Vintage servicing questions.

[j_a]

I'm a bit new, and curious how frequent I should service my vintage watch. I know they say service every 10 years for a Rolex. But if the watch is from the mid-60s, I have a feeling every 10 years is a stretch.
Am I wrong, is 10 years fine?
How ofter do y'all service your vintage pieces?

[Dan S]

If you're going to wear it frequently, I think I would advise closer to 5 years. If it's a part of a large rotation and you only wear it 10 times a year, then I don't think waiting 10 years between services is going to cause a great deal of wear, even if the lubrication dries out.

[j_a]

Originally Posted by Dan S

If you're going to wear it frequently, I think I would advise closer to 5 years. If it's a part of a large rotation and you only wear it 10 times a year, then I don't think waiting 10 years between services is going to cause a great deal of wear, even if the lubrication dries out.

Yeah, I will be wearing it a lot, so 5 years is probably safe. Thanks for the advice.

[R.W.T.]

Originally Posted by Dan S

If you're going to wear it frequently, I think I would advise closer to 5 years. If it's a part of a large rotation and you only wear it 10 times a year, then I don't think waiting 10 years between services is going to cause a great deal of wear, even if the lubrication dries out.

I would disagree...they don't "use" lubrication like worn cars "burn" oil...there is a more evaporative/drying out process occurring over time. The more you wear it the less the oils become stagnant/viscous/ and the eventually drying visibly in the cap jewels to wax residue dots where oil used to be.

Watches DON'T set up well especially the older slow beat movements. The automatic mechanisms are bad too about drying out although the wheels generally are slower moving parts and less precision compared to train wheels so the faulty oil or more viscous situations are not as critical over time...excepting metal on metal parts like bushed as opposed to jeweled versions or older mechanisms that were designed sans jewels.

[Dan S]

Originally Posted by R.W.T.

I would disagree...they don't "use" lubrication like worn cars "burn" oil...there is a more evaporative/drying out process occurring over time. The more you wear it the less the oils become stagnant/viscous/ and the eventually drying visibly in the cap jewels to wax residue dots where oil used to be.

Watches DON'T set up well especially the older slow beat movements. The automatic mechanisms are bad too about drying out although the wheels generally are slower moving parts and less precision compared to train wheels so the faulty oil or more viscous situations are not as critical over time...excepting metal on metal parts like bushed as opposed to jeweled versions or older mechanisms that were designed sans jewels.

I don't see that you are disagreeing with me at all. In fact, your post is so garbled that I couldn't even follow the point you were trying to make. If you want to make a point, just go ahead and make it. There's no reason to make all of your posts provocative and adversarial, although I've noticed that you seem to enjoy that.

If you actually go back and read my post, you will see that I never suggested that watches "use" oil, of course they don't. My post was actually very clear. My point was simply that if the watch is used very little, there won't be very much wear even if the lubrication is ineffective. So a watch that is only worn a few times a year can probably get by with longer service intervals. Not because the lubrication will last longer, but because the minimal use won't result in much damage.