I don't know what you're talking about.. the dude at the mall replaced the battery in my Rolex without a problem = )

I've got a 1948 Hamilton Perry (982 movement) that might be worth between $250 to $300 on a good day. It needs to be serviced, have a pallet fork repair, crystal replacement and crown replacement. The estimate is currently at around $400, but I will pay it to get the job done correctly and I will count myself lucky since I'll be able to wear my grandfather's watch once again.

I realize it can be so expensive to service a watch. Automatic watches have a soul but for my bank statements sake I'll stick to quartz.

Good vid JP and thank you for fixing the sound. Much much better. Watch repair 101, greatly needed. It's hard to find a trustworthy company, product, and service. Word of mouth is the best advertisement. Keep up the quality work. 👍👍👍

There is no cheap and fast way to properly service a watch. My two cents opinion.

Well put and I’m sure some of the listeners needed to hear this. Thanks

I sent my Breitling super avenger ii in for service. They took my watch completely apart. And cleaned and service every single piece. I paid good money yes. But it’s a great watch and well worth being tuned up

When you see a watch service kiosk that also cut keys...

I bought a oil needle some watch oil (total $6) watched a couple KZfaq vids and disassembled and lubed my 17 jewel vintage mechanical watch. Was given estimates of $125-150. Took a couple hrs

My local jewel shop serviced my husbands 40yrs old Favre chronograph, nothing wrong only clean. Now chronometer accurate. In dollars 300 . Here’s to next 40yrs ,great watch ( I bought it) . Lovely, informative video. Thank you ☺️

Awesome video. Not anybody with a white coat can do my prostate exam.

Young man, get to the point. Don't repeat what u said & don't try to make your video longer than is needed

Really enjoy your videos John , You present useful interesting topics that are different to most Watch channels .

Teaching myself right now.... Australian labour rates? I'd be happy to charge $50/hr without overheads... With a little practice I think I could get servicing of common movements down to under 3 hours... 8hrs is a ludicrous suggestion.

Good info. Thanks John P 🕵🏼‍♀️

Another great video JP. Biggest challenge is where do you find a watch maker with excellent credentials without going door to door and asking for the guy's resume?

My favourite video of yours so far John. Servicing is probably the biggest point of stress for us watch enthusiasts. Thanks for ramming home what's involved in it. Just like the original watch purchase price, we really need to pay to play this game!

Another great video Mr. John P

I agree with you on that pay a little extra especially if it's a nice watch, like say my el primero a good watch maker is like a good mechanic . Have to have one you can trust to work on your car/ watch.

$200 for a good watch maker is crazy! I just paid $390 for a vintage Seiko chronograph. Granted it’s a chrono but it’s a Seiko. People that are trained and a skilled tradesmen are not cheap.

What is Hans’s favorite timepiece to service and which one does he find most challenging? Great video and have talked with Fed on this. You guys are very responsive and thorough in expectations! I will definitely send some of mine to you guys.

This was a great presentation and all true! This is information everyone should know before buying a mechanical watch Thank You very much sir? This should be listened to several times before anyone purchases a watch!

Service is such an important topic when purchasing a watch - Its wonderful that your channel pays the proper attention to this topic. John - if you have a simple but high quality mass produced movement that is not to high in expense - eta 2824 , 2892 ,or eta manual wind - word it be reasonable to just ask to have the movement replaced outright - ?. Thanks again John.

Great episode John P. How much does it cost to service a watch like the el Primero? It would give some context to the talk.

Just got my PRS516 with the 2836-2 ETA serviced in Switzerland, 390 CHF incl. a light repolish. Was running way to fast (5min/ 24h+) now is back within 4 seconds +. Rough daily wear for manual labour- amazed it kept up so well for 10+ years.

This is just the video I needed. Picked up a vintage manual wind 36000bhp king seiko and it's keeping wild time. Not sure what to expect in terms of servicing costs.

Reliable watch servicing costs money, but is does not have to cost a fortune. Take for instance NOMOS. Their standard service which includes replacement of normal wear parts starts at $280 and tops out at $500. When looking to have a watch serviced, you will have to take into account brand and complications as this will increase the cost of service. A good watch maker is like a good woman, hard to find but a keeper once you find one..

