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dejex22
·Thank you for the info!
If my watch keeps time well, does that mean it doesn't need service?
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Fredrik (Swe)
·Thanks, awesome post!
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Varasc
·Very interesting thread, thank you.
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yande
·Thanks Al!. I specifically enjoyed your statements about members here on OF, as compared to WUS. I didn't have much choice, but here I am, and I must say, membership here has matured me. It's like hanging around professional golfers, your game is inevitably going to get better, than compared. to hanging with hackers. And now with just over 200 posts, my chance to say thanks all, especially Mods, which here, OF, I am proud to state!
With specific reference to Al's post, I look at my own present collection / dilemma. (X means Sold.)
To be honest, I got into watches like I did some substances. A little too quickly, so now, being the owner of these, what do I do. Sell up, as I honestly can't afford to maintain the mass I have accumulated as I would like to?. Sit them in my box for 10 years and hope for the best? Keep my favored, sell the rest?
These are serious questions that I am sure not I are just pondering.
These are just my Omegas', add a couple of Heuers, a Pam.. etc etc.
Hopefully seen as not hi jacking, but adding to Al's great thought provoking thread
EDIT. flightmaster Cal 911 was overhauled around 2 years ago
Speedmaster Pro 3570.50 was overhauled, under warranty some 2 years ago.
Seamaster 2254 was calibarated some 2 years ago. Service stated unnecessary. New second hand.
With specific reference to Al's post, I look at my own present collection / dilemma. (X means Sold.)
To be honest, I got into watches like I did some substances. A little too quickly, so now, being the owner of these, what do I do. Sell up, as I honestly can't afford to maintain the mass I have accumulated as I would like to?. Sit them in my box for 10 years and hope for the best? Keep my favored, sell the rest?
These are serious questions that I am sure not I are just pondering.
These are just my Omegas', add a couple of Heuers, a Pam.. etc etc.
Hopefully seen as not hi jacking, but adding to Al's great thought provoking thread
EDIT. flightmaster Cal 911 was overhauled around 2 years ago
Speedmaster Pro 3570.50 was overhauled, under warranty some 2 years ago.
Seamaster 2254 was calibarated some 2 years ago. Service stated unnecessary. New second hand.
Edited:
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Archer
··Omega Qualified WatchmakerMy view with anything that requires regular maintenance (car, watch, home) is that if you can't afford to maintain it, then you really can't afford to own it.
There is no easy answer to you question yande...
Cheers, Al
There is no easy answer to you question yande...
Cheers, Al
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rogart
·Great info 😀 I wonder what kind of camera and lens you are using to take this nice close up pictures . And what kind of eye loupe you have when you work .
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Archer
··Omega Qualified WatchmakerMy camera is a somewhat tired Nikon D90 (over 82,000 shots on the body!) with 18-55 zoom lens for most photos, and a 50 mm macro lens for some closer shots. For the close shots in this thread though it was taken through one of the eyepieces on the microscope with a very old Sony digital camera.
For eye loupes, I use a 4X loupe that is mounted to my reading glasses that flips down when needed for most general assembly work, and for other tasks requiring closer views I use a 10X aplanatic eye loupe.
Cheers, Al
For eye loupes, I use a 4X loupe that is mounted to my reading glasses that flips down when needed for most general assembly work, and for other tasks requiring closer views I use a 10X aplanatic eye loupe.
Cheers, Al
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ev3rclear
·well, i have a slightly different option on that. lets say a watch has not been serviced for 5 years and is "totally dry" but keeping good time (-+10 sec a day // dial up, crown down). A service for a standard omega seamaster automatik (of the 50s, 60ties) my watchmaker charges arround 300 euro on average (including parts). The problem is that i aquire these for 250-300 euro and resell them for 400-500 Euro. So its quite unreasonable to service them, especially because the market (my customer) does not honor the service in comparison to the price paid.
The interesting thing is, that if a watch starts lacking time (-+30 seconds a day or worse) or even some wheel breaks inside the movement my watchmaker charges 50 Euros on average for the repair of the part. So for the price of a service i can take the very same watch six (!) times to the watchmaker - and i never needed to take a watch twice to him so far. (Traded arround 300 Omegas)
On the other hand, if you have a patek or a vacheron (HUGE issue regarding replacement parts) a cleaning-oiling-service (300 Euro without these parts) may be a sound investment. if something breaks the replacement costs will be much more expensive than at an omega and the serivcecost-watchvalue-ratio is a lot more reasonable.
