Philosophy on getting watches serviced

I can see the arguments all around for the different opinions.  For my watches I wait for the malfunction before sending it in for service.  If the watch isn't keeping good time or the power reserve isn't what it should be then I send the watch in for service.

I generally don't care if the service cost is equal or greater than the value of the watch.  Everything isn't a financial decision, if it was we wouldn't be collecting watches in the first place.

Omega's don't need a service every 5 years. With the co-axial escapement I believe the service interval on those is 8 years? I have an Aqua Terra, I've owned it for two years (second owner) and I'm guessing the original owner had it for 2-3 years him/herself. My case is a bit beat up, but the watch runs well within COSC/METAS spec, so I'm not going to send it in for service for another three years at minimum, more likely five. It's right on Omega's site (but heavily buried) that the service on an Aqua Terra is $550 and for a chronograph like the Speedmaster it's $750. And that's if they are stainless steel. More if they are precious metal. 

https://www.omegawatches.com/en-us/customer-service/interventions-and-prices/price-information

I actually had a problem with my Sellita SW-200 in my Oris Big Crown Pointer date about 8 months after buying it new. I had to get it serviced under warranty because the ball bearings that allow the rotor to turn were failing and when I would wind the watch manually, the rotor would turn with the crown. I could also hear significant rotor noise when simply wearing the watch. Being a bit naive, I thought it was typical to hear this in Sellita movements, but I was wrong.

For most watches, I will service as needed, depending on how important accuracy is to me. For watches above $3K, I'll probably service them as suggested, which is why I intend to keep that segment of my collection pretty lean, 2-3 watches max. The service costs can add up quickly. 

Agree with above, nothing about this hobby is financially logical and I don’t like the idea of trying to apply logic to servicing either. 
 

I personally think of watch servicing like car/vehicle servicing or dental check ups. I try to get it done at regular intervals rather than waiting “until something is wrong“ because it’s usually more costly. 
 

Universal movements like ETA/Sellita are more like Toyotas and don’t have a problem running them longer without check up. Proprietary movements (ie Omega, Tudor/Kenissi, newer TAG, etc) cost more and I try to service at recommended intervals. 

As a beater, I bought a quarz CWC G10. It has a ton of heritage and for 300$, being quarz, it will never need servicing.

Makes sense, I recently sold a few watches that I was no longer interested in. These watches were in the $300-500 range and we’re only a few years old. I figured it was better to get rid of them while they were still running perfect. i Definitely would not have repaired/service them if at some point they stopped working. 

That’s awesome, I thought it was every 5 years. I’ll use my best judgement and get serviced somewhere between 5-8 years.

Not a bad idea.I used to use my Seiko Turtle as a beater, I now have Casioak for beater and won’t hesitate to do any activity with it. 

On this page, Omega recommends service every "5 to 8 years", but I believe that watches with a co-axial escapement fall closer to the 8 year timeframe due to the reduced friction in the escapement. 

https://www.omegawatches.com/en-us/customer-service/interventions-and-prices/price-information

I got a 500$ vintage Omega earlier this summer and love it. Had it cleaned cleaned lubed + changed a croocked crown. It came out 200$, done by a hobby watchmaker. I think it was worth it.

Also I recently bought a Blackbay36 that is from 2018, so advised service intervall suggests next year. I will service it if I fall in love with the watch and will have it brushed and polished this one time to "make it mine".

Having just spent $120 + tax to service an obscure, defunct Swiss make with little to no market value, I admit to a combination of logic and (primarily) emotion.  It was not serviced when I first wore it (acquired used) and then sat in storage for forty years or so.  But when I pulled it out of my “watch junk” and my wife said “I remember when you used to wear that before we were married”, that was enough to merit an overhaul and going back into circulation, logical or not.

Agree with the thoughts, but I have and will continue to invest in sentimental watches. Weirdly, I guess, I tend to have watches that cost <$500 (mostly from my early days and mostly quartz) and >$3000. So, by ‘investing’ in the older sentimental ones, we’re mostly talking battery changes and a strap change or two 😎. 

If I had a 300-dollar watch given to me by a close friend or family member, Yes Also I would have to love the watch.

