Horological Meandering

Obviously, if one has divers and takes them in the water, servicing to at least insure the o-rings/water seals are secure and good is important, at least what, every 3-4 years?

But otherwise, how often do members actually service (modern) watches for lubrication and whatever else is checked?

The manufacturers would have them done too frequently, since they charge a lot. But the turnaround time today is a problem.

Since watches have their own personalities, I am not bothered by whether or not the watch runs within certain specs, timing wise.

I just am curious, since one obviously wants to keep his/her watches in good shape, but their is no reason to overdo it either.

So maybe every how many years? 5? 7? longer? I don't care about case polishing/cosmetic things. I want to wear my watches and enjoy them, and let them age gracefully, hopefully like my body!

Some Rolex weren't serviced for 20 years and still work without any issue. 

So... 

Best,

Nicolas

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 over 7-8 years. I know some people have their watches serviced every 10 -12 years that of course depends on the brand, mechanic of the watch and how/how much it is worn.

Servicing a watch has become a complete pain regardless of the brand. It takes too long and sometimes you end up with a new problem.

Brands usually say 3-5 years because some people have many watches and don't bother spending that amount of money. They just want that their watches work perfectly: no issues, good timekeeping and waterproof.

Hence, a brand has to give the advice to service it every 3 or 5 years. It they said to wait after 5 or 7 years, some people may then find a problem and would reproach the brand the watch doesn't work as it should. They wouldn't have cared to service it earlier but, as a brand would have said 8 years, they would have been waiting until 8.

So, 3 to 5 years is a kind of security margin for people who don't want to be bothered.

For waterproof, I suggest that after 3 or 4 years, the owner has a waterproof check at his AD before swimming.

The only issue I would have is concerning the price of a service. We know that there is a standard fee that includes lubrification, and some parts change. But we don't know if some parts are charged in addition to the fee.

Hence, if, because of an old oil, 1 or more expensive parts have to be changed, it may cost more than it would have if the service had been performed in due time (3-5 years).

From what I heard, it wouldn't really age that way, maybe one part maximum (like an axle for instance) and it would not be that much in addition to the fee. Hence, considering the servicing cost, it may still be interesting to wait longer if timekeeping is good for the owner.

Of course, waterproofness is another issue and must be check more often. I would say after 3 or 4 years and then every year. I don't know the threshold but going further than the 5 years without a check is not good imho.

Best, Mark