when it fails to operate correctly and they will charge me the same price dry oil or no dry oil.
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Archer
··Omega Qualified WatchmakerYou said a lot of things, some of them contradictory, but I have done my research and any Omega watch I have will be going back to Omega for service when it fails to operate correctly and they will charge me the same price dry oil or no dry oil.
Please let me know what I’ve said you consider to be contradictory.
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Willbur
·I fully agree with Archer point of view especially regarding availability of parts that may have to be replaced on vintage watch.
But on the other hand every time you are servicing it there is also a risk to damage it
I've seen so many times movement,dial, hands damaged by supposed watchmaker that today I would prefere a vintage watch never open instead of one serviced 10 times.
And first thing I will do, will be to service it.
But on the other hand every time you are servicing it there is also a risk to damage it
I've seen so many times movement,dial, hands damaged by supposed watchmaker that today I would prefere a vintage watch never open instead of one serviced 10 times.
And first thing I will do, will be to service it.
