The condition of a watch says a lot about the life and habits of its owner. During my meetings but also after purchasing vintage watches from individuals, I was able to see the full extent of the treatment that a person could inflict on a timepiece.
Of course, I have seen perfectly maintained watches dating from the 50s and 60s for example but I have also seen a model of diving watch from a famous brand which only dates from the end of the 90s but whose state had nothing to envy of what can be found during an archaeological excavation.
Bezel that turned like a bar of soap, case and insert scratched to the extreme, presence of humidity under the glass, metal bracelet which revealed not only a lack of cleaning but also the rather deplorable hygiene of its former wearer... the fact that The fact that she no longer kept time was, in a way, almost extremely banal.
Imagine getting behind the wheel of a car without having changed the oil for a decade or without having changed the transmission belt even after having traveled more than 200,000 kilometers? As long as it runs, you might say... except that a broken transmission belt or an oil leak can cause the engine to completely break down.
Two options then open up: breakage or a painful note at the mechanic. Never forget that your watch is a mechanism comprising gears and axes subject to extremely rapid movements. If there is no transmission belt, there is a balance shaft, a hairspring, an oscillating mass
So, are you ready to pass the technical inspection of your watch? Here are the real maintenance tips for taking care of your tocantes . Advice that does not come from the internet but which obviously comes from my own experiences, from my interactions with professionals and writers in the sector
Always with the aim of providing the best feedback directly from the field, two professional watchmakers were contacted: Antoine de Macedo – famous independent professional watchmaker, great specialist in vintage models from the biggest brands operating in the 6th arrondissement of Paris
Watchmaker Antoine de Macedo works here on the movement of a watch of which we can see the case back and the case.
Why two independent watchmakers?
The mechanical principles are immutable but it is always interesting to ask several professional watchmakers for their feedback from the field, in Paris or in our beautiful provinces.
In each city I visit, my first concern is often to visit the independent watchmakers, whether they have a storefront with models worth several tens of thousands of euros or models trading for a few hundred euros. euros, not to mention pocket watches and comtoises
I obviously favor those who have gained immense experience and who have their nose in the mechanisms rather than in press releases. Being a graduate is not enough, it takes decades to make an excellent watchmaker with greater perspective due to experience. Also each element that follows was discussed with them in order to share part of their knowledge.
General rules for maintaining a mechanical watch
A mechanical watch is not an electronic device, so recommending simply reading the “user manual” seems very insufficient to me. Conversely, it is also not useful to buy an encyclopedia in several volumes to understand how to maintain your timepiece and avoid mishandling. Here are a few simple tips that will help you maintain it without any problem.
1. Start-up/reassembly
Let's take a picture: old cars needed a small turn of the crank to start the engine. A mechanical watch, even an automatic watch, needs the same little human intervention.
To do this, simply wind the watch via the crown
Another practical tip, these little turns of the crown, it is better to do them before putting the watch on your wrist. A matter of convenience but also, in the long term, your crown will thank you because winding a watch on your wrist, apart from the fact that it is not necessarily the most ideal position to do so, puts unnecessary tension on the stem of the watch. crown
Watchmaker Soukphasay Rathipanya has also observed numerous requests for intervention following a problem of this type. I have seen this scenario several times with acquaintances: the crown remained in their hands while also taking the stem. So follow the advice of the Dijon watchmaker.
2. The setting
Setting a watch is a simple exercise which nevertheless obeys certain basic rules. As seen previously for winding, it is advisable to adjust your watch not after putting it on your wrist but before.
I also advise you to do the operation above a surface not too far from the watch, such as your desk or simply above your bed. This is a matter of common sense, it is best to avoid inadvertently dropping the watch on a hard surface such as tiles for example. Antoine de Macédo is absolutely right to reiterate this point: “ the greatest enemy of watches is violent shocks” .
It has obviously been around for decades
The shock resistance of watches varies depending on the models and types of watches, but dropping a watch on a hard surface generally results in damage at two levels :
- On the housing with for example a bent horn or deformation of the housing
- Inside because the gears of the movements and in particular the axes risk being damaged
The purpose of this photo is to show you the very small size of the parts of a movement.
