How often does a watch need a service?

How long is a piece of string?

Most manufacturers have an answer to this question, and it tend to be around 5 years. So every 5 years, you may fork out a small fortune to have your beloved watch serviced. Not a cheap pleasure, but you want to keep the value of your watch, so you just have to bite the bullet.

Let’s see what happens if you don’t.

This lovely Rolex Oyster Perpetual Datejust Chronometer belongs to my father. He bought it new in 1973 for around DM 800 (= EUR 400). He has been wearing it ever since, and he rarely takes it off. It goes into the shower, swimming, and wherever he goes.

In the mid-80s, he forgot to screw the crown in after setting the watch, and went for a shower. Some water got in, but he brought it straight to his watchmaker, who dried it out and serviced it.

Since then, the watch has never been opened again. So we are looking at at least 25 years without a service. Guaranteed.

Accuracy is still good, and my father sets the watch once a month, and then has to make up for a couple of minutes.

The proof is in the pudding, or on the timegrapher in this case.

I find it hard to believe what I see. This watch is 39 years old, and the last service is over 25 years ago. If you would show me this graph and ask me if this watch needed a service, I would say that it doesn’t. No beat error, still a decent amplitude, and a constant beat rate.

This is the watch in crown right position, and we can see a slight beat error, and a small decrease in amplitude. Which you would expect. Yes, if the watch were freshly service, this could look a tad better, but probably not. Note that the beat rate hasn’t changed at all!

Now we’re of course all curious what the watch looks like inside. And I will have to disappoint here. Because I won’t open it.

The watch still has a seal and is watertight. And I’ll keep it that way. And I want this little experiment to continue.

So how often does your watch need a service?

Simple answer – when it starts changing its beat rate. If you observe that, over time, your watch starts going faster or slower, and if it gets more irregular, it’s time for a service. If it keeps its beat rate, it doesn’t.

And, if you have water ingress, every hour counts. You have to have it opened and dried out, and then serviced. Same for dirt and dust.

I’m sure I will get a lot of flack for this, and people will point to web sites with gory pictures of damaged watches. I would bet a lot of money that the inside of my father’s Rolex looks pretty good, and that the watch has no damage whatsoever. If you want to insist that not servicing a watch for 25 years causes untold damage, I invite you to a little bet. We’ll both put £1000 down, get my dad to give me the watch on loan, and open it together. I get the grand if there is no unusual wear (for a 39 year old watch), and you get it if there is unusual wear. I count the rotor axle as usual wear – I always feel sorry for the poor chaps at Rolex who can’t afford to put a ball bearing there. It must be tough in Switzerland, and I’ll send a care packet with some ball bearings over one day 😉

As I said, the watch goes everywhere 😉

63 thoughts on “How often does a watch need a service?

  1. Just came across this site. Thank you for your very informative and humorous posts. I do enjoy reading your blog.

    My father gave me 3 watches over the course of 30 years. He gave me a Seiko Kinetic when I was 25 and till now.. I’m 51 this year.. it still rocks along perfectly (+5s over 14 days) with only a capacitor change about 10 years ago. He also bought me a Rolex 1500 back a little after I was born 🙂. That watch has been in a safe deposit box in a bank vault for about 45 of its 49 years since purchased. He also gave a Tag Hauer S/El link chronometer to me 21 years ago when I got married. That watch I wore regularly for about 10 years.. alternating with the Seiko. Then I put it aside because I didn’t want to wear something too flash on a daily basis.

    To cut a long story short.. I took the Rolex out of storage a few months ago (not having touched it for about 5+ ) yearsand wore both the Tag and it for a couple of days at home (possible thanks to Covid and WFH). I also set the watches to the same time (using time.is) and to my surprise.. the Rolex was +/-0s after 1 day as far as I can tell by eye. The Tag on the other hand was + 1 min 20s after 1 day.

    That Rolex has never been serviced as far as I know. I’m surprised how well it runs. I intend to put the Rolex back into the vault as without datejust its a pain to change dates when I don’t wear it enough. The Tag is on its way to the official Australian Tag service centre for a quote as I intend to b start using it again. I’m sure I did not do it any good because I often mowed the lawn while I was wearing it and the mower vibrations may have a unfavourable effect on it.

    Just for the fun of it I’m awaiting delivery from Amazon for an Invicta 8926ob nh35a based diver. I’m interested to see how a $100 watch compares. It might be a slippery slope and I fear that I might be starting a collection. The Tudor Black Bay looks enticing..

