What a watch service actually involves
Why a mechanical service costs what it costs, why we pressure test every case we open, and when a battery is all you need.
Most watches that come to our counters need a battery. Some need a strap. A few need the workshop, and that is where the price jumps and the reason is not obvious from the outside.
A battery is not just a battery
Opening a case breaks its seal. If the gasket goes back dry, cracked or pinched, the watch is no longer water resistant — and the owner does not find out until it is full of water. We fit a new gasket with every battery, and if the watch is rated for water we pressure test it before it goes back on your wrist.
That is why we quote a battery two ways: with and without the test. If it is a dress watch that never sees a tap, the test is optional. If it is on your wrist in the shower, it is not.
What a full service is
A mechanical movement is stripped to its parts. Everything is cleaned, worn parts are replaced, every jewel is re-oiled with the right oil in the right quantity, and the movement is reassembled, regulated across positions and timed over several days. Then the case and crystal are dealt with and the whole thing is tested.
It is a day or more of skilled bench time on something the size of a coin. That is the cost.
How often
Every five to seven years for a mechanical watch in regular wear, or sooner if it starts running fast, slow or short on power reserve. Quartz watches do not need it on a schedule — they need a battery, a gasket and a clean when they need one.
In our own workshops
Servicing, movement work, crystals and re-polishing are done by us, not sent out to a third party. Your watch does not leave our hands, and the person who quoted it is the person who works on it.
Not sure what yours needs?
Bring it to any counter. Two minutes with a craftsperson beats any amount of reading — including us telling you it is not worth the money.