To return to setting the watch, you have several positions on a crown: simply pull the crown outwards
The death zone
If you know Death Valley, it's in the same vein but for watches, a place in theory to avoid. To summarize, the automatic change of the date of a watch is the result of a mechanical process which starts well in advance. Thus, if the date goes from the 10th to the 11th of the month around midnight, inside the mechanism this date change process begins several hours before. Also, it is very strongly recommended, if not imperative, in the vast majority of cases to NEVER set the date while your hands are positioned between 9 o'clock or 3 o'clock .
The majority of watch movements with the date have a death zone. There are exceptions like the Caliber Royal de Pequignet which does not have one but it is one of the exceptions which confirms the rule.
Ultimately, to set the date on your watch without problem, simply position your hands (hour/minute) at 6:30 and only then set the date . Finally, all that remains is to set your watch to the correct time. Well done, you survived the Death Zone.
3. Run it from time to time
This advice is especially valid for those who own a collection of vintage watches . You may have watches that you don't wear for a period of your life.
Also, I prefer to follow advice that Joël Duval gave me years ago: once in a while
4. Check the tightness
Unless your watch is recent, before leaving for the summer holidays for example, I advise you to have the water resistance checked. Independent watchmakers have equipment to test the water resistance of a tocante. Generally, these devices use air pressure which will then detect a potential source of infiltration.
The case of vintage divers
In the case of vintage watches, this is even essential. Divers that were supposed to be waterproof to 300m may only be waterproof to 150 meters from now on. This is normal, even when serviced, a few decades of wear on the parts have taken their toll.
You should also know that for certain watches, the gaskets are no longer available because stocks at the time are exhausted and standards have evolved since then. So a vintage diver's watch may, once tested, no longer be waterproof at the crown. Problem, the specific joint no longer exists. All that remains is to appreciate the watch for itself but more as a diving tool . Sniff.
Chronographs are not known for their great water resistance, like the well-known Omega Speedmaster which is not made to take a dip. There are of course waterproof chronographs which have safety on the push buttons – they are then screwed – but you should therefore avoid using the chronograph function in water, simply a matter of common sense.
5. The question of hygiene
Computer keyboards and cell phones are already known to be places conducive to the development of Zerg colonies.
So obviously I recommend that you take care of your watch without going into the opposite excess by developing an unhealthy mania
Extreme case: even with the toothbrush and elbow grease, I myself had the greatest difficulty in removing everything from the inheritance of a former owner of a diving watch. Then tell the watchmaker during a service not to forget to ultrasonic clean the steel case and bracelet.
After all this advice on good practices, it is also necessary to remind you of what I advise against doing.
Know the movement of your watch
In my opinion, the real rule is to first know at least the reference of the movement that powers your watch . It's fundamental, for any purchase, vintage or for a new watch, it's the very first element that matters to me. Is the movement reliable over time? Is there any negative or positive feedback about it? Are or will spare parts be available in the long term?
Even if many brands carry the same movement, the problem is that the official caliber references are not the same. Take the example of Tag Heuer's caliber 5, Oris' caliber 733 and Frederique Constant's FC-303: did you know that they are in fact the same movement? In this case the SW200 from Sellita. Some rare times, brands will specify this but this is clearly not the rule.
The caliber that served as the basis for the vast majority of automatic mechanical chronographs on the market: the Valjoux 7750.
From the moment you know the true reference of the movement, it will be easier to maintain your watch mechanically. The user manuals are not very useful in this regard because they generally do not provide information on the actual reference of the movement. Also in case of doubt, a little research on the internet will allow you to find the real reference of the movement and at the same time see that, despite the different names, many brands use the same caliber, with a few small differences like... the decorations on the oscillating mass for example.
The big question of revision
The frequency of servicing a watch may vary from one brand or model to another. Giving a recommendation with a specific number of years doesn't really make much sense.