Luxury watch maintenance requires luxury money. Enjoyable videos on this channel. I am glad I joined. thank you

My watch guy took my vintage Bulova automatic . $50 down . He took it apart . Cleaned it . Replaced the seals . Regulated it. It cost me $100 . I am happy . It is working good . It is not rocket science ! Lol

ETA can be a very inexpensive movement sort of like Ronda and Valjoux, not to say they are bad; and could be replaced for less than 200 dollars lol. I love the Atmos behind you!

I've got a serious question...my father's watch is getting work done at a proper watch place. I've heard if it's a proper old watch they can switch the the old bits for new old bits. Should I be worried?

If you can't afford a proper watch service, don't buy the watch.

I am learning watchmaking and I want it to be my future job but I only service my own watches

Just got the invoice for servicing my Breguet, (gulp) $5000 AUD going for a drink and a sit down now.

Something that wasn't really discussed here is turn around time. I just called a watchmaker to inquire about a service on a late 60s Swiss mechanical wind movement. The watch is running but needs a cleaning and oiling. It's doesn't need parts and I don't want the case cleaned or a crystal replaced, just a good servicing. They told me drop it off and the wait time is minimum of 3 months. And it would take a week or so before they could even give me an estimate on basic service. Is this normal? FYI this is not a high end watch, there are no complications, it's just a 17 jewel Swiss watch manual wind.

I have 3 watches that need a service. This was perfect timing.

And this is why people just buy a brand new movement instead of servicing their watches. Fraction of the cost and you get a brand new movement that's within spec.

Just not replacing the proper gaskets and seals can destroy your watch and you loose it.... Thank you for the video. How often would you check a vintage Submariner to be sure it is watertight?

What I do is take my 16613 Sub directly to the Rolex service center, not the AD. All the AD's in this region ship watches to the exact same service center. So that alone saves me time and money ,and the service center tech is happy to discuss what they found with the watch. They really love watches and enjoy talking about your watch. It's a very pleasant experience as opposed dropping your watch at the dealer and waiting for them to call you when it arrives back from the service center.

So, John, how much does Delray Watch charge for full service in this basic ETA time only movement ie 2892?

Broadly speaking, drawing on my personal experiences with watch-owning (for the better part of six decades) and watch repairing/maintenance (decidedly less than that, but most of it came about because I couldn't find people to work on it locally that could do better work than I could, with some learning curve failures priced in vs. the "ask" from so-called "experts") is that History will repeat itself as it did in the '70s-00s. Automatic watches will remain an (albeit appealing) niche and the vast majority of interest in it will be sustained (while being simultaneously reviled by well-heeled aficionados) by those of less than conspicuous consumption means. I think the "buy it, wear it until it needs servicing, throw it away and buy another one-or keep it for parts" watches will sustain the hobby/interest more than the hyper-inflated perceived niche will. The conspicuous consumption crowd (this goes for High-End Audio as well, btw) don't care about the widget in question, just the "Charlie the Tuna" factor. "I gots "good taste, see?" (Shoves watch at you...) Those often are also the folks who risk getting an arm cut off at the elbow for wearing watches that cost as much as a very nice home. I'm glad that those "ne plus ultra" watches exist. But the vilification of "homage" (not counterfeit) watches (as well as others that are lesser Plutonian offerings, but still of desirable quality) is a mistake. Saying "don't buy the watch if you don't want to drop a significant fraction of the cost of the watch on "maintenance" once every five years", will hasten the demise of the hobby. As it sits now, nobody actually NEEDS a watch anymore. The only reason to own one is that we like the tangible, tactile/sensory positive feedback of viewing and owning one. And that shouldn't be an experience for only the ".5 percent".

