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Vintage Watches : Service or Not ?
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kaplan
·I've come to the conclusion that the sane thing to do is to have 2-3 nice watches and use them serviced, this is an amateur assessment, but I think some better designed older movements can go a long time without being serviced and eat through components after a while and still keep on working, while some newer movements seize easily and indirectly protect themselves
Car repairs men regularly damage cars, chuff the trim, so the analogy holds in these aspects too, if you have an unkind watchmaker, a service could leave unwanted marks.
If you're only collecting, I don't think there's any significant positives to servicing a decently running watch, while there are risks
Car repairs men regularly damage cars, chuff the trim, so the analogy holds in these aspects too, if you have an unkind watchmaker, a service could leave unwanted marks.
If you're only collecting, I don't think there's any significant positives to servicing a decently running watch, while there are risks
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RoadRunner73
·Well as I was pointing out about an hour ago to ARCHER, it seems to me that with regards to servicing or maintenance, watches could be put in 2 different categories, and (nearly) irrespective of their value probably :
- those up to 20-30 years old, and which have plenty of spare parts available (this includes then my '97 Moonwatch, except maybe for the hands...) : there one might be happy with a non-regular service, with a run-to-failure approach (Hell : Omega asks now 950€ for a full service on a "mechanical chronograph" !! )
- Those older than 30 years, and where parts become scarce...
- those up to 20-30 years old, and which have plenty of spare parts available (this includes then my '97 Moonwatch, except maybe for the hands...) : there one might be happy with a non-regular service, with a run-to-failure approach (Hell : Omega asks now 950€ for a full service on a "mechanical chronograph" !! )
- Those older than 30 years, and where parts become scarce...
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RoadRunner73
·Say where you live and you’ll get some recommendations (probably).
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pdxleaf
· ·Often mistaken for AI...France, somewhere between Lyon and Geneva. see if you can spot somebody !
I don't believe in god because if there really was a god he'd live in Lyon.
Beautiful city.
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RoadRunner73
·1) Sorry, but you are omitting the insanity of this hobby. (Probably just me?)
The service and work cost as much as the watch, but I just liked it and wanted it better.
A famous "T18 Churchill" LIP dating back the 40s from my late mother-in-law : was found in poor conditions in a drawer ; took it to my watchmaker, and here it goes now on a very good new strap ! Crystal customized to suit the odd size, movement totally serviced, case and dial just lightly cleansed, no polishing !!!
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eugeneandresson
·Rotten teeth…dentist or leave-as-is? 
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p4ul
·Rotten teeth…dentist or leave-as-is?
Leave, buy a new watch. Obvs.
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smorrisonmd
·Rotten teeth…dentist or leave-as-is?
Not the best analogy. Better would be asking if a visit to the dentist is beneficial IF you are not having any dental problems.
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felsby
· ·I don't see any option in settings or profile.....It's something that has been on my mind as of late, which is what will happen to vintage watch collecting in 10, 20 years if there are no parts or options for service. Not there yet but it is concerning.....
A large number of not-so-attractive watches with patinated dials and overpolished cases will be used as parts donors for a start.
For common movements, maybe small independent shops might restart production of spare parts?
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hen
·What good are a set of pristine tritium hands on a broken, worn out movement? Get it serviced I say. If you express your concern about your hands to the watchmaker, maybe he or she will take extra care when working on them. Good luck either way you choose.
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eugeneandresson
·Not the best analogy. Better would be asking if a visit to the dentist is beneficial IF you are not having any dental problems.
Actually that is an even worse analogy, as it assumes you have any clue if there are problems or not (and no, a timeographer will not tell you)…which is also true in the case with teeth…by the time you realize you have problems it’s often too late
So yes, it’s best to always visit the dentist even when there ‘are no problems’
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Aroxx
· ·Sets his watchOne thing I’ve learned today. If I ever need dental advice I’m coming here first. 
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smorrisonmd
·Actually that is an even worse analogy, as it assumes you have any clue if there are problems or not (and no, a timeographer will not tell you)…which is also true in the case with teeth…by the time you realize you have problems it’s often too late
Which may or may not be true. (It is not true in Medicine. The "Yearly Physical" has long been shown to be of no benefit).
I think all would agree that "rotten teeth", or a rotten watch, should be attended to. The question is whether or not it is worthwhile to go looking for problems, when none are apparent (realizing there may be problems not yet apparent). And on this, reasonable people may disagree.
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Dgercp
·Two specific questions:
1. Does a good amplitude give any assurance that watch does not need a service?
2. Does wearing a watch 10 times a month imply needing a service sooner than a watch worn only once a month, or do the oils dry up similarly either way?
thanks.
1. Does a good amplitude give any assurance that watch does not need a service?
2. Does wearing a watch 10 times a month imply needing a service sooner than a watch worn only once a month, or do the oils dry up similarly either way?
thanks.
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gbesq
·Two specific questions:
1. Does a good amplitude give any assurance that watch does not need a service?
2. Does wearing a watch 10 times a month imply needing a service sooner than a watch worn only once a month, or do the oils dry up similarly either way?
thanks.
2. All other things being equal, wearing the watch more frequently will subject it to more wear and tear, but it doesn't change the service interval significantly from a watch that is worn less. The lubricants will still dry up with time.
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eugeneandresson
·Which may or may not be true. (It is not true in Medicine. The "Yearly Physical" has long been shown to be of no benefit).
Again, I can only strongly and respectfully disagree
(this sounds like hearsay to me). I don’t like getting personal, but again that is based on my own living factual experience : as a healthy fit young(ish) athletic human being, who never has anything feel ‘physically wrong’, my ‘yearly physical’ has yielded deficiencies (that were borderline an issue but not just yet) in essential vitamins (prime example: vitamin D, or magnesium) that simply made me feel better once I started supplementing (one is not able to notice gradual changes…only normally at the point when something is ‘wrong’). As a 15 year old skinny teen, a yearly physical picked up that I had the cholesterol of a 60 year old (imagine a waited for ‘something wrong’ to learn that fact likely a stroke or heart-attack or just death)…it’s hereditary and you would never say it if you saw me in the flesh. So to me (and millions of like minded human beings) an annual checkup has great benefit! (If one is a heavy drinker, it might be worthwhile to get the liver checked regularly, as another example).But to get back on topic : we are all the architects of our own lives: our physical well-being, psychological well being, our teeth AND our watches…your life, your possessions, your choice
