When a watch needs an overhaul

A mechanical watch needs an overhaul every five to seven years, and sooner if it shows signs of trouble: a change in timekeeping, a power reserve that runs out early, rough winding, moisture under the crystal, or a hard knock. An overhaul is the complete service. The movement comes out of its case and is taken apart, cleaned, inspected, lubricated, reassembled and timed, and the case is resealed. The interval matters even when the watch seems fine, because the oils inside it age long before its timekeeping shows it.

Why a watch that keeps good time can still be due

A movement runs on minute quantities of oil and grease, each placed where a pivot turns in its jewel or one surface slides against another. Over the years, with use and simply with time, these lubricants thicken, dry and creep away from where they were put. Once they fail, the pivots and jewels they protected begin to wear, and the balance swings less freely. The watch often goes on keeping acceptable time while this happens, which is why waiting for it to misbehave is a poor guide. A service done on time is mostly cleaning, lubrication and adjustment. One done late can mean replacing parts that wore out in the meantime.

Signs that should not wait

• Moisture or fog under the crystal. This is the most urgent sign. Steel parts can begin to rust quickly, so the watch should be seen as soon as possible.
• A change in timekeeping. The watch has begun to gain or lose noticeably, or its rate varies from day to day. A sudden large gain is often magnetism, which is quickly corrected; why a mechanical watch runs fast explains how to tell.
• A shorter power reserve. Fully wound, the watch stops sooner than it used to.
• Rough winding. The crown feels gritty or uneven as it winds, or the rotor of an automatic grinds or scrapes.
• Functions that misbehave. The date sticks or will not change, or a chronograph hand no longer returns to zero.
• A hard knock or a fall. Even if the watch still runs, a shock can damage a balance pivot or disturb the hairspring.
• A loose crown or pusher. The same goes for a screw-down crown that no longer screws down smoothly, since the crown is part of the watch’s seal.

What an overhaul involves

Methods differ from one watchmaker to another, but a complete overhaul follows much the same order.

1. Assessment. The watch is examined as it arrives: its rate, amplitude and beat error on a timegrapher, its winding and setting, and the state of its case, crystal and crown. A water-resistant watch can be pressure-tested before it is opened, so that any leak comes to light.
2. Dismantling. The movement comes out of the case, and the hands and dial come off. The movement is then taken apart completely: the barrel and mainspring, the gear train, the escapement and balance, and any automatic or calendar works.
3. Cleaning. The parts go through watch-cleaning solutions and rinses. The balance and pallet fork are cleaned with particular care, and the dial and hands are kept out of the process.
4. Inspection. Under magnification, each part is checked for wear and damage: pivots, jewels, wheel teeth, the escapement, the hairspring. A mainspring that has weakened is replaced.
5. Replacement. Worn or broken parts are replaced. Anything the estimate did not foresee should be agreed with the owner before it is done.
6. Reassembly and lubrication. The movement is rebuilt with several different oils and greases, each applied in a measured amount to the points it is made for.
7. Timing. Back on the timegrapher, the rate, amplitude and beat error are read in several positions, and the rate and beat are adjusted. A good reading in one position proves little on its own.
8. Casing and sealing. The dial and hands are refitted and their clearances checked, the movement is cased, the gaskets are renewed, and a water-resistant watch is pressure-tested.
9. Final checks. Winding, setting, the date change and the power reserve are confirmed, and the rate is checked once more.

The case and bracelet are normally cleaned while the movement is out. Polishing is a separate matter, and a service need not include it: polishing removes metal for good, and collectors generally value an unpolished case, as how far to restore a vintage watch explains. If you would rather keep a case as it is, say so in writing before the watch goes in.

Overhaul, regulation or repair

These words are used loosely, so it helps to know what each one covers. A full service and an overhaul are generally the same thing: complete dismantling and everything that follows it. A partial service, cleaning and oiling without taking the movement fully apart, is different work, and an estimate should say plainly which is meant. Regulation adjusts the rate without dismantling anything. It suits a clean, healthy movement whose rate has drifted, but it will not hold on one whose oils have failed. A repair corrects a single fault, such as a broken winding stem or a cracked crystal, and leaves the rest of the watch as it was.

Quartz watches

A quartz watch asks for less. Its routine is a new battery every few years, and since each change opens the case, the gaskets should be checked and a watch meant to resist water should be pressure-tested. Its movement also has gears and lubricated pivots. A good quartz movement can be serviced, while many inexpensive ones are made to be replaced whole. How the two kinds compare over years of ownership is set out in choosing between quartz and mechanical.

What an overhaul should leave alone

An overhaul restores how a watch works. It should not change what the watch is. On an older piece in particular, original parts, an unpolished case and an untouched dial carry much of its interest and value. A careful estimate therefore keeps the movement work the watch needs apart from any cosmetic work, which is the owner’s choice.

It also helps to expect the right result. An overhaul returns a watch to its own best, and for an older watch that is not always a modern standard. It may keep time less closely than a new watch, and its water resistance should not be relied on, whatever its dial or case back says.

Before you send it in

A watch still under its maker’s warranty is a special case, because opening the case may affect that warranty; check its terms first. What sets the price of the work, and how to read the estimate, is covered in what decides the cost of a watch service.

At Viattori, assessment and the written estimate are free, and no work begins until the estimate is approved. If dismantling reveals more that must be done, the work stops and the client is asked first. A full mechanical service usually takes two to four weeks, longer when parts must be sourced or made. The watch comes back with a report of what was done and why, and the work carries a six-month limited warranty on workmanship and installed parts. How Viattori takes in a watch is set out on the repair page.

Questions

How often does a mechanical watch need an overhaul?

Every five to seven years is a sound guide for a mechanical watch, and sooner if its timekeeping changes, its power reserve shortens, it takes a hard knock or moisture appears under the crystal. Some manufacturers now quote longer intervals for their own modern movements.

Is a full service the same as an overhaul?

Generally, yes. Both mean the movement is completely dismantled, cleaned, inspected, lubricated, reassembled and timed in several positions, and the case resealed. A partial service without full dismantling is different work, so an estimate should say which is meant.

Does a watch that keeps good time still need servicing?

Yes, once the interval has passed. Lubricants thicken and migrate over the years, and wear accelerates once they do, often before any change in timekeeping shows. A service on time is mostly cleaning, lubrication and adjustment rather than replacing worn parts.

How long does a watch overhaul take?

At Viattori, a full mechanical service usually takes two to four weeks, and longer when parts must be sourced or made. Every estimate carries a good-faith completion date, and no work begins until the estimate is approved.

Does an overhaul include polishing the case?

It does not have to. Cleaning the case and bracelet is normal during a service, but polishing removes metal and can lower the value of a collectible watch, so it should appear on the estimate as a separate choice that the owner can decline.