I had Omega Service Center mess up my Planet Ocean 2500C in summer 2016, the watch was 11 years old at the time and had never been serviced. I took it to them with a consistent - 3 s/d deviation and they gave it back with an erratic +15 / -15 s/d and a bent aluminium bezel. Thankfully they agreed to perform a second overhaul on the watch as part of the warranty and to replace the broken bezel without charge. It's been performing flawlessly since (+1.5 s/d on average). My lesson learnt: don't take your piece to any service centers in the middle of summer, wait till senior watchmakers are back from holidays.

It would be a great help for new watch buyers, to be informed about the actual long term costs of ownership, and whether the particular brand or model has authorized service dealerships, or if only shipping the watch to one center will keep the warranty valid - if there even is one. I thought spending nearly the cost of my Seiko for service was absurd; but is $500 for a $5000 Rolex reasonable? I would never spend $6000, to do routine maintenance on a $60k car, but the cachet of owning an expensive piece of jewelry that is actually an anachronism as a timekeeping instrument turns out to be a pretty pricey indulgence, and many blow their wad on the device, then can't deal with the ownership. If you buy the horse, you'd better make sure you can afford the barn, and hay.

This is why intelligent people buy quartz.

If a watch case back cover is replaced, does it hurt the value?

I do work at a watch repair centre, we do serve around 30k watches a year and everything you've talked about is the standard procedure.. lol

My Watchmaker, (He isn't all fancy Swiss trained and all that) but he charges $60 as his base price for a service, keep in mind he normally does pocket watches but he does wristwatches for me, he hasn't ever failed to return a watch me 10x better than it came to him, his most recent service was a Gruen Pan Am, A Waltham Sapphire grade trench watch and a Croton AquaMatic (He also cleaned the dial and relumed the hands, after all of that it was $240 for the services. They all keep time within 2-10 seconds per day in general. Honestly, I wouldn't take a Rolex to him (obviously) but I'm totally comfortable sending him some lower end Omega, Hamilton, and most Vintage Swiss watches to him.

THE WAY I HAVE ALWAYS SERVICED THE MAYBE 50 OR MORE SEIKO WATCHES I HAVE OWNED WAS SIMPLY TO THROW THEM AWAY. GREAT VIDEO AND THANKS FOR SHARING.

Hey John, Totally agree to what you say about the quality of a service! Better to pay more and get a great watch back than paying less BUT i believe prices aren't the same all over the world! Here in Germany, my Master-Watchmaker can easily completely service a time-only watch for 200€ which should be about 230$! And thats not too rare. Probably i should just be happy about living in a country where a service isnt too much!

The kiosk in the mall is good if you need to get your fake Rolex serviced!

The malls are scamming people, happend to me. thanks for the video. Bring it to the right hans!

does a mechanical watch with a date cost more to service then just a watch only with no day or date? im thinking a watch only might be more easy to maintain since it has less parts and less things to go wrong. is this the case?

John, it is my understanding that most watch companies and especially Rolex will not provide original parts to independent watch makers, if true, how and where do watch makers get original parts from, lets say for a Rolex? And once a watch is cased up after a service, is there anything a customer can do to assure that new/original parts were used for the service.

I have a Elgin pocket watch that will only run upside down. If I trun it over or stand it up, it stops. Any Ideays?

Hi John, I have a Tissot Powermatic 80 purchaed in 2014 that is starting to lose time. This has the ETA 2824 bases movement without a regulating screw. Is this a watch /movement Hans can service? I prefer not to send to Swatch (wait time). Thanks.

Try sending to Tag and they say it needs to go to Geneva. You say no and then it takes four months later and still no watch. Did they steal it? Did they lose it? Is it being held for ransom? Never do that again and I’ve learned to service them myself.

I'm very new to watches so pardon my ignorance, but why would anyone pay $500 or less for mechanical watch? If it costs the price of the watch or more to have it serviced. For watches costing 5 and 10x that I understand. Why would anyone bother with lower-priced mechanical watches? I guess a passion for watches or sentimental value, but is there a logical reason?

This applies to any technician you will let touch you nice European vehicle. There are properly trained technicians that KNOW THEIR SHIT! And there is backyard mechanics that think they know what they are doing BUT they do not. I really liked this video. Nee subscriber and properly trained motorcycle technician here. Also a watch guy training properly for this art. Burying my head inside of many Swiss watches and learning all of the oil patterns and correct practices. I would love to meet Han one day. Sounds like and amazing person. Thanks you for the nice video

How much should a service for a vintage bellmatic be?

