Omega

Hi feollows

I have discussed the matter with a few dealer and watchmakers, but have not any clear idear on the matter, so I would like to have your comments, thoughts, input, facts etc.

It is clear...

Does a watch calibre/movement need service/check every x years? OR ist it better to do this when the watch fails?

 

My local Official Omeaga agent, having 3 watchmakers, is  sayaing I should wait. no harm done.

Wempe in Hamburg is telling me X is every 5 years (when asked on a AP RO)

Another watckmaker is telling me every 3-4 years

 

I understand that X also could depends if we talk:

-Vintage from ? Omega

-New watch from say?

But anyway, I look forward to your thought

 

Best regards

Hans

. . . there may not be a 'hard and fast' answer. I just sent both of my steel Karree perpetuals for service, one of which was running fine but had never been touched in almost six years of moderate use. Glashütte's initial estimate was for a partial service that included case refinishing and replacement of seals and gaskets; I insisted on a full service simply because of my previous experience with a perpetual that seized after 3+ years of heavy use.

On the other hand, I once struck up a conversation with a fellow diner over his gold '64 Constellation, and it turned out that not only was he the original owner, but also that it had never been serviced! Granted, the movement will probably look like a mess to the unfortunate watchmaker that draws the short straw, but you know what they say: ignorance is bliss! Cordially, Art

that is only so i know they are in tip top condition when i use them. but as for new watches, i have a 2003 railmaster and 2004 petrograd which show no signs of needing a service so i wont be bothering. they are both co-axials (well i think the petrograd is) so technically can go 10 years without one.

i dont think we'll ever get a definitive answer to your question as everyones opinion differs. i'm inclined to leave a watch that is running well especially if i dont use it very often, others will say it should be 5 years whatever the usage.

best

Graham

.. to purchase  "just recently  oiled/serviced" vintages, but you never know if its true...

I tend to use my eyes on how clean/nice the waych calibre looks

 

Best

Hans

Thank you for your thoughts Art,.

I believe a complicated watch as a a perpetual or a tourbillon would I probably send in every 3-5 years. But a simple watch maybe not..mmmhhh?

Best

Hans

This message has been edited by hans_jorgen_1968 on 2010-03-29 15:13:35

 

 

What are the service intervals?

Like any high-precision instrument, a watch needs to be serviced regularly in order to work perfectly. Obviously, we cannot indicate the intervals for such work, which depends on the model, climate and the care taken by the watch's owner. As a general rule, service intervals are between 4 and 5 years, depending on the use of the watch

 

1. Open the case, remove the dial and the movement

2. Disassemble the case (crystal, pushers, crown, tube, bezel etc.)

3. Restore the case and bracelet as nearly as possible to their original state; repair if necessary

4. Wash the case and bracelet

5. Re-assemble the case using new parts (crystal, pushers, crown, tube, gaskets etc.)

6. Remove the dial from the movement and the hands

7. Disassemble the movement into its individual components

8. Check whether the watch parts function correctly, check for rust or wear

9. Replace any faulty watch parts

10. Wash the disassembled movement in a cleaning machine with specific baths

11. Check the cleanliness

Caring for your timepiece

Patek Philippe watches are designed to last many generations. To ensure your legacy endures we recommend  a regular service every three to five years to keep your timepiece in perfect working order.

In order to preserve the value of your Patek Philippe timepiece, it is important to regularly service your watch. Watch maintenance should only be undertaken by an accredited Patek Philippe service centre. Below we explain our maintenance guidelines:

Quartz and mechanical watches: (whether manually wound or self-winding) must be serviced every three to five years. However, as batteries normally last only two or three years, quartz watches will need to be returned to an authorized agent more frequently for a battery change.
It is advisable to have a water-resistance test carried out every year on water-resistant watches. This is a simple procedure that takes only a few minutes at a properly equipped point of sale.
A Patek Philippe service is guaranteed for one year by the service centre that carried out the check-up. Any intervention performed by a non-authorised agent renders the Patek Philippe guarantee void.

A routine maintenance normally includes the following:
Dismantling of watch and control of all components
Cleaning and replacement of basic movement parts as necessary
Oiling and adjustment
Polishing the case
Replacement of the crown, if necessary
Replacement of bezel joints
Replacement of the case back joints
General quality control

This maintenance work is carried out by authorised service centre staffed by watchmakers trained by Patek Philippe. We have service centres all across the world.
Find your nearest service centre.

