Watch tune up

QuestionEdit

I was reading your reply about the Eddie Bauer watch and you said you do a tune up, not just a battery change and that got me thinking, wouldn't that be good for any watch, not just an Eddie Bauer watch?

Thanks. Ian

AnswerEdit

Ian,

Yes, that is correct. There are several reasons:

1. When one takes a watch to an x-mart type store, an untrained person is going to perform the work. Every watchmaker can tell you a story of how he came about a watch repair from a person who first brought it to this type of store and, after attempting to change a battery, the store employee broke the watch or couldn't get the caseback on the watch again, or even worse.

There are MANY ways to open a watch. the x-mart employees may know one or two.

In many instances, an untrained person can change a battery successfully. If you don't want to risk your watch, take it to someone who is sure not to damage it.

2. If your watch is water resistant, it may not be when you get it back from a battery change. Servicing the gaskets is important to keep the water resistant integrity of the watch. If you never sweat or never get caught in the rain, it won't be a problem for you but there is another issue.

The gaskets keep dirt, dust and small debris out of the watch. You might not think it could get through such tight spaces such as a groove in the case and I can assure you, it does.

The only way to make sure the watch is protecting your movement is to have the gaskets replaced every time you have the watch battery changed.

Along this same issue, the x-mart employee is not going to clean the case for you. How does he expect the case to close properly if he does not clean it first?

If you have a cheap watch that you don't care about, you can have a battery change only until you kill it. If, however, you have a watch with any kind of sentimental value at all, consider getting the tune up.

Millswatchrepair.com