I use a different mechanic for my Audi A8 than I do for my 82 Dodge 1 ton truck. A fine watch and a cheap watch are like that. Different skill set and tools and the price is reflected.

Curious ... What does Hans use for a work bench? One of those ergonomic Dan Spitz desks? Something older, newer? ??? Very curious

Why do watch service guys have to be certified/trained by the brand manufacturers to service a movement when there are so many watch brands that use virtually the same movement design? Wouldn't it be in most cases be the equivalent to taking a chevy to a ford mechanic to change spark plugs and oil (the ford guy would be more than qualified to perform the job correctly).

Out side a battery replacement for quartz watches, should they be serviced over a certain period of time?

I think it's the fact that they paid $500-1500 for their base ETA watch and the service is near the price of the low end watch. They don't think about the service being a skilled job and a means of keeping that watch running. It's really become the American way to search for and complain about the cost of having work done, but by God you better pay them. As a business owner myself, I'm sick of this attitude in people. If you don't like the price, do it yourself and shut up. God bless the skilled artisans like Hans. He deserves to get paid, cuz I know I can't fix my watches. Great video.

How much does it cost to service Orient watches can't really seem to find many places that will do it in the UK as they use a in house movement.

The case back cover has an inscription on it.

How often do people take a nice watch with the original eta movement in to get "maintenance/ cleaned & lubed and get it back from the watch service guy it then has a chinese clone movement in it but the owner will never know?

I remember taking a Swiss Made watch to a guy in a mall for battery change out, got my watch back and went swimming with it on and the watch was all fogged up and shit. Never again will I trust mall cart watch folks, but I was younger back then, and know better now. I send my watch to authorized shops thats listed in the back of the watch manual, and pay that extra $ .

Knowing what parts ware down on what models etc. To Bad youtube don't have more watch mechanics channels.

We have known a watch expert in xizhi, Taipei who’s been servicing our family’s watches from seiko to longings and all the way up to Rolex for more than 20 years~ from my dad’s generation to mine. every time I go back to Taiwan I always bring my watch to him. Realizable and trustworthy person for years! Great quality Only 1/3 price than in the US. Always tells u how much before u leave your love watch. And in the US, I’ve been to several local stores and almost every shop overpriced and always not gonna tell you the exact price when u drop off and charge u insane amount when u pick it up. Got fooled before so since that I never service/repair in the us.

Fed said in an earlier video that all his watches which were 8 years old were still going strong without a need for servicing. THERE IS NEVER A SET TIME FOR SERVICING

I have a Lange 1 the crown fell out I sent it back to a Lange n shone they said it would cost approximately $7000 Australian dollars

I've owned my Rolex Datejust from new since 1981. Never been seviced. Works perfectly well, and in excellent condition, only worn couple of weeks per year. The question is should i get it seviced - we all know that old saying "if aint broke, dont fix it".

Pricing @ 9:30

usually my watchmaker take around 3 weeks to give me back my watch, almost always he ask around 60 box, ok I live in a poor country but I totally understand what you are talking about.

I just noticed your video on KZfaq. It sounds like you’re a knowledgeable watch collector. I would like your thoughts. I have a new in the box ROLEX, I bought this early 2005, Men’s: Datejust 36mm:116263: 36mm: 18k yellow gold Rolex jubilee bracelet. 18k yellow gold turn-o-graph bezel: Luminescent hands and dial markers, red second hand watch. With all the papers, cloths, box, etc. This watch sits in my safe. I’ve taken it out I’m guessing 3 times, wound it, then observed to see if it keeps perfect time and just to ogle the watch (I think it’s the perfect watch) never worn. My question is, Rolex states it needs to be serviced every 5 years, no matter worn of knot. Is this true, and why??

