Care

How often should you service a mechanical watch?

Every 5 to 10 years for most modern watches, sooner if it starts behaving differently. The interval matters less than the signs: a watch that keeps good time and winds smoothly can usually wait.

What the makers say

Recommended intervals have stretched as oils and materials have improved. Rolex now suggests around 10 years; many other brands say 5 to 8. Older and vintage watches, with older lubricants and more wear, are better seen every 3 to 5 years. Your manual or the brand's website has the figure for your watch.

Signs it needs a service now

• Its timekeeping has changed. Not a steady few seconds a day, but a new habit of gaining or losing noticeably more. Rule out magnetism first; it's a cheap fix.
• It no longer runs its full power reserve. If a watch rated for 70 hours stops after 40, the mainspring or the lubrication is tired.
• Winding feels gritty, rough or loose, or an automatic's rotor has become noisy.
• The date changes slowly or not at all, or the hands jump when you set the time.
• Moisture or fog under the crystal. Get this seen quickly: water corrodes a movement in days.
• It took a hard knock and has run differently since.

What a full service involves

A watchmaker takes the movement out of the case and strips it down to individual parts. Everything is cleaned, worn parts (often the mainspring) are replaced, and the movement is reassembled and lubricated at dozens of points. It is then regulated on a timing machine in several positions. The case gets new gaskets and a pressure test, and it's often refinished. Expect to be without the watch for a few weeks, sometimes months at a brand service centre.

What it costs

It varies with the movement and who does the work. An independent watchmaker servicing a simple automatic typically charges a few hundred dollars; a chronograph or complicated calendar costs more. Brand service centres for luxury watches often run well above that, but return the watch with a warranty on the work. For inexpensive movements, a like-for-like replacement movement can cost less than a service.

Does letting it stop hurt?

No. A mechanical watch sitting stopped in a drawer isn't wearing out, and most watchmakers agree that running it constantly on a winder doesn't keep the oils healthier. What matters is the hours it actually runs and the years since its last service. See Do I need a watch winder?

Keep a record

Write down when each watch was last serviced and by whom. It helps the next watchmaker, it adds to the watch's value if you ever sell it, and it tells you when a sudden change in timekeeping is overdue wear rather than a fault. Watch Winder keeps notes with each watch, alongside its reserve and winding history.