What do you think?
The interesting thing is, that if a watch starts lacking time (-+30 seconds a day or worse) or even some wheel breaks inside the movement my watchmaker charges 50 Euros on average for the repair of the part. So for the price of a service i can take the very same watch six (!) times to the watchmaker - and i never needed to take a watch twice to him so far. (Traded arround 300 Omegas)
On the other hand, if you have a patek or a vacheron (HUGE issue regarding replacement parts) a cleaning-oiling-service (300 Euro without these parts) may be a sound investment. if something breaks the replacement costs will be much more expensive than at an omega and the serivcecost-watchvalue-ratio is a lot more reasonable.
What do you think?
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Archer
··Omega Qualified WatchmakerI think I would never buy a watch from you.
Cheers, Al
Cheers, Al
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rogart
·Just a hypo question ? Would it be better to oil the jewels only and not service the movement ? If the movement is clean and works nice .
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JimInOz
··Melbourne AustraliaJust a hypo question ? Would it be better to oil the jewels only and not service the movement ? If the movement is clean and works nice .
It'd be a bit like adding more oil to your car engine.
Time after time after time...............
Eventually the buildup of acids and pollutants degrade the oil to the point it just acts as black sludge.
A "nice and clean movement" is much the same as a shiny (on the outside) engine.
A change of oil involves removing the old gunk, getting the residue out of small holes, cleaning in hidden places, applying fresh oil of the correct grade in appropriate quantities to appropriate places.
To do this properly you need to actually service the movement.
It's not rocket surgery.
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STANDY
··schizophrenic pizza orderer and watch collectorThe interesting thing is, that if a watch starts lacking time (-+30 seconds a day or worse) or even some wheel breaks inside the movement my watchmaker charges 50 Euros on average for the repair of the part. So for the price of a service i can take the very same watch six (!) times to the watchmaker - and i never needed to take a watch twice to him so far. (Traded arround 300 Omegas)
So your watchmaker will change a part and not service, oil the watch. Just change a part.
+1😲
+2😲
And never go near your watchmaker
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rogart
·It'd be a bit like adding more oil to your car engine.
Time after time after time...............
Eventually the buildup of acids and pollutants degrade the oil to the point it just acts as black sludge.
A "nice and clean movement" is much the same as a shiny (on the outside) engine.
A change of oil involves removing the old gunk, getting the residue out of small holes, cleaning in hidden places, applying fresh oil of the correct grade in appropriate quantities to appropriate places.
To do this properly you need to actually service the movement.
It's not rocket surgery.
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Archer
··Omega Qualified WatchmakerJust a hypo question ? Would it be better to oil the jewels only and not service the movement ? If the movement is clean and works nice .
The dried up oils leave behind residues, so the watch is never "clean" as you may think. Just adding oil is I'm sure sometimes done by people who don't want to do a proper service, but just adding more oil to an already dried jewel/pivot can actually make the wear worse. You end up making essentially a grinding paste that will really start to chew up the pivots.
Of course there are also some repairers who have the nickname Duncan Swish where they remove the dial, hands, and date wheel, then dunk the assembled movement in a jar of solvent, swish it around, dry it out, and then apply oils to all the jewels they can see. Hack work at it's best.
Sometimes movements are cleaned in an assembled state, but when done properly this is known as "pre-cleaning" and Rolex is the biggest advocate of this methodology. So the movement is stripped of any parts that might be damaged by the solvents used in a cleaning machine (or by the ultrasonic) and the whole movement is cleaned and dried as a unit. Then it is disassembled, inspected, cleaned again, and then assembled/lubricated. They feel that thing like end shakes can be more easily detected when the movement is clean.
I am personally not a fan of this, as the dirt in a movement and where you find it, what it looks like etc. is to a degree a diagnostic tool when determining what might be wrong with a movement.
Cheers, Al
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rogart
·Did that with an old Timex watch once 😁. Dipped it in solution and oiled it a little here an there 😜. With WD 40 🤨. Worked for a while and then broked down . Not a lot of money . And Timex are usually crap . There wasn't a jewel in the whole movement . Only steel to steel bearings . Very funny at the time .
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Stewart H
·Don't mention WD40. It brings Al out in a cold sweat.
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