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21 January 2011, 05:07 PM | #1 |
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Frequency of use
Hi TRF, Im a new member, my AD told me that every 5 years my watch has to be serviced to run perfectly, my question is if i wear my watch less frequently would it still need to be serviced after 5 years or the interval would be longer. my second question is does using it daily improve its performance . Many thanks!
i actually wear my watch everyday even when i sleep. __________________ Submariner 16610 V Milgauss GV |
21 January 2011, 09:15 PM | #2 |
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My first Rolex from 1982 still runs perfectly and has never been serviced since then....
In my opinion, you should service your Rolex when it shows a significant change in accuracy. The synthetic oil they use today in the movements is nearly perfect; however, and over the years, it will change viscosity and thus badly influence accuracy (and may create some wear as well to some parts of the movement). Forget about all the 3, 5 or whatever years recommendations. Just check maybe every 2 years if the watch is still water tight; AD's do that free of charge normally. And yes, Rolexes are made to be worn, and they like to be worn daily.... Regards Tom |
21 January 2011, 11:53 PM | #3 | |
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Think of it this way, if you are careful, you can probably drive your car for 10 years without service right? It probably smokes like hell and runs a little slow (like your watch would). What would happen to the engine in this case? It would be wrecked right? Servicing at this point would probably require a full overhaul or perhaps it would be too far gone for that. Guys, SERVICE YOU WATCHES. While I admit that you dont need to be strict with the intervals and if you miss a year or two it is not the end of the world, but 30 years is WELL over the top and you will be very sorry when it eventually goes wrong. Waiting for it to fail is TOO LATE!! |
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22 January 2011, 12:38 AM | #4 | |
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No seriously, best protection for the movement is to keep the watch closed. Every time a watchmaker opens it to "clean" the movement (BTW what kind of dirt do you expect in a hermetically closed Oyster case??), he actually will introduce some dirt in it! The issue really is to change the oil which will degrade over the years, and I fully agree that 30 years without a service might be over the top. Final point: The cost (and I talk about production cost) of a new Rolex 3135 movement is less than the price for a full service. If there was not that issue with the individual COSC number, one could even think about changing the complete movement after 20 years... But if it keeps you a good stomach feeling to service your watches: Nothing wrong with that! Tom |
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22 January 2011, 12:50 AM | #5 | |
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About the dirt in the case? you don't get any, but you do get metal filings that contaminate the case as the movement wears out. This inturn, wears it our even quicker! About the price?? WHERE do you geta new movement for less than the price of a full service??? I'm sort of seeing your thinking about relacing the movement every 20 years, but what makes you think every watch will last 20 years? Also, if you service every 7 years, you end up with a £800-£900 bill per total (an estimate). Replacing the momement when it fails would be WELL over 3 times that amount! If you think servicing is expensive, you abviously are not taking it in enough! |
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22 January 2011, 12:49 AM | #6 | |
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That said I will service my Daytona after about 5-7 years because I get it wet a lot and will want to make sure everything is tip top.
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22 January 2011, 12:54 AM | #7 | |
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Honestly, this sort of thinking is EXACTLY why I will never buy a preowned watch. So sad.... |
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22 January 2011, 01:08 AM | #8 | |
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you shouldn't give up, you got some good points in your statements! I have worked in this business for several years (not for Rolex), and be assured: In a modern mechanical movement, properly oiled and assembled in a clean environment, there will be almost no wear, believe it or not, it's true. And I never argued that the service is too expensive, because I know it is expensive because there are some man hours of work to disassemble the movement, clean the parts, oil and reassemble the movements. You cannot do it with machines, most is really human work. In this respect, the service cost are not too high, but the thread starter wanted to know if he really should service his watch every 5 years. I think his question was not related to cost nor is he looking to save money, but he wants to know "Is it really necessary?", and I say, according to my personal experience no, it is not, but if someone wants to do a service every 5 years: Go ahead! That's all folks Regards Tom |
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22 January 2011, 01:43 AM | #9 | |
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I was born in 1982, Dec to be precise, my best guess is that in 28 years you'd service approximately 5x @ $500 for a total of $2500.00... By not servicing, $2500 has been saved, compounded over the 28 year period, making the total saved somewhere in the $3500-4000 range. I think that's sufficient to cover major repairs etc., perhaps, even a new watch with a trade in... You don't have to listen to everything a company tells you... If nothing is the matter why pay $ for a fix... The watch from 1982 is in perfect condition, if you were in the same situation following you're advice, you'd have essentially the same time-piece, perhaps a little more accurate and a little more polished... to the tune of $2500+, doesn't justify the cost... |
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22 January 2011, 02:51 AM | #10 |
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22 January 2011, 03:06 AM | #11 |
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I don't know about what all these other guys are talking about...
