Quote:
Originally Posted by mretzloff
But don't you think $500-ish is a lot for an oiling? I have no problem with that (or else I wouldn't have bought my Rolex), but I just don't see where the money is going.
Would it cost more to have it tuned up every 5 years or only when something breaks?
Maybe I need to stop sounding so gosh darn cheap   |
Well...being cheap, and being frugal are not the same things..
I am not advocating a 500 dollar service every 5 years. There are plenty of old watchmakers, Rolex trained, who will do the job for much less. Typically though, the cost is double what they might charge for a "regular" watch..
I have several watches I rotate through so I am comfortable with 10 year service intervals... I would probably go ~7 if I wore it every day.
What I am saying is that the old days when a 50's or 60's Rolex is still ticking after no service at all, with little wear on the parts is gone..
What I am further saying is that Modern watches are operating at higher speeds and under more physical pressure (torque) than ever before.. Older watches had very little actual friction so could operate even without oils for quite a while.. The pull of modern mainsprings is considerably higher.. As an example.
The Omega co-axial 2500, which has had to be slowed down to 25,200 to operate, is still running so fast that the disintegration of the gear teeth is a well known phenomenon. (the original design of the co-axial was to operate at 18,000 BPH) Omega seems to have backed off their claim of 10 years without a service.