Myself, by directly questioning the brands, the revision frequency provided is obviously an estimate if the tests have been carried out seriously, especially for a recent movement. Thus Tudor initially estimated that the theoretical revision frequency would be eight years for their MT calibers.
As feedback from the field progresses, this figure can be noted in relation to the tests carried out in the laboratory and it is possible to only have to have these movements revised every 10-12 years for example.
As an independent watchmaker, Antoine de Macedo observes that Omega's Master Co-Axial movements are of excellent precision but also that the frequency of revision is also significantly improved compared to the calibers which preceded it and the 12 years can be reached. For my part, some of my watches still do not require servicing even though they have been owned for a dozen years.
Sooner or later, if you wish to keep and continue to use your watch, it will pass into the expert hands of a watchmaker for a complete overhaul.
The habits of watch wearers can be very different. As Antoine de Macédo says: “ A watch that doesn’t work doesn’t wear out .” This seems obvious but this fundamental truth must always be remembered: wear occurs from the moment you put stress on the mechanics.
So, do you wear the watch alternately or practically all the time? Do you practice activities that involve frequent shocks such as tennis or do you telework? Do you use movements known to be reliable over the long term or a movement with many complications with a high frequency
What to do ? Two main options are generally mentioned:
- Some recommend waiting until the watch begins to show signs of weakness before servicing it : the most common case is that the watch begins to lag a lot or that it no longer restarts or just a few seconds or minutes before to stop, as if there was no longer any power reserve despite winding the crown to the maximum
- Others recommend servicing watches every 6/7 years for example to be sure
To really answer this question, we must go beyond the usual recommendations found on the internet and rely on the experience of experienced independent watchmakers. Antoine de Macédo and Soukphasay Rathipanya believe that it obviously depends on the degree of attachment you have for your watch but in general you should not wait for decades for problems to arise . Same logic as with your vehicle: would you use your car until it dies or a serious problem occurs before going to the mechanic?
How much does a service cost?
The price of a service depends on several factors:
- The type of movement to be revised: thus a three-hand manual mechanical movement will generally be less expensive
to review than an automatic movement or a chronograph movement. - The nature of the operation: is it a matter of cleaning and lubricating the movement or, on the contrary, will parts also have to be changed?
- The pick-up location: I might as well tell you straight away, finding a cheap service in Paris for example, I wish you good luck, unless you have a watchmaker friend, the official prices are higher than in the provinces because the price of renting the shops is very different not to mention the cost of labor.
To give you a concrete price base, prices for a service in Paris generally start at over 500 euros for a basic three-hand movement from an independent watchmaker. In the provinces, the prices of revisions vary more around 200 euros for a three-hand movement type 2824 and around 400 euros for a chronograph movement type Valjoux 7750.
Finally, if you go through the official after-sales service of the brands, there is a precise price scale at Rolex or Tudor for example. Not all brands' after-sales service is equal: some brands have clearly disproportionate quotes, others subcontract their after-sales service, in some cases the result is flawless and in other cases... So I advise you to consult the forums specialized to look at feedback.
A watchmaker's desk looks like this in reality: it is a raised desk that allows the watchmaker to not have to bend 90 degrees for hours to do his job
Antoine de Macédo thus testifies to the many watches renowned for their excellent reliability over time such as the Rolex: many owners will praise the puncture-proof nature of these watches and the fact that they have not been serviced for 20 years for example, so that they always keep time.
Perfect you might say, it will save you a revision this year. And no, you could be completely wrong. Although movements are renowned for their reliability over time, a mechanical watch has and will always need care . The movement can continue to operate even if the oils dry out. Do you think an engine running without oil will run for a long time without damage? Lubrication is necessary precisely to avoid premature wear of the parts of an engine or movement .
A little aside about oils
The quality of oils has changed a lot over time. Modern oils are of synthetic origin and they are of much higher quality compared to past oils from watches from the 50s and 60s.
Thus, modern oils have helped to push back the frequency of servicing due to a quality that is much more stabilized over time. Old oils will, sooner or later, tend to dry out and clog the movement.
