luxury watch repair

How Often Do You Need to Service Your Watch?

Owning a luxury watch is one of life’s greatest pleasures. It’s not just about being able to tell the time, either. Wearing luxury jewellery such as a high-end watch is all about making a fashion statement. No matter what brand you choose, from Rolex to Tag Heuer, a premium timepiece will catch anyone’s eye and elevate your status. Plus, it also helps convey your unique personality! With that said, we cannot stress enough that this is a costly investment that deserves special care and attention. The last thing you want is for the watch to wear down and lose its quality.

If you have the pleasure of owning a luxury watch, you must look after it! One of the best ways to take care of your watch is by booking a regular service. Perpetual Time is one of the specialist providers of watch repairs and servicing. Perpetual handles many brands, including Rolex repair & servicing, serving customers from their Liverpool workshop. Perpetual has provided us with some tips on why and how often you should service your watch.

Why Do You Need to Service Your Watch?

Just as you should service an expensive car every year, you should also service your luxury watch! While a rundown watch isn’t a safety concern, it does diminish the benefits of investing in an expensive timepiece. As with any product used regularly, watches naturally experience wear and tear, and your watch will eventually break down and fail to function if it’s not looked after correctly.

Owning a luxury watch is not like having a phone that you intend to replace with an improved version every few years. As long as you care for the watch, it can last you a lifetime and may even increase in value and rarity as years go by – so don’t just replace it with something new when it starts to falter!

A complete watch service is highly recommended to restore your watch to normal and extend its lifetime, helping you save money from buying a replacement or carrying out expensive repairs. A service typically helps restore the watch to showroom quality, keeps it in good condition, maintains performance, and preserves the timepiece’s reliability.

When Should Your Watch Be Serviced?

How often you should service a watch can depend on the type of watch and the brand. As a general rule of thumb, and as we recommend to Perpetual Time customers, it should receive a full service every 3 to 5 years. Early servicing is always better than leaving it too late!

A watch service is a thorough process involving several steps. Typically, the service begins with a visible inspection of any external issues like scratches and marks. The watch is then carefully dismantled, and all parts are checked for wear. If required, parts are replaced. The watch expert will carry out timing checks, sealing checks and replace the mainspring and seals. An ultrasonic cleaning machine may be used to clean the watch thoroughly. The dial, case and bracelet will be refurbished, and waterproofing tests will be carried out to ensure the watch remains water-resistant. When they are satisfied with the work carried out, the expert will reassemble the watch and carry out the last few tests.

You should choose a qualified company that specialises in watch servicing and has experience in your specific watch and brand. Ideally, they should use genuine parts and offer an acceptable warranty that provides peace of mind. The price for a service will vary, but it is more than a worthwhile decision compared to the cost of buying a new watch! As servicing is complicated and detailed, using a third-party provider can be much quicker than going directly to the brand. A brand’s service center can take weeks or even months to have your watch returned.

How to Care For Your Watch in Between a Service

If we haven’t already made it clear, you must service your watch regularly to keep it working and in top condition! A full service will do wonders in restoring your watch to the same quality as when you bought it. However, looking after your luxury watch shouldn’t just come into consideration every few years – it should be a daily occurrence! You can do several day-to-day things to keep your watch in pristine working order outside of a regular service.

First of all, and perhaps the most obvious one, is to avoid dropping or knocking your watch. Your watch is a luxury item and should be treated as such. While you clearly don’t intend to drop it, it’s easy to get complacent and careless with how you use the watch after the new feeling has worn off. Even simple knocks can affect hundreds of parts and damage the movement. You should also ensure that the watch is stored safely when not in use. Even if you think a table or bedside cabinet is good enough, anything can easily make it fall. Plus, kids and pets can be a nightmare! We recommend that you keep the watch in a storage box.

Make sure that you clean the watch regularly. As the watch goes with you from place to place, indoors and outdoors, it’s going to pick up all sorts of grime like dust and dirt. These can do everything from leaving marks to damaging the watch and blocking dials. Use a soft cloth regularly to wipe away any dirt or dust. If the watch is water-resistant, you can use soap and water every few months for a deeper clean.

It helps to know the type of watch you have and how to use it effectively. An automatic watch, for example, works based on the user’s energy. You need to wear an automatic watch regularly to ensure it continues to work and provides accurate results. A quartz watch, however, uses a battery. With this type of watch, you just need to ensure that the battery is replaced when it begins to falter.

Should you have a problem with the watch, take it to a professional! Do not attempt to fix the watch yourself. We’ve heard countless stories of people trying to fix their watch only to end up making things worse, leading to costly repairs.