There could be a price on your head now. In Swiss francs, obviously ;)

My dad got an Omega in the early 70’s, never sent it to service, still on his wrist and keeping perfect time. Of course not good for Omega finance team but great for Omega reputation.

My friend David Yang has been wearing a Rolex Datejust for 57 years. Although the watch has never been opened for any service, it still runs normally and accurately. Also, I know an old jewelry salesman who has been wearing a Hamilton for 36+ years. The watch has never been opened yet still runs well. Two gentlemen have the same saying, “Nothing wrong, why fix?”

Rip off customers? How about unlimited limited editions?

I hope this go viral!I had an Omega for 20 years, bought used, no box, no papers, I wear it everyday and i never sent it for maintenance and works very well!Omega not taking one cent from my wallet !!😂😂😎

Not 100% sure why I found this channel (other than the fact I like wrist watches) but glad I did (find this channel). It very much appeals to my German sensibilities and the internal conflict between "keeping up on maintenance" and saving on service monies. Brilliant!

As a watchmaker i can tell you that even older Rolex models can break down after 5 years on some parts in the movement. And you don't send the watch to switzerland, you look for an authorized dealer with a certificated workshop. Shorter waiting time, you have someone to talk to if problems arrive and the costs are at least cut in half if not more. I work with ETA movements and after 4-6 years the movement CAN show signs of wear and tear. It can keep ticking, but it will only get worse from that point on. If you send in your modern Omega or Rolex after 7-10 years, it should come back just as new, as they change out most gears, wear and tear parts even when they seem fine, just to make sure. In the end they replace all the sealings, regulate your watch back to the original precision if something has changed, test it for weeks so it still has the COSC certified accuracy. Waterproofing included. This all takes time, skill and money - so it will cost money. An average watchmaker in his workshop will not have the certification, so he will not get the parts (easily or officially) lets say from Omega or Rolex, so he will just reuse the parts found in the movement, clean it, oil it up (if he even knows how to do it correctly according to the manufacturer) and put it back in. This is also much cheaper, but sometimes they charge as much as the manufacturer, just to make some extra cash. (Hey, they need to survive, the watch industry is killing them) Also don't forget you are getting a renewed warranty for said service from the manufacturer, at least two years if i remember correctly. But always remember: Oil and parts break down, so they form a nice sludge of metal and smear, wearing down parts around them and jizzing all the crap around in the movement. Have a nice day

My watchmaker tells me to leave my watches alone unless they are not working properly. He's a really thorough guy, but recently I bought a lovely old watch from the 1950s and I took it to the watchmaker to show him and maybe get it serviced. He said: "Does it work alright? If yes, leave it alone." So that's the advice I am following.

That is why out of patent movements such as from ETA or Selita are better than the vaunted and patented movements of the in house variety. The in house movements tend to restrict the supply of spare parts.

Cheers Tim definitely an amusing way to say don't believe everything watch companies say

Service is a very controversial subjects, it comes down to two main factors: 1. how much you use the watch 2. what is the beat ratio of the watch; if your watch has an hi-beat movement like some Zenith do, a service every 5 years make sense, but generally 10 years is fine.

One more thing. To make this work you have to make sure the customer comes to you for the service and doesn't use his local watchmaker. So don't forget to make sure that they can't buy parts! (I asked a well known UK watchmaker's supplier which manufacturer they'd recommend based on them selling parts to non contracted watchmakers. They said that none did.)

Watches with ETA based or other common movements are the easiest to maintain, having minimal costs. The more complicate the higher the costs. Same goes with fancy material wheels. Another factor are the use of the watch, are you using it for swimming / diving / on a dusty environment with thin dust / extreme cold or heat / is it sitting on box idle for long time / living in a high humidity place etc etc , I am not saying that you need to follow the maintenance instructions but be aware that it may need… bottom line everything eventually will need maintenance and based on your watch collection it is always a good idea to save few $ /€ /£ every year for that purpose. My practice here is to put on the side the same amount as for the servicing costs. My plan is to have my watches serviced every 8-10 years, and for the ones that got serviced I am keeping the service papers / history. The money I am putting on the side for this purpose goes into stocks so won’t stay idle :) The one test I am doing though way more regularly is for waterproofing, especially for the watches that I am using when traveling.

That’s an evil little chuckle you have there Tim 😂

My father owns a Citizen that's over 20 years old and it's never been serviced. Still runs as accurate as it did when new. I find it unlikely you ever need to service a watch unless it's noticeably running inaccurate or not working properly.

