Servicing my Pilots Watch Automatic

I bought my watch from new 5 years ago. It still keeps good time. Should I wait till it stops keeping good time before I get it serviced or get it done now.

Hi Konky.

The recommended schedule every 2 years for a "grease and oil change" and every 5 years for a full service.

Wether you follow these guidelines or not depends on your view of the service process. I tend to think of it as preventative maintenance where by the service is undertaken to minimise wear and ensure longevity. Some think of servicing as a reactive measure only taken when something is wrong. The issue with mechanical devices is that when something is wrong, it is usually and indicator that something is worn out, broken of both.

Waiting for your watch to stop keeping good time means you are waiting for something to wear out in your watch to cause the time keeping to be wrong (or waiting for a trauma to cause it) - over which period the lubricants break down, the bearings to wear out, tolerances increase, gears to wear out etc etc (a bit dramatic I know :) )

My suggestion is get it in for a service - you will thank your self 40 years down the track and your grand children's grand children will thank you for handing down a immaculate watch in over a hundred years to come :)

Cheers,

Ben

It's a contentious issue. Watch companies would of course like to service your watch as often as possible.

As an honest watchmaker with zero interest in your money, I would recommend that you wait until it starts running badly before having it serviced (+/- 10 secs per 24 hours is a reasonable cut-off point).

If you want a more accurate determinant, consider buying a watch timing machine and keep track of your watch's amplitude. It's a good indicator of when your watch is really ready for a service.