Reply With QuoteYour question sounds like you don't use a watch winder. Am I right? ;-)
Rotating watches and service intervals...
I now have a modest collection of watches and swap them around quite regularly. I recently got to thinking about how frequently watches should be serviced.
If I had say three watches each with a recommended service interval of five years and they all got equal wrist time, should the watches be serviced every five years or every fifteen? I'm sure it's not as simple as that... so what do you think?
Thanks
Mark
Your question sounds like you don't use a watch winder. Am I right? ;-)
No, I don't use a watch winder, though I am minded to get one. I know that opinions on them are somewhat polarised on this forum.Originally Posted by garyfisher
Imo for a brand with a good service set up. Rolex/Omega etc. Then only service when they need it, or you want the fresh look.
Servicing is a profit centre. Parts will wear, but not that quickly.
Certain brands will change certain parts routinely as part of the service cost in any case.
While there may be some slight benefit in preventive servicing, it's not the same as not servicing your car for years and then having to pay a huge bill for lots of new engine parts.
I've had watches serviced after 3 years and watches serviced after 10. I've owned watches almost 30 years old that had never been serviced and still kept great time and liked good on a watch timer!
There is no correct answer - it's all personal opinion/experience and personal preference.
It's just a matter of time...
For me, a watch winder was designed for more complicated watch movements like annual calendars etc. If you own something like that, then maybe it's a good idea, and maybe more regular servicing will also be required.
It's just a matter of time...
Thanks for your thoughts. Interestingly, I came across this blog post on https://quillandpad.com/2018/11/03/c...-new-standard/ this morning.
Interesting article.
If I buy a non new watch with no history I get it serviced after about 6 months (gives me time to see if I'm going to flip it 😉).
New watch 8-12 years. I am yet to have any issues.
I follow the general rule of as and when it needs it rather than it must be every x years. So far no issues with this method
You could get a timegrapher and see if its performance declines and then choose to get a service.
I am no expert when it comes to them but people think amplitude give a good indicator of mechanism health.
I’m in a similar dilemma myself. Got myself a GMT 16710 that was supposedly serviced 2 years ago. It’s losing quite abit of time. But as I only wear it a couple of days per month I’m rather reluctant to send it in.
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I downloaded an app onto my iPhone that does a similar job. it seems to work fairly well. I'm inclined to try and not get too OCD about the accuracy of my watches, so I don't intend to use it too often.
+1 Exactly my approach
On a side note - any recommendation on a timeograph model and where to buy one.
As far as service goes I feel uncomfortable about a watch that has not been serviced for more than 10y or develops a fault - but there are only 2 watches in my collection that have been with me longer than that.
Last edited by MartynJC (UK); 6th November 2018 at 10:56.
To save thinking too much about such things, I assume a service every six or seven years. They are precision made mechanical instruments after all, and they get a pretty tough life on the wrist.
I got mine off ebay.
A weishi 1900 it had colour or some other improvement over the 1000 model.
I paid more for a locally sourced unit but you could get one from china in around a month and a little cheaper.
Amazon also do them.
If you keep your watches wound constantly, this will speed up wear and tear.
However, keeping your watches running regularly makes sure that the lubricants remain well spread.
I try to ensure that my watches are worn/fully wound at least once a month.
This is a very interesting article, particularly this statement:
"As a watchmaker, I am not saying that all watches are capable of withstanding ten-year service intervals because that simply is not true, and the topic is much more complicated than a blanket statement could warrant. I would say that most, if not all, watches are not capable of lasting ten years without intervention."
Would the watchmakers of this fine forum agree?
"As a watchmaker, I am not saying that all watches are capable of withstanding ten-year service intervals because that simply is not true, and the topic is much more complicated than a blanket statement could warrant. I would say that most, if not all, watches are not capable of lasting ten years without intervention."
Does this not take us back to the original question; is it 10 years of age, or 10 years of "running" time?
Complete myth.
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