You're not wrong! Best bet is to buy lots of different watches, wear them on a rotation (and not on a winder) and the service intervals extend indefinitely.

Love this video, thank you. And that word! Fantastic! I will use it.

Still wearing my uncle’s 1964 Time Marlin. Never been serviced and running great 55 years on the wrist

Ferrari did the same thing in the early 1980s. The belt service for 308s was every 5 years. After a while dealers complained they weren't making enough money on service SO Ferrari changed the service interval to every 3 years.

I bought a Rolex DJ back in the late 90’s and I’ve never had it serviced and don’t plan to until it stops working properly...because THEN it will actually NEED a service. I think some people confuse watches with cars LOL.

And maybe, "Thank you for sending us your vintage 321 Omega Speedmaster for service. We have changed the dial and bezel, so your watch looks new." Omega now thinks, "Great we have a genuine vintage Speedmaster 321 dial and bezel we can sell on ebay under our phantom account."

My first ever automatic watch, which my mother bought me when I was 15, a Sekio 5, operated perfectly for 23 years before it needed a service. If this budget automatic movement can do fine for so long, so can the much better built Swiss movements.

Well, yes Tim. My 1970s rectangular Omega de ville (one of rather too many Omegas in my possession, I'm afraid) stopped working. I took it to Omega in Geneva (where I have already taken rather too many vintage Omegas, I am also afraid), and they quoted me CHF550 for the revision (quite "reasonable", but the movement is simple, just a sweep second hand, no date), but said that the face must be restored (CHF935). Why? The dial looks perfect to me, even under magnification, beautiful even, very dark blue. Omega say that they cannot guarantee the revision for the two-year period they propose, because micro-particles from the hands or face will get into the movement and make it go wrong. In the case of this particular watch, I don't believe them (though, after mutliple trips to the shop with multiple watches, I have got to know the manager pretty well). So, the watch is languising in a drawer - and I hate things that don't work. Almost enough to swallow my pride and go back to Omega, rue du Rhône, Geneva. But not quite. The watch in working condition would only be worth about CHF500 (I think). But resale value is not what collecting vintage watches is about really, is it? Thanks for the videos - always interesting and amusing in equal doses.

I just got my EL Primero serviced. It was filled with grease, debris. etc The watchmaker took care of it and made sure nothing gets fucked up. Cost me $440 to get it all fixed up. No parts replaced, everything was good. If it was at Zenith they'll probably charge a big service and have the original parts replaced, which is a big no-no.

I have an 15 year old Parnis with a Seagull auto, and has it has been flawless. No servicing. Titanium case $68 !

Always a pleasure . I am slowly gathering the confidence to do ( not services ) but say swapping out a case. Richard

I once gave my 90's Breitling Navitimer to an authorised service center, a week later they called me telling me that they need to replace the whole movement (even tho the watch still works) and that it will cost me 2600$. I kindly told them no thank you

The service requirements are so funny when I consider that my dad's Datejust, which is now approximately 50 years old, has been serviced once, yet tells time.

And this convinced me on one thing. Buy from Japan and stop bitching about the swiss. And if you hate servicing buy quartz. Love the video.

You get a watch serviced if it starts to misbehave, otherwise it's not usually necessary. A good quality watch can run 20+ years between services.

Excellent. A little while ago I was thinking of buying an expensive watch but abandoned the idea when when I read the brochures and found it needs servicing about as often as my car.

Bernard Rohloff makes bicycle gears that have to have the expensive special oil changed annually. It's $1 per ml.

A lawyer friend of mine was given a Patek (pronounced "paddock" by ArchieLuxury!) by his client and lamented for years how much it costs him to keep servicing it.

If a high end watch doesn't run perfectly after 10 years it is crap and should be get rid of. I have a King Seiko that hasn't been serviced in 50 years and it still ran strong. Bottom line: Don't service your watch unless there is something wrong with it.

Very true. I've got some pieces from cheap brands from the 40s that have never been serviced and they work just fine after all these years. It's a racket!

Based on my reading through the years, this debate about servicing applies to all mechanical watches, not just Zenith and Omega. The alleged issue pertains to degradation of the lubricating oils and wear of the engineered parts. If the watch has a mechanical movement, the manufacturer will recommend periodic servicing.

I absolutely love Omega, but I hate all their limited editions.

i have a seiko 5 bought in 1996, the same year, i believe, that the 7S26 movement was released. it has had the crystal replaced 4-5 times but never a service, not much wrist time now but it still keeps great time

I took my Zenith El Primero to my AD for a clasp issue. They sent the whole watch to Zenith. I got a new clasp, a service and it cost me nothing. I didn't ask for the service, BTW. Watch was running just a bit fast, and was over 5 years old. My AD told me if the watch is running fine, then to leave it alone. I realise every situation is unique, but Zenith hooked me up.