For years us computer engineers created a similar mystique, the myth that only us "qualified" people deserved to be paid large sums for something someone with 20 mins of show and tell could do for themselves. OK you got a Rolex, no way would I as an amateur touch or even sniff a Rolex, a Breitling or the other top brands because they do need the top notch chaps to do the business but the mid to low end stuff not a problem for us lesser qualified or experienced and I think this is where the distinction has to be drawn. For a Rolex etc you need an expert with extraordinary skills but for a bog standard old beater Seiko? The answer would be to aim your need appropriately, any shopping centre jeweller should be competent enough to handle a mid to low end piece with a good result and far lower price but if you have anything remotely exotic then it makes sense and investment sense to have professional high end experts handle it. You wouldn't take your Ferrari to some backstreet garage nor would you take your Ford Fiesta to a Ferrari dealership.

Can I just remove the hands, dial, and balance then put the whole watch in the Sonic Cleaner without disassembling it?

hey! i own a pawn shop! :@ hahaha nice video J!

We Expect long life out of our expensive investments; service and maintenance required to keep anything mechanical operating at its peak and last a long time. Your Automobile has to be serviced and maintenance performed to make it operate efficiently and increase its longevity. I had one automobile with over 300,000 miles on it when I sold it to a friend that needed a car. Fine watches have to be serviced and maintained and they will last several lifetimes. Different oils/lubricants are used to maintain your watches performance and longevity. I was blessed to grow up around some awesome watchmakers. These guys were engineers to the point if a part could not be purchased they could make it! My second “real job” when in High School was at a Diamond Brokerage, I learned Gemology, all about fine watches, China, Silver, Fine writing instruments - we carried it all. Watches, we Carried and dealt with: Bulova, Caravelle, Cartier, Baine Mercer, Longines, Omega, Rado, Rolex, and Carl Special Ordered other lines from Relatives that were Authorized Dealers in New York and San Antonio. As a high school student and later college I loved Watches!! Still do! My first expensive watch was a Bulova Accutron 214 Solid 14 Kt Gold Cushion Shape. It is still a Beautiful Watch, Unique (Tuning Fork) still “humming away”.... I installed a new battery last week. Yes, it’s been serviced. I have a lot of quartz Watches but still love Mechanical Movements. I loved the watchmakers because watching them work was like watching a “micro surgeon work”.... I had several surgeon friends who took up watch making because it trained their nerves and they trained their hands to be steady. I have a deep appreciation for watchmakers and their skills. Like a surgeon, or your auto technician, You need to get to know Your watchmaker!

Can Hans service the Breitling B01?

@John P Watches Do you think that this "TRUTH" applies to the Swatch group company too?

Hey John, or possibly I should ask the “Dr” maybe you know or could ask for me. I do not have an horror story as I am pretty new to this collection process. My sincere question is, how does one become a watch maker or servicer - a true, not on the side, shady kind, but an authentic true servicer. I know it’s not something that happens over night or in a week or training, but this is something I am obsessed with and want to learn - truly learn. Not to service for myself, but maybe one day to become a trusted servicer. Is there a school? Or is it just knowing the business and being raised in it? I don’t have that benefit, but I truly want to learn and I would do whatever is asked to prove it. Where and how can I learn to do this?

I am one of those guys who takes his watch to the jewellery store guy in the mall 😂

FF to April, 2022: even fewer people wear watches. They carry a smartphone which has chronometer functions built in. But those who like mechanical watches, a full service of a mechanical watch with parts still available is very expensive. A full service of a major brand with teardown, re-lube, check and adjust, can cost $1500 today in 2022. But with the proliferation of the watch hobby on YT many people who still wear wristwatches are much more educated than they were when this video was made. Still, I applaud the spirit, effort and the intent of this video, and hereby vote it upwards.

Skilled labor isn’t cheap.

Not sure Rolex is a good example for comparison as I understand they will replace worn out new parts as needed at no extra cost?

How much for a Rolex GMT service in 2021? Made in the 80’s I think. It doesn’t have hacking.