  2. Man that’s a fine piece of watch, proven!
    YOUR SUCH AN IMBEC… TO BELIEVE INTO A LAIR.!!!
    IMA AN WATCHMAKER

    THERE IS NO ROLEX IN THE WORLD THA CAN DO IT, UNLESS YOU DONT USE IT, OR KEEP IT ALWAYS IN A GOOD SHAPE, SO WHY DO YOU WANT A WATCH YOU DONT USE???

    IF YOU USE IT EVERYDAYS THEY CANT STAND 3 YEARS!!!!!!!
    ITS NOT ME THAS SAYS THAT –ITS THE BRAND, READ THEIR BOOKS,,,,

    MY CHEAP JAPANESE WATCH IS MORE ACCURATE AND CAN OUTPERFORM ANY SHITFULL ROLEX… SORRY ABOUT THE TRUTH.

    • I’m sure you are a fine watchmaker, and a shining light guiding us through the darkness that is watch servicing.

      You could also try to not only post in all uppercase, but maybe add a bit of bold typeface for extra impact? Maybe your self-deprecating style is lost on some of my readers, and a more bold and outspoken approach would bring your point across better.

      • Ok, thanks.

        You could try not to lie / deceive people, that will only cause confusion and its not good for your blog.

        Enought said, and you know wht iam talking about.

  3. Why are you going to service a watch if it runs ok?

    The most part of damages are caused by those servicing jobs.

    Only repair when necessary, “oil dont last… ” dude after some days oil is going to get out of its place.Parts are very small so almost no wear will occour.

        • YOU ONLY SERVICE WHEN ITS NEEDED!
          End of story.

          A watch is not a car that need constant oil change each 5.000 miles LOL Rolex invent the need of oil change, cause they want your money.Also, the watch will never fail…

          Get the trick? Open your eyes!

          • Shvatite da većina skupocenih satova nema rubine ležajeve, na platou za kućište federa, ako se na vreme ne servisira razjede ležaj nakrivi kućište federa I počinje kašnjenje zaustavljanje,te ležajeve mnogi časovničari neumeju da urade,itd.

  4. My Mom has a Bulova watch from the 1940’s, which got damaged about 30 years ago going through a wash of clothes. She recently asked me if the watch could be restored… Instead of restoring the watch, I found a couple of them exactly like it offered on e-bay. They say that they are running and keeping time. The movement is a 6AH with 17 jewels. Should I get the watch serviced? How would I know if it needs oil? I want to present it to her for Mother’s Day

    • I agree with you wholeheartedly I wouldn’t service a watch unless it needed to be serviced the services were Incorporated to make more money if the watch is carefully taken care of it can go many years without needing a required service at least 10 to 15 years would be my recommendation as long as the watch was taken care of

    • Bulova now belongs to Citizen.
      Read my comment about needing service, gold information. Its is written in cap locks

      Ps. Stop Censorship and deleting my comments, I go away if you desrespect it.

    • If you buy in ebay you dont know if they are needing a service, probably yes cause professional services cost money, and ebay sell a lot of garbage , they can work but may need a service.

      So service for service, why dont you service your original movement,,, ??

      How would I know if it needs oil? You gave yourself the answer.
      “which got damaged about 30 years ago going through a wash of clothes”
      YES, needs oil and much more…

  5. See, I’m of the mind that you shouldn’t service something unless it is having problems. I get the idea of preventative maintenance, but spending a few hundred bucks to open up a watch when it isn’t necessary seems kind of wasteful to me. As this post proves, it isn’t necessary to do unless it is having issues. If you get water in the case or it is running too fast or too slow, then yeah… go get it serviced. But otherwise I think it is better to leave it be. And not every mechanical watch needs to be serviced. Why would I spend $300 to service a $100 movement? If It cost more to change the oil in my car than the car was worth, then it would be time to buy a new car.

    And as for anyone who wants to compare servicing a watch to servicing a car, I’ll say this… I service my car when it is needed. When the oil is dirty or low, then it gets changed. When I notice a drop in fuel economy then I look into what could be causing that. When it makes funny sounds, I get those fixed. I don’t change out perfectly good tires just because someone who benefits from me buying new ones says they don’t last more than x number of years. If I’ve still got 70% tread after 5 years and the sidewalls aren’t cracking, then why would I want to spend a thousand dollars on new tires? People need to be smarter and not just do what sales people tell them to do. It’s all about knowing when the cost justifies the result. If your $8000 watch is running 2 seconds slow per month and you want to spend several hundred dollars to fix that, then go for it. But as it was said, I think you may be expecting a little too much from a mechanical device. If you want balls on accuracy then maybe you need to invest in a quartz watch that gets updated from the atomic clock.

