Watch maintenance video

Very good video. I watch Kelle all the time. Thanks.

I've heard from a watchmaker in Russia (Russian watch YouTube Channel) that new synthetic oils tend to evaporate after a while, leaving that watch dry, thus increasing the wear on the metallic parts. The older mineral oils tend to gum up the movement, so it just stops working and thus prevents the parts from wearing out. So, although the maintenance period for a watch lubricated with mineral oil is much shorter, it may be beneficial for the watch in the long run. What do you think?

No, I wouldn't think so. A shorter maintenance interval for the watch could be beneficial in either case. But the main advantage of synthetic oil is that they don't change their chemical properties over time, become acidic, or gum up. Lighter mineral oils can also evaporate.

The problem with lighter synthetic oils is that they are almost invisible with the correct amounts applied. You may easily spot the heavier oils in the keyless works, but that's about it. It's hard to tell if they are present once applied.

However, with the standard watch movements I use, it is unlikely that a watch will see service unless I'm inclined to perform it. In many cases it may be a straight movement swap.

If you have an inexpensive watch with an in-house movement I would follow the manufacturer's service interval, even if just to retain the value of the watch, and avoid substantial repair cost.

Interesting. I asked the same question in the comments for that video and a German watchmaker responded differently:

@Germanwatchmakerspecial516

1 day ago

That is correct, I see more wear and tear on modern watches such as Omega and Rolex than I see on vintage watches. Vintage watches seem to be in good condition on parts and that's because of mineral oil and mineral oil gums up and stop the watch from running, basically, it saves the watch from damage, but many watch owners toss it in the drawer and forget it about for many years until we service it and yet runs perfectly once we service it. Modern watches especially like Rolex, have to replace the balance wheel due to wear and tear because of a lack of synthetic oil, which has dried up for years.

Personally I would consider evaporation to be driven by the carbon chain length, which can be similar in synthetic and mineral oils. Yes, mineral oils can gum up, but I would say that this is not because synthetic oils evaporate and mineral oils don't, but because synthetic oils are more chemically stable with less contamination. (Aside from hardly being able to tell whether small amounts of synthetic oils are present, especially the lighter ones.)