All supply houses have the Mobius 8000 mineral based watch oil. Not all have the Mobius 9000 synthetic oil, a lot more expensive. There generally are no real good alternatives. The probably is good a watchmaker is using the cheaper 8000 oil. Watch will run for probably 3 years on mineral, about 7 years on synthetic. Run the watch too long will cause wear of parts. The mainspring assembly should be replaced when serviced. Brand name Swiss makers do not sell out of network to independents.

If there is no real sentimental value, wouldn't it be cheaper just to replace the movement with a new one and put the dial and hands on it (no pun intended)? Assuming it is a common movement or one that can be bought reasonably cheaply. Like ETAs, for instance.

Brands offer 24 warranty after service

The desk looks way smaller when Fed is sitting there.

Serious question: how much to service a superocean?

Instead of paying for servicing a watch every 5 years you can just buy a new watch every 10 years for the same price :)

So how do the factories put the watch together and include the parts and can sell them for $200 but Hans needs 6 hours to do it? I know, the example is not a Rolex but still could be an automatic watch. Is it automated now so they are put together by robotic machines? I think you are expecting us to pay for Hans' lunch and smoke breaks. Do the factory assemblers take 3 hours to put it together in the first place?

I had rolex I questioned its authenticity, after I took it to a swiss jeweler they refused to confirm if it was real, I got it back, it started keeping time faster, pieces started falling off and when I got it back and Could hear it wind and tick, how do I prove he stole parts or devalued my watch, I know it I just dint know how to prove it

So it begs the question what is a reasonable cost to service a time only eta? If you feed Hans redbull he can prob do it in 4.

I am just a hobbyist, loving watches but what you say is ridiculous. Oil pattern cannot be found? All the service manuals I saw have it, which brand and model you should use except really old ones and that’s where the watchmaker’s experience required. The price, I may agree with that partly, but thinking about the precision tools required for the job and the high cost somehow understandable but not $200 level. I assume a Rolex owner wouldn’t mind to pay $800 since it is luxury. Anyways, you sound like you know some stuff but not the whole thing. Most prolly you had a bad experience with a low level watchmaker, I hope you’ll meet a better one to change your mind and explain everything to you.

Let me offer a heretical opinion. An entry level or even mid tier watch doesn't need to be serviced. Either buy a new model when the watch stops working or just swap out the whole movement. Movements in this price range are mass-produced and there's nothing inherently valuable about them. When it comes to expensive brands only buy the watch if you're comfortable with selling it or disposing of it after 8 years or so. Authorized service costs are so ridiculous that it can buy you a decent new watch. I wouldn't do it more than once and the company would rather sell you a new model anyway. They market their watches as precious objects but during service they treat the parts like disposables and charge you more than it cost to make the watch in the first place. Spend your money wisely, just like the Swiss companies rip you off wisely.

Servicing a watch properly is a bit like taking your car in for a service, but the mechanic strips your engine down to the last nut and bolt, cleans every part, and fits it all back together again with the appropriate assembly lube, all the tolerances back to factory standard and ready to go until the next service. Imagine how much a car service would cost if that was the case? That's what happens when you service a watch. Let's say the average watch beats 19800 beats per hour. And most mechanical/automatic watches regardless of brand has a service life of 5 years as recommended by most manufacturers. I know there's some with more, and some with less. That's 3,326,400 beats per week 172,972,800 beats per year 864,864,000 beats in 5 years if my mathematics is roughly correct. That's a lot of work for something that small, with a drop of oil to run for so long and finally need a proper strip down service from a professional. Some folks have commented and said it's cheaper to just keep using the watch until it needs a service and just buy a new watch. In some cases that may be a wise choice. It makes financial sense, especially in the lower end of the market like a Seiko 7S26 movement for example. But watches are generally so much more than just a financial decision unless the watch means nothing to you other than an investment or a tool to tell time. In that case, buy a Casio and spend the other 75% of your $100 on taking your partner out to dinner. But in most cases, changing a watch or the movement like that kind of makes it no longer your watch. So if it means something to you, getting it serviced is ideal because what you get back is your old watch, but refreshed and ready to run again for another 5-10 years. A few hundred on a professional to do this is a small price to pay for continued and trouble free enjoyment of your existing watch.