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My understanding is the service horizon is 4 to 6 years. It is starting to drop a few minutes each day now, and it is almost 6 years old.
Time to Vent: Omega Watch Service Costs
- Thread starter Sluggo
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My understanding is the service horizon is 4 to 6 years. It is starting to drop a few minutes each day now, and it is almost 6 years old.
Sorry if this counts as a hijacking, but what's the situation with service for Omegas without the co-axial movement, such as the manual-winding Speedmaster "moon watch"?
I thought the coaxial was supposed to be a breakthough in precision technology for timekeeping. Doesn't seem like progress to me. I have a 25 YO Speedmaster, it was last serviced once about 10 Y ago (1st and only time) and it keeps as perfect time as any mechanical ever does.
I also have several other older mechanicals and they are all very reliable, including some <$200 vintage Doxa grafics. I don't pamper my watches - they get used hard. Modern lubricants and well sealed cases should mean that a watch will run for a very long time without problems. I have switched to servicing watches only when they show signs of a problem rather than at manufacturers recommended intervals.
I agree it's time to service a watch not when the manufactuyrer tells you to but when the watch tells you. You will know because the accuracy will begin to change. If you just keep using it yes it will run but parts will wear and eventually it will just stop and then you will have a very big repair bill.
Also don't mistake a watch that appears to run well and a very long time as being a quality mvmt. A Seiko 7s26 mvmt can be bought for around $60 and it will run forever without service and take all kinds of abuse and be pretty accurate. But that doesn't make it a high quality mvmt. The watch has very loose tolerances and the parts are all pressed out with amazing consistancy and that's why it is the way it is.
The guy with the moon watch. Sorry but thats a complicated watch read chrono and you'll probably pay at least $400 to have it serviced by Omega.
Also don't mistake a watch that appears to run well and a very long time as being a quality mvmt. A Seiko 7s26 mvmt can be bought for around $60 and it will run forever without service and take all kinds of abuse and be pretty accurate. But that doesn't make it a high quality mvmt. The watch has very loose tolerances and the parts are all pressed out with amazing consistancy and that's why it is the way it is.
The guy with the moon watch. Sorry but thats a complicated watch read chrono and you'll probably pay at least $400 to have it serviced by Omega.
Contradiction alert!
I think I know the point that you're trying to make: that a "quality" movement is made with more jewels and nicer machined parts, etc. but there are many (myself included) who would argue that running forever without service, taking all kinds of abuse and remaining accurate add up to a quality movement.
- Chris
It's a matter of how you define quality. I would say a Seiko 7S26 is a well engineered mvmt but not quality. I have a russian pocketwatch which I've had for years and it runs and keeps acceptable time but if you looked at it the mvmt is so crude it's a miracle it runs. Nobody would ever say it's a quality watch just engineered well enough to run.
Lest there be any mistake, my "contradiction alert" was meant to address "...has very loose tolerances and the parts are all pressed out with amazing consistancy".
Amazing consistency translates to very tight tolerances, in my book.
- Chris
Amazing consistency translates to very tight tolerances, in my book.
- Chris
i haven't seen this mentioned yet: a dirty watch will actually gain time, because of the shorter stroke "tween" seconds...
so many times we hear that my watch is losing time, it is usually something else...
so many times we hear that my watch is losing time, it is usually something else...
200 to 495 isn;t bad...just think if you had a high maintenance woman....
now think of the money you;re saving....
What if your high maintenance woman had a high maintenance watch? What time is it anyway?
All watches use machine made parts and in that sense the tolerances are precise but in general when talking about watch parts when you refer to tight tolerances it's the way the parts fit together and operate as a whole. If loose you can get away with dirty movements,hard use,little lube and many other things that would stop another watch cold.
EXACTLY--unless the watch is somehow malfunctioning, or not keeping accurate time, I would avoid gratuitous service. Nothing good ever comes out of opening a factory sealed watch. Omega designed the co-axial escapement to need minimum lubrication.
Also, it is essential, in my opinion, to keep the watch in a watch winder. Failure to keep an automatic properly wound is a prescription for trouble, I keep my Seamaster and another watch in an inexpensive winder I purchased from Amazon.
On another note, the B&B Watch with an ETA Movement is a really good value. I have a Victorinox Swiss Army with the same movement, and it is very accurate and durable. Any of you gents in on the purchase?
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That is about the same for a Rolex so I am not surprised. I think it used to be cheaper in the past for most watch makers, for the watch passed on to me as of recently I paid around 400 to have my watch serviced. But I have heard that some servicing can go up to 600 dollars.
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