FAQ: To service or not to service? My thoughts.

[fraggle42]

There are of course exceptions to the rule

 

Buy a TC watch (or movement) and those come serviced and ready to run for years. I've got two of his watches, one movement in a Omega PO 45.5 and one movement spare. Those three watches have the smoothest movement of all the reps I have.

[panerai153]

Hello! I am a new member, and a long time watch enthusiast who has yet to make a purchase. I've done all the standard research, reviewing the trusted dealer sections, and figuring out which model would be best. However I ran across this thread and it caught my attention because the longevity of watches is one of the main things about the hobby. I had assumed that if I purchased a rep with a gen eta movement I could avoid many of the qc issues associated with Asian movements. Now I did read the whole thread and it seems many people seem to agree that you STILL need to service eta's before you wear them to ensure you don't do damage.

So, as someone who respects watches, and who wants to preserve any investment I make I had a few questions. I apologize in advance if these have been discussed before, but it promise I tried to use the search feature and was unsuccessful. First, am I correct in assuming I must service a gen Swiss eta? Second, who would you recommend in the US? And finally, what do you think is a fair price for such a service?

Thank you so much in advance for any insight you can provide and I hope to be able to return the favor one day.

Best,

Chris

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What you need to remember is today, even the ETA movements in reps are used movements. Swatch group is choking off the supply more and more. Gone are the days when the rep manufacturers could buy trays of brand new ETA movements. So no matter what you buy, it will more than likely need a service. As was posted above, a SeaGull ST2130 is a quality replacement for 2824 movements. About a hundred bucks and they are sealed factory new properly oiled,etc. Another alternative is to buy a donor watch and cannabalize it for the movement. Problem with that is unless you know the service history it also will probably need a service.

[Mazdamx594]

Wow, thanks guys for your responses. I appreciate you taking the time. Based on that I will definitely service any movement I get ... Eta included! I had no idea they were recycling movements.

[martijnp]

Thanks for the bump, didn't read this topic if it wasn't bumped. Very interesting