How Often Does a Watch Need Serviced?

How Often Does a Watch Need Serviced?

The most common question that consumers ask is “How often should a mechanical watch be serviced?” and who sets this mark?

If you have a valuable timepiece that you cherish, then it is highly recommended to fork out a small fortune every once in 5 years for some quality maintenance work.  It’s highly important to give your timepiece to a professional and not some rookie with a couple of years hands-on experience.  Most manufacturers will probably tell you 3-5 years is a good time frame for maintenance work.

Some folks who have top quality brands that use ETA movements, such as Rolexes, Breitling or Omegas may run for up to 10 years without any servicing. Why? Because they are well refined and are made out of high-quality production movements that last for years.

If you want to get your mechanical watch serviced, make sure you take it to someone who has an electronic timing machine and can evaluate it for you. A watchmaker professional will check the amplitude and if it’s below 225 on average, then it means your watch requires to be service. It’s very important to use proper tools to check for water resistance.

How will a watchmaker service your timepiece?

Watchmaker will do what they call “overhauling”, which means cleaning, oiling and adjusting.  This requires disassembling of the movement and putting it thru a special chemical solution that will help get rid of oil residue and dirt that has been accumulated. After that, special oils will be applied to certain parts of your movement for lubrication and the watch will be put back together.

A good watchmaker will never give a watch back to you the same day, as it will have to be kept in-house for testing to make sure it runs smoothly and strikes the right time.  Testing could take up to one week.