Estimates
The price of the service varies depending on the complexity of the timepiece
For a watch from our current collection (or a watch less than 20 years old), that has not been damaged and only needs a routine service, Patek Philippe has a set rate that is used by our service centres
We can normally provide you with a cost estimate within five working days upon receipt of the watch.

 

 

... interesting, i have also asked the same question to my local watchmaker. his advice is not to do so until the watch has serious problem or can't run at all.

some time ago at one local watch GTG, some friends of mine were also talking about this. one of my friends said the same advice. according to his experience, watches were sealed when first sent to shop. however it may cause more problems once the watch is opened even sending back to watch company.

stefan  

...Also what I have heard.

But on theother hand,Wempe in Hamburg, Germany mentioned that I better let my (AP RO in that case) service or there might be to much wear on the metal parts..mmmhh

 

Best Hans

... i remember my friend also said this, like JLC, if you send a watch to them for servicing. they will do the 1000 hours testing before returning to customer. then in addition to the time queuing up  for actual servicing, it will take even longer to get your watch, can't wait for your lovely right!

stefan

... Stefan, especially on a JLC with their 1000hrs test. I did not know they tested 1000hrs also on service/maintenence units.

On the other hand, than you just need enough watches to be able to have some for service all the time ,

I think I will listen to the watch movement with my ear, check them for grease and eventually if something seems wrong, send in for service

 

Best

Hans

Good question, Hans, and I agree there will not be a universal answer.  Here are a couple of my thoughts:

Let's say you reach a five year interval and are trying to decide on a service. 

Reasons to do so:

- Timekeeping is not as good as what you enjoyed in the past

- Watch operation has changed (lower PR, noisy automatic winding, changed feel for manual winding)

- Watch is used in tough environments (diving, etc) and seals need to be checked/replaced.

- Watch is vintage and parts are no longer available.

Reasons not to service:

- Keeps time well

- Operation, feel, and sounds haven't changed.

-Watch hasn't been abused.

- Watch service and parts are available.

 

My perception might be wrong, be it seems to me that the costs of service plus replacement of worn parts doesn't exceed the basic service by enough to make it worthwhile doing a lot of pre-emptive maintenace.  Rolex, for example, charges about $550 for an overhaul of the watch.  Let's say you service every 4 years, and as a result, all that Rolex ever needs to do is clean, oil, and adjust.  After 20 years, you are out quite a bit of money.  On the other hand, let's say you went the entire 20 years without a service, (as a number of Rolex owners seem to do!), and the service after that 20 years requires replacement of a number of worn or out-of-spec parts.  Probably more expensive, but probably not enough more to make preventive maintenance cheaper.  Plus, even in spite of the neglect, your watch after repair is as good as new.

I think the other factor is the ever-decreasing number of skilled, independent watchmakers who can service locally and offer good turnaround times.  I suspect that in the future, factory or OEM servicing will only increase in prevalence, both for the reason above and because of the perfectionist bent of most mechanical watch enthusiasts/collectors.  The in-house servicing of most brands tends to involve high prices, shipping, and long turnaround, but offers essentially complete restoration to factory spec.  For example, Omega Bienne serviced my 1959 Seamaster last year to the tune of $700, but replaced about half the movement (based on the little baggie of parts they sent back to me) and returned the watch running beautifully.  Had the Seamaster not required such extensive work, it still would have been $700!

Analogies to car maintenance abound, but I'm not so sure the economics match.  Changing the oil in my car costs about $22, while an engine rebuild following ignored oil changes could be over 100x that.  If a skilled clean/oil/adjust were really $10 and done in a day, preventive maintenance of watches would be a no-brainer.

Tom

...thoughts, thanks for that Tom

My major dispute having maybe +50 watches is the cost of maintenance versus repairing the odd pieces that will fail.

Worst is as you mention the vintages that I can not so easily replace or find parts to. One answer for my self is on the special ones to find a watch where the housing, dial, hands, glas etc are missing or in bad shape. Thus keeping the calibre as part for later repairs. On one occasion this seems "easy" as a part of mycollection is now the calibre 560 counting for some 12 watches. 

On the Omega Bienne I can also only answer,the cost might be "high" but if something is wrong they really fix it.

I also had a Seamsster that my local official dealer was going to repair. He came into a situation where there was misssing some parts and he took contact with Omega Bienne and received from them the parts free-of-charge  (so he said at least)

 

Best

Hans