What I do know is that a Rolex is a mechanical machine. Like all mechanical machines, it is metal to metal interaction throughout the drive train. The jewels are stones that critical parts pivot and rotate in.. This interaction of parts causes wear.. always.. it cannot be avoided. True, modern oils are synthetic and last a long time... they also migrate away from where they were placed over time, and you result in direct metal on metal erosion.. This constant grinding causes minute metal particles to be deposited throughout the movement and this contributes a grinding dust to the equation causing even more wear.. Personally, I think that with modern watches 5 years is pretty soon, but 20 years is too long.... it's your watch, if you want it to always be clean and fresh inside it is necessary..
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22 January 2011, 12:17 PM | #12 | |
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22 January 2011, 02:58 PM | #13 |
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Does letting the watch sit in a watchbox, not running, have any impact on this equation? I have heard (and maybe this is not true) that if the movement isn't actually running and it sits for a long time this can be bad for the movement since the oils will not be distributed throughout the parts.
Just wondering if this is true or not... |
21 January 2011, 09:56 PM | #14 |
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Thanks Tom!
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22 January 2011, 12:11 AM | #15 |
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every 5-7 years for mine. unless a problem occurs in the interim (but it never has). my 1986 16014 datejust is like brand new! welcome and enjoy the rolex addiction!
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22 January 2011, 12:57 AM | #16 |
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Hah - hey, I don't disagree re the 5-7 rule, and I'm not saying everyone should run their watches into the ground for 20 years; just that he's not probably screwed if its done so well :) Oh and you're missing out on some good deals with pre-owned, well-loved watches :)
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22 January 2011, 01:09 AM | #17 | |
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PS: I never said HE was screwed,.. I said his WATCH probably was and he doesn't even know it. |
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22 January 2011, 01:27 AM | #18 |
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I was thinking reglardless of indication of malfunction (decreased accuracy etc), it would be nice to have it serviced every 5~7 years, just to get piece of mind that everything is working properly.
Servicing fee isn't cheap, but then again I feel it's worth it for another 5 years of comfort.
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22 January 2011, 03:06 AM | #19 |
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My DJ TT (gave to my wife now) wear it less frequently since new purchased at 1998, less than 1 year I think, and never get the service and now still good, just about -1 per day probably.
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22 January 2011, 03:39 AM | #20 |
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If you dive or go in the water a lot you should have the seals checked every couple years
(serious pro divers check it yearly). Otherwise with the more current models, more current oils on the market Id service my watches every 7-10 years unless I notice the PR isn't lasting as long or it is starting to loose accuracy. Yes, whenever the watch is opened there is potential for stuff to get inside but good watchmakers take all safety measures and opening it once in a while to oil it and clean it is much safer than not doing anything for a over extended period of time.
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22 January 2011, 03:52 AM | #21 |
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Larry, as a general rule(for those of us with less experience) if 5 years is to soon what should the interval be...I know you can only give an approximation!!!
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22 January 2011, 06:55 AM | #22 |
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5 to 7 years is the rule, but I service when they stop working correctly. If you swim or scuba regularly, water tightness would be a concern. Water in the movement is a much bigger deal than wear and tear. However, all you need is a pressure testing, once in a while and not a full service.
If you wear your Rolex less, the wear and tear is less and the service frequency should be farther apart. But, you could lose the water tightness on a completely different schedule. |
22 January 2011, 11:24 AM | #23 |
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Thanks guys for sharing your insights on this. I do agree with Larry that these are mechanical machines that may need lubrication and cleaning after a while. 7 years might be a good time to have it serviced , Ill have it leak tested also probably in 3 years just to be sure. After 7 years of daily wear, i do want my watch to look like new!
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22 January 2011, 11:45 AM | #24 |
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7 is pushing it even when you dont regularly use your watch. you'll feel like its groggy when winding thats a sign to bring it in.
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22 January 2011, 11:49 AM | #25 |
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Thanks Bert, I'll keep that in mind.
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22 January 2011, 11:51 AM | #26 |
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Just one word of caution on servicing--if you are concerned about the historical integrity of your watch, make sure to tell them, because if you don't they very well might replace things like dials, bezels and hands, perhaps impairing your resale value down the road.
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22 January 2011, 11:54 AM | #27 | |
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23 January 2011, 02:40 PM | #28 | |
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22 January 2011, 03:07 PM | #29 | |
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I wrote this is for a similar thread.
Quote:
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22 January 2011, 03:11 PM | #30 |
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There seems to be two schools of thought.
1. Wear the watch until it dies and pay the price of fixing it or buy a new one. 2. Maintain the watch on roughly the recommended schedule. I'm not rich and to buy my watches, even the cheap ones, meant that I had to budget for them and save up a bit until I had the money or just make do with less of something else for a month or so. The idea of spending the price of a pretty good watch to maintain one Rolex every 5-7 years seems like a bum deal at first glance, but now that I own a couple, I think it's a small price to pay to maintain the watches' integrity and smooth function. If I didn't want to pay the price of maintenance, I would have just stayed with the "disposables." I love all my watches, but I respect my Rolex ones.
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