It's a tricky one and depends on the type of service from my experience. If you go to the manufacturer they invariably offer fixed prices regardless of the parts needed (some even just swap out the whole movement and re-stamp the serial number as it's cheaper).  In that case you may as well wait for it to start acting up before sending it in.

Personally, I service watches worth more than $2,000 and the others kinda sit if they crap out.

Thankfully, the only watches I've ever had die on me were El Cheapo stuff, so it's all bene smooth sailing to this point, and I've been at it a long time now.

If I buy a vintage 60-70’s watch that’s in mint condition or new old stock. I get them serviced as the oils dry out and even though it may seem to run great with a quick wind. 

I've sort of done the exact opposite. I started out collecting vintage watches for anything between £300 - £2,000, and always had them serviced straight away. I figured that if I bought them at all, they were good enough to service and the chances were that they needed it. On the other hand, I haven't serviced any of the watches I've bought new. 

Someone working at my local Omega Boutique told me that you can even go up to 10 years on the Co-Ax movements. To be fair, she might have been exaggerating a bit (I was debating between a Seamaster and BB58 [being sold at a AD a few blocks away])....

Servicing watches is similar to cars I think. If you service them often, or at minimum recommended intervals, theyre more likely to last longer. So it makes sense you would service the ones you want to pass on or keep for a while as a priority regardless of their worth.

I have a 1963 Seagull chrono that is basically disposable. If it stops working I wont be repairing it. But my 80s Vostok diver, worth as much or less, will defintely get a service when it needs it and before it fails.

Higher quality watches should defintely need less service. Even Oris now offers 10 year service intervals with their inhouse movements. Maybe ADs should be like car dealerships and send you a reminder when youre due for a service? I dont own a luxury Swiss watch yet so I wouldnt know, but makes sense for those at least.

I agree, for example since Omega recommends to service every 5-8 years. I’ll probably service around the 8 year mark since I only wear that watch 2-3 times a week. If I were to be wearing daily I would probably lean to servicing it sooner.

I don't think sub 500USD watches like Seikos are worth servicing. If I had to guess, I would say a NH35 movement would run for way over 10 years. I would just wear them until they stop working. When that happens I can just buy a brand new movement for way under 100USD and replace it myself, or pay a watchmaker to do it. Replacing a movement is much easier than servicing a used one.  
 

For a $300 watch, I'll probably just buy some tools to service it myself when the time comes.

Not a bad idea, what do you have to lose at that point?

I have serviced the two watches that belonged to my dad. A first gen Seamaster with new acrylic was $200. A Seiko DX with new acrylic $140. They were "free" so they were worth it! Other mechanics, with no sentimental value and a $1.000 below value, I would not service. Just got a PRX, with a powermatic; I think those are not servicesable.

I have spent more than I have paid for a watch to get it running again. It is the cost of collecting what I like.

If you want to avoid expensive servicing bills...then stay away from vintage watches.

My Hamilton Electrics in particular are expensive to service and are also expensive to have the battery changed - most watchmakers won't touch it. I have to ship them off - just to get the battery changed. I love those watches, but the cost of maintenance is what tipped me into mechanical watches.

Today watches are so well made that unless you are wearing them everyday or having them spin on a watch winder, you probably will not need to service them in the course of a decade or unless something goes wrong.

The Sellita sw200 and the ETA2824 have a design flaw in the gear train that strips out easy when hand winding them too much. Replacement movements run around $250.00 but could also be Chinese made Swiss branded ones. Seiko's and miyota's have $50.00 movements that are easy to swap out. You can even get the 9000 series Miyota ones for  around $100.00

Regardless of the price, I generally service them when they start to act up*. 

*or when I break them...  😭

Service is expensive, but I don't have anything complicated enough to make it prohibitively so.  A couple of years ago I broke a 3135 (surfing, body vs sandbar) and a 2824 (not sure) in the same month.  The Rolex was maybe $500, the DOXA $250 for service & whatever needed to be replaced.

I collect budget watches and I probably wouldn't bother unless I can have it done cheaply (i.e. less than the watch).  I would only go through the trouble for the luxury watches or if it was worn by my Father or Grandfather which i do not have either.