Servicing a £200 watch?

Grey_Critic

Labour costs are the problem. You happily pay £200 for an Oil & Filter change which is not difficult so why the surprise when a watch costs the same?

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Grey_Critic said:

Labour costs are the problem. You happily pay £200 for an Oil & Filter change which is not difficult so why the surprise when a watch costs the same?

You are opening a can of worms

I begrudgingly pay £200 for an oil and filter change (that I could easily do myself for a fraction of the cost) and a dealer stamp in the service book that adds more than £200 to the WBAC offer.

(I know I could just buy a stamp, but I'd have to hack into the dealer network to falsify the service records too)

But what are they doing to a watch for a service that is worth £150? Even at £100 an hour, they are charging for 1.5 hours work, and it won't add £150 to the value of the watch...

victor2

I have a Cartier watch I treated myself to back in the 1980's. Wore it every day for many years. Still works and has never been serviced or had anything done to it, although I only wear it on special occasions now.
It's automatic, so no battery to replace. 

Must admit I haven't worn a watch regularly for years now. There are digital clocks everywhere, including the ubiquitous smartphone, so most people don't really need one.

PunkRoquefort

Also, at the slightly more expensive price range, £3,000 to £4,000, would you get your watch, if you own a luxury brand, serviced every few years, or only if something is not functioning properly?

I know someone with a couple of watches in this price range, who says servicing is not needed and they never have it done.

MalMonroe

I may be an anomaly but I can't abide watches. Nasty things, sitting around my person letting me know how much life I've got left. No thank you. Silently ticking the time away.

If I was forced to have one then I'd get a cheapo from amazon or argos but it'd have to be analogue. I remember when I was 5 and had learned to tell the time and Father Christmas (is so such a person!) brought me a beautiful Timex watch in a box and I thought is was the most beautiful item I'd ever seen. It lasted years. But I was just a baby then and now if I wanted a Timex it'd probably be more expensive than I expected.

My phone and computer and kitchen clock serve me well. I don't need or want anything on me - especially if it starts ringing, alarming or talking. No sireeee thank you.

I blame Peter Henlein.

TELLIT01

I've worn a watch ever since I was old enough to read the time off one.  I don't feel dressed without one.  I've only once had a watch serviced prior to the one I mentioned in a previous post.  That was one previously owned by my mother which was no longer reliable.  It wasn't hugely expensive but was 9 carat gold and I wanted to pass it on to a young relative.  The expense was worth it.

diystarter7

victor2 said:

If it's battery powered, get a dealer to replace that when necessary, rather than the chap on the market. Otherwise, don't bother with "servicing" unless something goes wrong.

Hi

Thanks and if it is akinetic  watch, watch out for the price of the battery and when mine ran out after about ten years, the price to change the battery resulted in me getting another watch. This was about 30 years ago a very smart, gold plated watch but the price of the battery could only be done by a jeweller and all I recall is, might as well by a new watch.

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MalMonroe said:

<snip>

 I remember when I was 5 and had learned to tell the time and Father Christmas (is so such a person!) brought me a beautiful Timex watch in a box and I thought is was the most beautiful item I'd ever seen. It lasted years. But I was just a baby then and now if I wanted a Timex it'd probably be more expensive than I expected

.<snip>

If you are Of A Certain Age (= old fogey like me) then that will have been the one with the silver case and black face. (Timex sprite)

All the boys in my class at Primary school got them that year (1970 ?), I think they were 52 weeks @ 2 shillings in The Catalogue.

Collectors on eBay expect £100 for them now, pretty much what they were new re-valued for inflation.

theoretica

I have a Bering too, except I actually paid about £50 for it as an older model.  I have changed the battery (myself), changed the leather strap a couple of times (myself, of course) and like it enough that if it dies I might replace the movement - I found on google somewhere the model of the movement.  I have not had it serviced and doubt I will.  What I do not do, is make use of its water resistance beyond wearing it when out in the rain, and usually then I have a jacket or something on.  A significant benefit of servicing as I understand it is making sure the waterproof seals are still good.

Pollycat

diystarter7 said:

victor2 said:

If it's battery powered, get a dealer to replace that when necessary, rather than the chap on the market. Otherwise, don't bother with "servicing" unless something goes wrong.

Hi

Thanks and if it is akinetic  watch, watch out for the price of the battery and when mine ran out after about ten years, the price to change the battery resulted in me getting another watch. This was about 30 years ago a very smart, gold plated watch but the price of the battery could only be done by a jeweller and all I recall is, might as well by a new watch.

They are usually referred to as capacitors.
My OH has had a Citizen eco-drive since 2006 and is still keeping perfect time.

That's saved a fortune against a quartz watch which needs regular battery changes.

We both have a number of these Eco-drive watches, some stiletto (ultra thin) and some with super titanium straps and I have one which is radio controlled.
Most have cost more than £200 and have never been serviced.