    • Ol let me explain you again, as a master in mechanics..
      And as for anyone who wants to compare servicing a watch to servicing a car,–GOOD POINT.
      Preventive maintenace is for a car engine..why? to avoid damage.He will not advise and if it do, it will be too Late.

      A watch is different, it has a lot of thinny parts, very sensible, so easly it will start behaving erratially if something happens, so it gives time to you to act immediately.But dont push…”hha I can stand with -10 minutes a week,” no, that means its time…if you cant effrot a service dont use the watch anymore!

      Again , due to the sensitive mechanism of the watch you will know its time, like the watch is itself a tool to mesure your system quality. get it? When start behaing erractly didnt had time yet to occur any damage..thas why it is established,,, maximum 15 seconds a day… THATS THE GOLDEN NUMBER , SO why the watch has jewls,,???, to the watch stand and be immaculate UNTIL that POINT…the point , its time for a service.

      Why would I spend $300 to service a $100 movement? Obviously you will buy the new movement, unless you want to maintain the watch due to historical reasons…the same with repainted dials,,, they will get somne value to the owner but thye loose value as a historical piece.

      MORAL OF STORY: Service only when needed.
      When do i need it? When watch start behaving differently,,,loose precision, power reserve, etc…
      for a more accurate diagonosis, a timegraphe will help.

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  7. Hi Christian,
    I am told a freshly serviced Rolex Submariner 16610LV with a movement 3135 when freshly serviced should have an amplitude of 270-310 degrees at full wind. However, mine has just been serviced and the average amplitude at all positions averages as 311-315 degrees at full wind, which is slightly above the ideal range I highlighted? Is this something to be worried about or is it in fact good, as I have read that over time amplitude decreases. What is your view?

    The watch it self seems to be consistently losing 2 seconds a day which is good I guess, as it’s consistent. Although I don’t know what the beat error is and if there is one.

    Many thanks in advance and look forward to hearing from you.

      • Hi Christian,
        Absolutely. To rephrase my question am I right in thinking, all other things being equal, an amplitude of 315 degrees is better than one around 290 degrees for a freshly serviced watch?

        Just for my knowledge

        Many thanks for all your help,
        James

        • ITS NOT BAD NEITHER GOOD.
          For full rewind 315 is inside the limit ,
          , after one hour will loose 10%- 15%.
          with months of use ,,, value will drop,

          2seconds a day is normal.Is inside the tolerances too.
          Cant get better too much.

  8. Since the original post was 5 years ago, would you please put the watch back on the timer, to see how its doing.
    That’s if the watch is still going and unserviced of course. Which I hope it is. i would love to see if its results have if any changed.
    Thanks

    • Dude what do you want to see?

      That doesnt matter, you dotn know if the watch is used everydays or not,,, usually poor rolex owners have them kept inside a box for years,,, only use time to time…

      So to see how it is doing is a waste of time..

      I have a watch here, swiss brand, with 50 years old, only serviced two times, , and used almost everyays.So..

  9. Old post, but so interesting. I’m just thinking that it helps that this is an automatic watch. Could this work with a manual watch considering that I would have to unscrew the crown and wind it every day or two? How do you think the small amount of exposure will affect the watch?

    • I think you are right. It’s mainly that no dust or humidity gets to the movement. The gaskets in the screw-down crown would not have survived that long would the crown have been unscrewed daily.

  10. I’ve had my Roger Dubuis Excalibre for a couple of years now. Worn it almost anywhere I go, whether that be rock climbing, hiking, work etc.

    Pretty good for such a delicate looking watch.

  11. I own a 1971 Rolex ref. 1601 Oyster Perpetual DateJust in Stainless Steel with the 18kt White Gold Bezel and the famous Rolex Caliber 1570 that still has the original 6251H folded Jubilee Bracelet. According to the original sales receipt dating to June 28, 1972; my watch was purchased for $250 Canadian ($255 U.S. Dollars).

    I am fortunate to own this Rolex timepiece, as a complete set with the original box and paper along with the Green Schwimpruf and the Red Rolex Chronometer Tags.

    How much did I spend?
    I’ve traded my 1965 Cadillac Coupe de Ville for the watch!

  12. I’m kinda happy with this approach of “only service it if it needs doing – which is when it shows, through running fast or slow or stopping, etc”

    It’s different to servicing a car, which is designed with consumables like brake pads which are designed to wear out and be replaced – they need to be checked as part of the service and replaced when necessary, it’s a safety issue.

    Other than quartz batteries, this doesn’t apply to watches, no consumables intended to wear-out and be replaced.
    And your watch running 30sec slow isn’t the same safety issue !

