Horological Meandering

I was wondering, regardless of "recommended" watch servicing intervals: from a practical point of view, how often do members get their watches serviced? Obviously, if one has divers and takes them in the water, servicing to at least insure the o-rings/wat... 

So I don\'t have a habit yet. I tend to think that my plan would be to service when the watch performance worsens. One way is to check for watch accuracy every month. Then when it becomes consistently off from the recommend numbers, it may be time for ser... 

But other replies here imply that you will know by instinct after long usage.

A watch can be performing perfectly as to timekeeping and power reserve even though its winding rotor mechanism has lost lubrication and is in the process of wearing itself out.

I have some watches which weren't serviced for 12 years and which work flawlessly. The Patek 5110P, for example, but I wear it on an average of one month per year. Some Rolex weren't serviced for 20 years and still work without any issue. So... Best, Nico... 

one might think that those should be serviced more than others, since "a body in motion tends to stay in motion" (credit Newton!); mechanisms that are not regularly kept in motion might need more attention, so how does one explain your Patek, or those Rol... 

I have mine done every 6 years. My AD told me not to even bother at 6 years (unless taken for a swim), do it whenever it goes outside its "normal" time keeping or if you notice something unusual e.g. noise, winding feel etc. I would say best not to go ove... 

and a discussion I could have in the past, I think I would wait until they don't keep time as I want. This usually means I would wait 7 or 8 years at least. Brands usually say 3-5 years because some people have many watches and don't bother spending that ... 

I would avoid sending in a watch for service until it is not running well (poor timekeeping, etc.). Besides the cost of an unnecessary service, there is always the possibility that some damage will be inflicted on your watch while in the hands of the serv... 

But the only thing ever told to me, and by a respected AD in the presence of a company executive and a well-known watchmaker, was wait until the watch stops running correctly-even if it's 10 years or more.

Has been wearing his 3940 for many years without a service ( by his own admission). If your watch is keeping good time, then you should not service it. It will tell you when it needs some attention. I wore a Rolex GMT every day for over 20 years before it... 

I talked with a lot of watchmakers and I retained one thing: "Open your watches as seldom as possible". So, if your timepiece works nicely after 7, 10 or more years, let it quiet ;-) My 2 cents. Best wishes Alkiro

Best wishes Alkiro