An excellent thought provoking video. Thank you.

I don't know about Kiwi, but shoe cream jars from Saphir tend to last very long as well. I don't think it's a rip-off : cream for hydration and re-pigmentation of the entire shoe and wax for mirror polishing of the toe box.

We are in a funny place with watch collecting. I am more in the use the watch until it stops keeping good time camp. Even some of my really old watches have only been serviced once in 20 or 25 years and still run fine. I had a vintage Omega that I inherited from my Grandmother's estate that might never have been serviced when I got it in 2001. I had that watch repaired locally and 18 years later, it still runs fine and keeps good time. Another vintage Omega I bought was a bit misrepresented as keeping good time. It didn't. But, the service, again local, only cost about $200 and 8 years later, still keeps good time. Finally, I had a modern Omega serviced last year for the first time after owning it for 15 years. It was starting to lose about 1 minute a day, so I figured it was time. Just a small servicing and it is back up and running. None of my watches are museum pieces, of course, and none cost me more than $1,000, so maybe that is the difference.

cynical poetry at its finest. love it!

Corporates need to be creative:) unlimited growth is reaching its limits...

Brilliant! I have a 1984 Rolex Submariner 5513. It's latest service cost Euros 1000. I now never wear it. I like the style so I have a Steinhart Ocean One Premium Blue Euros 570. Keeps better time LOL.

I own a Seamaster bought new in 1999 and had it serviced once. Works great.

Dried up gaskets, moisture invasion. Dried up oils, increased friction. These things exist and have to be dealt with. I don't want to wait for the signs of corrosion and wear. I'm not sure it makes sense to wait until the watch shows signs.

this guy can't be german - he is too funny!

I like how you mentioned the psychological aspect of the service, if it makes me feel good...then why not?

The best watch channel on KZfaq by a million miles.

Hi, could you look at the camera lens and not the lcd screen, that way it looks like you are talking to the viewers and not someone behind the camera. Nice video btw Thx!

I only sent my Omega seamaster for service after 11 years on the wrist when it started to gain approx 25 seconds a day 🙃

Vostok. Same accuracy specs as Seiko NH35. Service interval, 10 years. Total replacement of Komandirskie mechanisms, $23. Time required, 10 minutes.

I recently bought 2 new Omega's & was thoroughly dissapointed with them. The quality just isn't there anymore, despite the much lauded Metas certification. Ended up selling both at a hefty loss. Now I have a pair of vintage (Omega Serviced) Seamaster's, manufactured when the Brand was at its peak & I'm happy. Both have Service Paperwork, period correct Boxes & "extract(s) from the archives". £90 an Extract just to confirm the production date, destination country & general specification, isn't cheap but was worth it. Also, servicing cost was reasonable for the amount of work done & I dont anticipate repeating the process for another 5-7 years. As for new watches, I've invested Grand Seiko. 100% In-House, unrivalled quality, bulletproof reliability and long real-world service intervals. In many ways just like a Rolex, except they're readily available and you're not likely to get robbed for wearing them.

AD said once, never open as long as it holds time for as long as it should. Within a big service, usually everything that can wear of in that time is replaced anyway (at the same cost) and even if you have 1-2 parts that need to be replaced cause of longer wear and tear, you usually save that by having a service less in the end.

They are now working on a way of remotely making your watch stop running if it is overdue its service.

I have Molnia pocket watch from 60s and it still runs, but oils dried out and you can feel it.

My first and lecture about watch service was given to me by someone who repair them in the form: You know how seconds + or - run your watch. If that difference change than you need a repair. There is no given time to service a watch.

Haha - love it! You could substitute 'watch' with 'car/automobile' too! By the way, don't tell Omega, but I have some of their watches and I'm the stingy bastard.... :-)

With regard to the servicing,if their watches are that good why the frequent servicing?

I actually like that idea of a certificate of authenticity from the maker, although they want way too much for the darn thing. Unfortunately, the watch industry is a shystie business in general...due to the low standard to qualify for "made in Switzerland." They also know their customer are very fickle people who'll lose their marbles over something as simple as a single red line of text...

This is gold. Thanks!