    Car manufacturers are also stuck in a dilemma because
    – the engineering dept will say “we want the servicing interval to be 6000 miles because we want the oil/filters/antifreeze/etc all changing as frequently as possible to minimise wear to the engine and gearbox”
    – the sales & marketing depts say “we want the service intervals to be 20000 so our customers can see the servicing costs of our car are less than our competitors”

    Neither know if you are going to drive your car often or seldom, whether you drive in a dusty hot environment or in the snow, so neither know what are the actual appropriate service needs.
    – though modern cars can be a bit more ‘intelligent’ and work-out their own service intervals based on not just mileage and time but also the way you drive : lots of short trips vs few long ones, driving fast and running hot vs slow and gentle, etc

    Watches however, unless you actually do use them at the Pole or in the Sahara, their conditions of use don’t vary much
    They are sealed, dust and moisture free (if the seals work and you don’t do anything silly like open the crown underwater)
    And the movement is very specific, they just keep ticking, nothing like the same variables as a car.

    I guess how much wear the mechanism of a watch gets does depend on how much use it gets – your other article on “should I/shouldn’t I use a watch winder” is quite illuminating on this !!
    :o)

    I have an Orient, it’s not an expensive watch, servicing it might actually be more than the price it cost new.
    I really don’t like the idea of it being a throw-away item, like a disposable paper plate, so if at some stage it starts showing me it needs attention then I’ll have it serviced.
    But until then, I’ll just let it run.

    You’d agree with this, Christian ?

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  14. I’ve only just seen this blog post and I’m curious how modern lubricants used in watch servicing compare to those from 20 years ago or more. I have heard they are much improved since then but also that watches need to be run at least once a month to keep the oils in good condition. From what I have read leaving a watch unused for a few years and then running it without a service is the real danger.

  15. Good to hear this, I’ve got a 1988 GMT Master (16750) that’s been serviced once, back in about 1998-1999 so mine hasn’t been serviced for about 17 years. Recently I’ve been thinking about biting the bullet on the £600 but now, maybe I can get another decade if I live long enough. 🙂

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  17. my father in law has a rolex GMT master that he received as a wedding gift from his wife in 1969 (i believe it cost about $300 at the time). he worked for many years as a lineman for the power company, climbing telephone poles and making repairs. he wore his GMT every day for probably 35 years. it was last serviced in 1980 (the jeweler destroyed the back trying to get it off without using a rolex caseback opener). when he showed it to me last year, it was scratched up, the bezel was faded, and the crystal was almost opaque, but it was still keeping time within +/- 6 seconds a day. we ended up sending it to a rolex specialist in dallas, who completely overhauled the watch, presenting it back to him as a father’s day present. today, it looks brand new now (apart from the torn-up back, which we decided not to repair), and he wears it every day. pretty amazing for a 40+ year old watch.

    • $300 sounds a bit expensive for a GMT in 1969; the top of the range Omega SpeedMasters Neil Armstrong et al took to the moon that same year cost NASA $82 from an AD in Dallas (this in a year when the average US household income was $8,500 per year)… and I cant see a GMT costing nearly 4 times as much?

      Having said that, a watch that has been worn every day for 40 odd years and which is still going strong clearly doesn’t owe your owe your family anything even if it did cost $300!

      By the way, I know this because I did some research on the first Quartz watch which was released the same year by Seiko Japan costing $1,250 each, but all 100 of the first production run sold out in a week! If you compare the cost of that to the then and now prices of SpeedMasters a Quartz watch would cost $156,800 today 😉

      • My Oysterdate Precision cost £217 in August 1981, brand new from my local Rolex dealer, which is approximately £760 in 2012 values! A second hand replacement watch will cost me far more today. On the day I bought the Rolex the exchange rate was; £1 = $1.875. So an Oysterdate Precision should have been around $406 in 1981.

        Agree that $300 does read too expensive for a GMT in ’69.

        Interestingly I found a web site where a Diver received his Comex Submariner for £175!!! This was just 5 months before I purchased the Oysterdate…in the same City! Scroll down near the bottom of this page for proof http://diving-watch.org/COMEX-ROLEX-

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  19. I am curious, is the watch so good that it doesnt need servicing because it is a rolex, or would the story be the same for any other mechanical watch?

    Rolex is renowned for its robust movement and hardy casings, right? I wonder if so called “lower end” brands watches (sporty models, not dress watches).. maybe tissot, oris, etc can take a beating for 25 years and keep on ticking?