Modern oils are more stable but they are also more volatile as Antoine de Macédo points out and it will be necessary to ensure that the seals of the watch are in good condition in order to avoid the evaporation of modern oils.
After having rigorously kept time despite years and years without servicing, when signs of fatigue appear, the watchmaker opens the watch and may discover very worn movements which will require significant changes.
What parts in a watch wear out the most?
Quite simply the parts which are in the greatest demand: with regard to the movements, Antoine de Macédo rightly points out in particular the rotors, axes and inverters which are the parts most subject to intervention. Soukphasay Rathipanya adds the crown stems which are sometimes heavily used over time by certain owners.
An experienced watchmaker has a stock of spare parts like that of Antoine de Macedo on rue Madame in Paris. This is where choosing a good watchmaker makes the difference compared to Sunday DIYers.
Of course, the bill won't be the same as a simple cleaning and lubrication
Don's "forbidden"
1. The false good idea of the automatic winder
Typical example of what not to believe when consulting the internet. The automatic winder looks nice at home, your self-winding mechanical watches turning around themselves in these devices.
- Advantage : you will no longer waste a few seconds of your minister's diary winding up and adjusting your watch.
- Disadvantage : I seriously doubt that you are a minister and above all it is a very BAD idea to maintain your watch over time.
Here is a random example of an automatic watch winder. Source: fnac.com
Would you imagine leaving your car in the garage running all night under the pretext of not having to warm up the engine a little the next day? If you want to wear out the engine prematurely and return to the mechanic more frequently, I confirm, it's an excellent idea. The logic is the same for watches.
Today's watches have modern oils that no longer have anything to do with the old oils used on vintage watches. Also the risk of oils drying out over time has greatly reduced.
Yes, a mechanical watch needs to be run occasionally but not every day if you don't need it . As recommended previously, simply manually wind your watches once a month or even once every two to three months and that will be more than enough. Bonus: it’s eco-friendly . So, pity your watches and hide these watch winders that I can't see.
2. Watches and certain sports
Many sporting activities do not pose a real problem: Benoît wears his mechanical watch when weight training and I did the same without any problem for years
The real reservation mainly concerns certain sporting activities such as squash or golf. This may seem surprising because golf seems peaceful compared to squash, but make no mistake: the link between these two activities is the percussion and the very violent shocks absorbed by your body when you hit the ball and, consequently, by the watches. Watchmakers told me that even recent watches can be returned quite quickly due to this type of violent activity.
For the record, Nadal broke several watches before his sponsor found the solution to equip him with a model that withstands more than one match and blows equivalent to 600G.
Anecdote: Antoine de Macédo can testify to an experience with another sport: mountain biking. He wasn't wearing a Patek Philippe or a Laurent Ferrier but a Chrono Khaki Hamilton. The movement did not resist the very violent and very numerous shocks, the result: when the case was opened, the movement formed a charming disassembled puzzle. A mechanical watch designed to withstand this type of environment remains possible
A little advertising paradox
So yes, you will see a lot of advertisements in the media with golfers and tennis champions but don't be fooled by appearances: golf and tennis are among the priorities in terms of communication for watch brands although these activities are among the less recommended for your watches. And unlike Nadal and Federer, you won't receive replacement watches after the match to replace yours after spending two hours hitting balls, some of which exceed 200 km/h.
3. Water, sea and stainless steel
And no, stainless steel is not completely stainless. Steels are alloys which are themselves compromises of several metals. The steel most commonly used for watches, surgical type steel, is an optimum between different characteristics including, among others, resistance to corrosion.
Thus, surgical steel, 316L, is (a little) less resistant to corrosion than Rolex's 904L steel which is a steel with high corrosion resistance, however the cost of the latter is greater compared to the 316L and it may be (a little) less scratch resistant.
No, stainless steel is not completely stainless, beware of corrosion in the long term. Source: ulleo
Ultimately, diving with a steel watch in sea water will not rust it immediately, but in the long term I advise you to rinse your watches in normal water after your sea water bath . Your steel watch will thank you. Your skin too.