Rolex recommends service every 10 years , and I won't service any watch before it past 10 years , main thing you need to take in your consideration is to change your watch gasket every 5 years to ensure there is no water or dust get inside the movement

Omega told me every 3-5 years, I've owned my watch from new for 7 years, still running perfectly and I've not serviced it . Service it when it needs it people

Great video, Tim! Spot on, as always.

Omega has limited editions for limited editions.

Brilliant! You could win an oscar with that performance. 👍

Awesome vid

Brilliant! Like your style very much. Will show some more Kadavergehorsam in the future to you. Wolke fom UF

Chapeau Tim, unterhaltsam und schön dargelegter Inhalt. Guter Filmtip on top, ist neben Casino mit Robert De Niro einer meiner Lieblingsfilme 👍🏻

I love when common sense wins! LoL Great to see you again Tim…

Liked and subscribed! Thanks for opening my eyes, dankeschön!

Delightful Tim,to add to that i have a O&W M5 with an ETA2824-2 movement that just died after 25 years with no service from new.Will i get it serviced?Probably not when i can purchase a chinese clone movement for $90 and that clone has been tested by mark lovick and found to be as good as the original.Thankyou for all the laughs your review gave me.(tee hee)

Vostok watches list 10 years as a service interval :) That is high standard.

My dads Rolex had NO services since bought new in 1962 is within cosc specs per my time grapher. Much like oil changes for the auto. Consumer reports proved a oil change not required every 5k miles.

Very informative and entertaining. Thanks!

Very interesting, I never knew that these companies do this! Thanks for the education

I turned my back on the swiss watches altogether!

The recommended service levels are of course absurd, but it's not limited to Zenith and Omega. Every brand does some version of this and Rolex is actually the worst, replacing parts that don't need replacing so as to keep them in house and unavailable for counterfeiting.

Tim, love your chanel, not sure if you have the most amazing dry wit or if you are just so earnest? Anyways, in your reviewing channels saga, could you please review Jody of Just One More Watch? Thanks!!!!

Becouse of videos like this I have subscribed to your channel. Excellent service 😂😂😂😂. All the best!! 😍 Greetings from Canada 🍁

Ein kleiner Tipp, "impudent" bekommt die Betonung auf der ersten Silbe, wie bei Ratskeller. Nur weil Du das Wort so gerne benutzt. :) Or you could also say "shameless", if you mean to say something like "unverschämt." Oder "outrageous", je nach Kontext.

Kiwi shoe polish lasts years!? Not in the Army it doesn't, lol... at least not in the Guards...

I was watching Aljezerra news and it looks like boot polish is making something of a comeback ,not only in Germany and Denmark but right across Europe

Tim I beg you, teach me how to buy a suit

Thanks , great clip!

Ha ha ha . Always funny . I have a vintage Bulova ( 1950 ) that runs 2 min fast a day . I may wear it once a day every few weeks. Maybe I will take it in to get serviced . Maybe I will regulate it myself . If I mess it up I can still take it in . Same money right ? Lol

Great video as usual. Film tip for you, Afterlife Japanese film from I believe 1998, beautiful. Full film is on KZfaq

Yeah...I saw that, when I had my A.T....sold it as fast as I could! Omega, really wants you to buy a new watch...hell, most of them do!

A Rolex Submariner 116610 retails for around USD 8,5k, I guess. That is, if you can get it for retail. Now, let's speculate for a moment about the actual manufacturing cost of the watch, COGS as accountants like to call it. I have not run the numbers, but I find it hard to believe that it's more than USD 1,5-2,0k. Add amortization, depreciation, SG&A and what will you most likely get ... for a sure a number that is SIGNIFICANTLY less than 8,5k. That's what is Rip off to me ...

very educated video,thank you

Amazing, that makes every Rolex looks cheap

Great video Tim. Enjoyed this one.

Instant click everytime your vid shows up.

Tim, I’m not sure it’s entirely fair to say Omega are part of the “service racket”. They recommend a full service between 5 to 8 years, which is more extended than most other brands. Also, if you check out the prices on their website they range from £430 to £570 which is pretty good when you consider what one of their full services comprises.

I have to service some of my Casio watches and change the batterys every few yrs , cheers Shane uk 🇬🇧

This video made my day. Your brutal honesty is such a refreshing alternative to the sheep and sheep herders :-)

When do I send my Rolex Submariner to service? When he broke down ... 30 years after my grandfather bought it ... second-hand. Service every 5 years? My balls!

Tim, you hit the nail on the head right there. Such a scam

In the light of ever increasing warranties (JLC 8 years, Rolex 5 (+5 from some UK ADs) then I guess that loss of revenue will encourage alternatives like Authentication etc..