    • There is nothing special about the Rolex movement here … but the Oyster case helps a lot. As long as no dirt or water gets in, and the oil doesn’t dry out, the watch will continue to perform as it should. Any other watch can do that, as long as the case is dust and water tight …

      • Yep, but what about ‘if the oils does not dry out’? Can any oil run for 25 years at all?
        And in that case, what about all of these posts here and watches full of greese and dirt, many being less old? Does that mean that all of these watches where damaged or abused in a way?
        Completely puzzled and confused now…:)

        • The watches that are full of dirt or abrasion either had substances coming into the case, or suffered from abrasion due to lack of lubrication or construction faults. In general, a watch needs a service every 5 to 10 years, but if it’s clean and there is still lubrication, you don’t have to service it.

          • Thanks for reply!
            What about oil lifetime? Is it really possible for oil to live for 25 years? I’ve tried to find the post about service for this watch and see if it sheds any light, but failed:(
            I’m particularly puzzled with several ‘if’ words. If the watch did not suffer from water, if there where no interventions and no dirt got in. So there is a possibility that olilung will work for THAT long?:)
            Thanks in advance!

          • The oil won’t last for 25 years, but if there is no dirt, the watch will still happily work with reduced accuracy, and with little extra wear.

        • GOLD INFORMATION:

          1ST-YES YOUR CONFUSE BECAUSE THIS GUY IS LYING TO YOU.THIS FUKIN IDIOT BASTARD, BOUGHT A SHITFULL ROLEX FOR A FORTUNE NOW COMES HERE TO PLAY WITH YOU…
          YOUR NOT LOOKING FOR A ROLEX WITH 25 YEARS OF WITHOUT A SERVIVE. FOR SURE.. !!!!!

          2ND-YOU DONT MAKE A SERVICE IF THE WATCH DONT NEED, BUT ROLEX DONT STAND SO MUCH TIME, BELIEVE ME,, ALL THE OWNERS KNOW THAT.

          3RTH- YOU JUST NEED A SERVICE IF YOU NEED TO PUT THE TIME IN YOUR WATCH EVERYWEEKS. ITS NORMAL TO LOOSE OR GAIN 15 SECONDS DAY, NOT MORE THAN THAT,EX: SO IN A FULL WEEK SHOUYLD BE ONLY 1 MINUTE AND HALF, LETS SAY 6 MINUTES IN A MONTH ITS OK.DONT NEED SERVICE.

          THIS GOLD INFORMATION IS FOR YOU AND EVERYBODY THAT HAVE DOUBTS!!!!!

          • Not only well worded and thought through, but on top of that an invaluable contribution to my blog. Keep up the good work 😉

            May I also point out that the watch in question is my late father’s watch, and a tad more respect wouldn’t have gone amiss.

            Brave of you not to give your proper email address.

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  21. I think the 15XX series of Rolex movements were really well engineered. The later, high beat, 3035 and 3135 definitely won’t run for 26 plus years without a service.

    • YOU WAN TO KNOW THE TRUE?
      , ROLEX IDOESNT WORTH THE MONEY OR IT.,..

      AND IF YOU USE IT EVERYDAYS THEY DONT STAND A LOT OF TIME WITHOUT SERVICE, ANY GOOD UNITAS MOVEMENT CAN PERFORM BETTER , WITUOUT A SERVICE..
      SO FORGET SHITFULLROLEX YOUR JUST BUYING A BRAND.,.

      THIS STUPID IMBECILES BEAHVE LIKE KIDS AND COME HERE TO CAUSE CONFUSING AND PROVOQUE PEOPLE,,, DONT BELIEVE IN WHAT IMBECILE PEOPLE SAY,,, GET A BOOK OF HOROLOGY NAD SEE FOR YOURSELF, OR BUY A ROLEX USE EVERYDAYS AND KNOW THE TRUTH,.IAM WARNIGN YOU,

      • Another pearl of wisdom. Where would we be without your valuable contributions? So insightful!

        Also good to hear that we are here to provoke, whereas you with your humble contributions bring calm and understanding to this overheated discussion.

        Please keep up the good work.

        • You are a very classy guy, Christian. Cool as a cucumber. Not many could handle such a personal assault like this as intelligently you do. Thank you for proving we still have some good, decent, brainy folk online. Lol. I have learned a lot from your posts. Thank you for sharing this information.

  22. Man that’s a fine piece of watch, proven!
    This makes people who worship their watches in drawers look not that good, after all, how many of 39 years do you have in your life?
    Better start wearing em!

    • Wear for what?
      You dont know the trick,? Put in a box and close it, after 39 years open it again…voila
      a rolex with 78 years old without a service.And working.

      Man its a rolex, we can do miracles with it.

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