Service Interval

A service interval is the period a mechanical watch can run well between services — the watchmaker's equivalent of a car's service schedule. As a rule of thumb most modern movements are serviced every four to six years, though brand guidance varies from about three years to ten. A service is a full strip-down: the movement is dismantled, cleaned, worn parts replaced, re-lubricated, regulated and resealed.

Why intervals exist

A movement is a machine running in miniature oil. Over years those lubricants dry, thicken and migrate away from the jewels they protect; gaskets age and lose water resistance; and fine metallic wear particles begin circulating where they can do harm. None of this announces itself at first — a watch can keep acceptable time while running increasingly dry — which is why intervals are time-based rather than symptom-based for owners who want to avoid the expensive version of the problem. Left too long, a routine service becomes a restoration, and parts that would have been cleaned are instead replaced.

Two myths attach to intervals, in opposite directions. The first is that a watch should be serviced on a rigid calendar regardless of use — a watch worn twice a year does age its oils, but not at the rate of a daily wearer, and most watchmakers judge accordingly. The second is that modern synthetic lubricants have abolished the interval altogether; they have stretched it, not ended it. The honest position sits between: follow the maker's guidance, adjusted by a watchmaker who has seen the watch.

What it means for your winder

A winder neither shortens nor extends a service interval in any way a watchmaker would measure — and claims either way should be treated with suspicion. Keeping a watch wound does keep its lubricants distributed rather than pooling, which is mildly in the watch's favour; it also keeps the movement running, which is what movements are for. What a winder does not do is substitute for servicing: a watch due a service is due one on the winder or in the drawer. If a wound watch starts losing time or its power reserve shrinks noticeably, that is the movement asking for a watchmaker, not for more turns per day.

Frequently asked questions

How do I know when my watch needs a service?

By the calendar (four to six years since the last one), or by symptoms: timekeeping drifting, a shortened power reserve, a stiff crown, or moisture under the glass — that last one means now, not soon.

Does using a winder wear the watch out faster?

A wound watch is a running watch, and running is normal wear spread over a service interval designed for exactly that. Drawer storage doesn't pause oil ageing, so the interval arrives either way.

What does a service typically include?

Complete disassembly, cleaning, replacement of worn components and gaskets, re-lubrication — including the barrel wall and slipping bridle — regulation, pressure testing and refinishing where requested.