Rolex watches are impeccably made, but that doesn’t mean they won’t need the occasional repair or service. Even if you don’t see anything visibly wrong with your Rolex, it doesn’t hurt to bring it in for servicing on a regular basis to ensure that it functions properly and works the way it should. Namely, it ensures that your Rolex is as accurate as possible and that features like waterproofing are still effective.
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In today’s blog, we’ll discuss the right time to bring your Rolex in for maintenance, repair, or service. Read on to learn more.
Every Rolex will need different maintenance and repair schedules, based on a number of factors. While having a regular maintenance schedule is recommended, you may not need to bring your brand new Rolex in as often as your friend with a Rolex from 1940.
Here are some questions you’ll want to consider when you’re deciding if your Rolex is due for maintenance or repairs.
The first factor you’ll want to consider is if your Rolex has an automatic or quartz movement. Both movements have different maintenance needs. Let’s take a look at each:
Automatic Movements – Automatic watches are also sometimes referred to as mechanical watches. These watches can be self-winding or require manual winding. An automatic watch will use kinetic movement to charge the watch and keep time, meaning if you’re not wearing your automatic watch on a regular basis, it won’t be accurate when you first put it on again until you wind it. This is a good time to bring it in to a maintenance professional to ensure it’s set properly. Automatic movements aren’t as accurate as quartz movements and should have maintenance scheduled every three to seven years to ensure accuracy.
Quartz Movements – Quartz movements are more accurate than automatic watches and require less maintenance. However, a quartz movement does run off a battery, which will eventually go out. When you need to replace the battery on your quartz watch, make sure to bring it to a professional to avoid damaging it.
If you have an antique or vintage timepiece, you’ll likely need to schedule maintenance more frequently than a newer watch. To build on our previous point, most watches before the 1960s have automatic movements, so they need regular maintenance regardless. Either way, an older watch will have more wear and tear on it. Even if it’s kept in a box, aging still takes its toll.
If you have an older watch, make sure you bring it in to a maintenance specialist at recommended intervals to keep it in good shape.
The more you wear your watch, the more it will accumulate wear and tear. While it’s good to wear your watch regularly, after all that’s what it’s meant for, you should still make sure to keep an eye on it and bring it in for maintenance if performance starts to falter.
A watch that is mostly kept in your watch case isn’t going to need as much attention as your daily driver.
One of the reasons watch collectors are so fond of Rolexes is the variety of purpose-built models they offer. Rolex has watches built to weather the depths of the ocean, extreme cold and elevation, heat, and even intense magnetic fields. Competitive racers might sport the Rolex Daytona in their runs. Divers might bring the Rolex Sea-Dweller on their outings. Sailing crews might bring the Rolex Yacht-Master to their competitions. These watches work beautifully in harsh conditions, but the wear and tear does accumulate eventually.
If you use your Rolex for intense activities, it’s a good idea to schedule maintenance more often to ensure your watch continues to operate at a high level.
One of the most straightforward questions you can ask yourself is if your watch is functioning the way it should.
Is your watch keeping time properly?
Does it have faulty parts or visible damage?
Does the winding and setting mechanism work smoothly?
If you are concerned because your Rolex watch isn’t operating at peak capacity, you should get in touch with an experienced Rolex service provider and let them take a look.
Now that you have a specific frame of reference for Rolex services and know the questions to ask, you may be wondering about the general recommendations for Rolex maintenance. In general, Rolex themselves recommend you service your timepiece every three to ten years. Those who have a newer Rolex and wear it under typical circumstances can err more toward the side of ten years between service, whereas those with older Rolexes or Rolexes used in harsher conditions may want to opt for more frequent service.
For the vast majority of Rolex owners, five years is a reasonable rule of thumb.
Once you’ve decided on a maintenance schedule for your watch, you may be wondering where you should get your Rolex serviced. You can always visit a Rolex store in person or find a trusted local professional to take care of your repairs and maintenance. If you opt to go for online service and repair, make sure you look at your options carefully.
Sending your Rolex to an online service is an excellent solution, so long as you do your research. Make sure you look at their shipping information, their insurance for shipping, and warranty details. You don’t want to risk your Rolex getting lost or ruined by a provider who isn’t reputable.
If you’re looking for a reputable Rolex service provider, get to know our team at BQ Watches. For more than 30 years, we’ve operated our luxury watch services out of our showroom in London. You’re free to come visit us in person for maintenance, or you can use our secure online services to make things even more convenient. Our service professionals are always happy to help and we offer complete services for every stage of Rolex ownership.
If you’re interested in maintenance or repair services, simply fill out our contact form below and give us the details. An expert member of our team will be in touch shortly.