If I may allow myself an aside on the theme of water, what I have observed over time and confirmed with my discussions with professionals in the sector, another point can be noted: the case of rapid change in temperature some water .
We find it in particular through a daily activity: showering. The water is not the problem but rather its temperature: alternating hot/cold for a watch can have an impact on the watch's seals over time. Due to the wear of the seals, as previously mentioned, you will need to take care to have the water resistance of your watch checked.
4. Magnetism
A common problem linked to our times, magnetizing your watch leads to a sometimes very significant loss of precision: the watch will accelerate by approximately several minutes per day and the source of this problem is the magnetization of the hairspring.
The hairspring is an essential element of a watch, it is a very small spiral spring allowing the regularity of the frequency of the oscillation to be maintained, a defective or magnetized hairspring will cause a loss of this regularity and the suddenly the watch will lose its precision.
The reason for this problem? We live in an environment where electrical currents are increasingly present due to the proliferation of electronic equipment. Who says electric current says magnetic current so be careful: from the television set
Or cyclotrons… but you will agree that the probability of approaching a cyclotron is not very high. Source: CERN
You shouldn't fixate on it either, I have never experienced this problem and yet I used airports a lot on a weekly basis for years and I work with a computer and mobile phone.
Before you imagine being surrounded on every street corner by vicious induction hobs that only think about magnetizing your watches, you just need to apply certain common sense rules and avoid, for example, sticking your cell phone right next to it. of a vintage watch . Then, new watches generally have a non-magnetic silicon hairspring.
A little aside on the silicon hairspring
Be careful, I see a lot of media who copy and paste press releases on the advantages of the silicon hairspring without taking the trouble to think about it… yes, it is non-magnetic, generally cheaper also for the brand
The debates between the old steel hairsprings, silicon hairsprings and those made from special alloys are technical but very interesting, each presenting its advantages and disadvantages.
There are also watches that are very resistant to magnetism like the Milgauss from Rolex or the Omega with Master Co-Axial type movements: the latter should resist 15,000 gauss
What about the battery in a quartz watch?
A quartz watch is not indestructible. Far from there. Most inexpensive quartz watches are more fast fashion
Not all quartz movements are equal. As Antoine de Macedo points out, there are different qualities in quartz and in particular between those of previous generations and the most recent watches, the latter being much more subject to planned obsolescence.
The operation of most of these movements relies on a source of energy which is not of mechanical origin: the battery . And there is a rule to follow, whatever the quartz movement: change the battery every 2 years. Left too long, there is a risk of battery acid spilling onto the movement.
For my part, I would advise removing the battery on quartz watches that you no longer wear before storing them in a drawer with the souvenirs attached to these watches. If by chance you take it out of the drawer, you will only have to put in a new battery.
The final word: towards a captive future and after-sales service?
I hope that this article will provide you with some basics to stand the test of time with your... timepiece for the coming decades.
The field of watch maintenance is a subject that also evolves over time. If previously independent watchmakers were the first contacts for our watches requiring special attention, the situation has changed with the proliferation of so-called manufacture, exclusive or group calibers with large multinationals which tend to make the after-sales service captive.
The independent watchmaker is gradually being pushed - indirectly - to no longer work on the most recent mechanical watches by excluding them from the supply of spare parts necessary to continue working on watches . Of course independent watchmakers continue and will continue to service vintage watches and recent watches with movements for which spare parts are easily available.
For my part, I can only regret this development which tends to make the customers of many major brands captive through after-sales service and which also tends to slowly suffocate one of the most useful professions and functions in watchmaking: that of independent watchmaker. Between an official after-sales service and a quality independent watchmaker, if I have the choice, it is to the latter that I systematically turn first.
My own watch collection has always done well. So, in addition to good practices, turn to experienced independent watchmakers to take care of your watches, they love their job and they too have many stories to tell you . See you soon.
Antoine de Macedo - Watchmaker 26 rue Madame, Paris 75006 adm-horlogr.com
Au Sablier - Watchmaker 9 rue Auguste Compte, Dijon 21000 au-sablier-horlogerie.com
