Video: 1974 Rolex Daytona - complete overhaul

Good video - looking forward to the next one.

Are you saying that modern movements have improved since c.2010?

I'll give my opinion here...I certainly agree with Nick that vintage parts hold up better than a lot of modern parts do. Is this "planned obsolescence"? Good question.

Watch parts are made very differently than they were 50 years ago. For example instead of wood polishing the leaves of pinions, they are now bulk polished - this results in a finishing standard that is not as good as it once was. Similarly, pivots of wheels are polished to give the high finish required, where they used to be burnished. Burnishing is a process that gives a high polish, but also works hardens the material and makes it more durable.

Were these changes done specifically for the reasons you state? Well assessing motives of others is difficult, but generally I believe these changes were made as efficiency gains/cost cutting measures, rather than to specifically to "generate service revenue" as you have stated. Of course those who feel very sour on the watch industry may take a different view, but having been in industry where decisions like this are made all the time, this is a result rather than a goal in my opinion.

There are other factors involved as well, for example many vintage watches are low beat watches, where most modern watches are higher beat watches. So yes "accuracy" (rate stabilization being the biggest contributor in my view) is better with higher beat watches than with lower. Also, people love a smoothly sweeping hand, compared to one that is more jerky in a lower beat watch. Higher beat rate watches tend to require stronger mainsprings, and also lesser finishing standards on watch parts (like the pinion leaves I mentioned above) add friction in the movement, also requiring a stronger mainspring. Stronger springs will increase the torque delivered, but also increase the forces at wear points.

Having said all this, my business is probably 75% vintage work, and in my experience it's rare that a vintage watch shows up that doesn't have worn parts inside. It might be that the wear is bad enough that the part needs to be replaced, or maybe a pivot is just a bit rough so that using the Jacot tool to burnish it is enough, but usually there is something that requires either repair or replacement.

And of course, the mainspring is always replaced, at least in my shop. So there's always at least one movement parts I'm replacing.

Cheers, Al