HOW TO
SERVICE A WATCH YOURSELF

Should you still decide  you wish to try this yourself, we’ve put together a very basic step-by-step guide to help you understand the process of servicing a watch yourself.

First, gather all the necessary tools and materials. At the very least you will need a loupe or magnifying glass, a case opener, a screwdriver set, a tweezers set, a watch movement holder, watch hand removers, some cleaning solution and an ultrasonic bath and a range of lubrication oils. Lastly, to test and calibrate the watch following the service you will need an electronic watch test machine. Use a good quality case opener to gently pry off the back of the watch. Some case backs are screw-down and will require special tools to remove.

Remove the movement. Once the case back has been removed, you will see the movement. Use screwdrivers to release the screws and clamps which hold the movement in place. Use tweezers to carefully remove the movement with the dial from the case. You must avoid dropping it or any sudden impacts. You must then remove the hands being very careful not to scratch the dial. This must be done with a dial protector and hand levers or a hand puller. The dial must then be removed from the movement. The dial is usually secured by three dial posts which are locked to the movement by rotating cams. These can be turned with screwdrivers to release the dial.

Disassemble and then use a cleaning solution in an ultrasonic bath to gently clean the movement. Be sure to remove any dirt or debris that may be stuck in hard-to-reach places. Examine the critical parts of the movement with magnifying goggles, a loupe and microscope  for signs of damage or wear. Look for broken or bent parts, and check all the wheels, gears and springs function well. Once you have cleaned and inspected the movement, it’s time to reassemble it and attach the dial and hands. Then place the movement in the case and use the tweezers to locate it, and screwdrivers to secure it in place.

Before closing the case back, it’s time to test the watch to ensure it is functioning properly. Wind the watch and set the time, and allow it to run for a few hours in various positions to ensure it is keeping an accurate time. Calibrating the movement is done by adjusting the regulator on the top of the balance wheel. This can take a great deal of time and an electronic watch test machine will help speed up this process enormously.

Once you are sure the watch is running accurately, use your thumbs on the outer edge of the case back to gently press it back into place, or use a screw back case tool to re-tighten the case back. It’s safe to assume a watch more than 50 years old will not be reliably waterproof, even if this was specified when new. So there is little point testing this following a service. 

Clean the case, lens, bracelet and strap. Wipe these with a cloth and cleaning solution to remove any dirt or fingerprints. Use appropriate polishing cloth. We recommend those supplied by Town Talk Polish Co. Use some watch strap reconditioning oil for rejuvenating the strap. We recommend Fieblings Mink Oil Liquid for this. Just the very tiniest amount of mink oil, say every 6 months, will help keep your watch strap in its best condition. For cleaning and polishing a watch lens, we recommend Polywatch. Polywatch produces tubes of lens polisher for both acrylic and glass lenses. 

Incidentally, all the above products are included in a complimentary Vintage Watch Care Kit supplied free of charge with every vintage gold watch sold in the U.K. by Vintage Gold Watches London.

This is a very basic overview of servicing a watch. As we have already mentioned, we would always advise getting your watch serviced professionally.

Servicing a watch professionally takes enormous skill, time and extreme attention to detail, especially when we come across any issues that must be addressed. Sometimes, we receive watches in a well-used condition and we need to give them the time and attention they deserve to restore them to their full glory. Upon return, you can expect a beautifully restored, full functioning and reliable watch you can be proud to own.

We love servicing our specialist brand watches, including Rolex, Vacheron & Constantin, Patek Philippe, IWC, Omega, Jaeger-LeCoultre, Zenith, Longines, Heuer and Universal Geneve Girard Perregaux, but we are also happy to work on watches outside these makes.

Our service process involves stripping the movement down to all its component parts. There are often around 300 parts in even the most simple watch and around double this amount in a chronograph or other complicated watch. Once the watch movement is completely disassembled and all the parts have been cleaned in a special solvent, each of the more critical components will be inspected under a microscope for wear and to check these are within prescribed tolerances. Any worn or damaged parts will be replaced by manufacturer’s originals and the movement will be reassembled, oiled and adjusted in line with the manufacturer’s guidelines. The watch will then be calibrated and tested in five positions over 24 hours. If necessary the watch will then be recalibrated and retested. In addition to servicing the movement several other parts will need to be checked.

The estimated service cost with the Vintage Gold Watches team are:

• £395.00 for a hand-wound watch
• £495.00 for an automatic watch
• £645.00 for a chronograph

For more details please see Servicing Repairs and Restoration here.

Please allow us two to three weeks to service your watch. This is our usual turnaround and most simple services and simple repairs can be completed within this time frame. However watchmakers will not be rushed and sometimes, some tasks can take a little longer, especially when we are busy or during the Christmas holidays.

Please note that these are estimated prices and may very occasionally be exceeded, as they do not include parts other than regular consumables. For more details email [email protected] on call 0207 727 7095 (+44 207 727 7095 outside the UK).