Vintage Watch Repair & Service

A vintage watch (on this page, one made before 1980) can be serviced so it runs well, restored so it looks new, or conserved with as little change as possible. Several of those choices cannot be undone, so they are worth settling before the watch leaves your hands. Below are the main decisions, with what watchmakers, auction specialists and collectors commonly say on each side. Which way to go depends on whether the watch is a keepsake, a daily wearer or a collector piece, and that is your call. The providers on this page service vintage watches; ask each one how they handle the choices that matter to you.

How much work: conserve, service or restore

• Conserve, or service the movement only. Keeps the original finish, dial and case shape that collectors value, and leaves the option of doing more later; work that goes too far cannot be undone. The watch may still look worn.
• Restore toward as-new. The watch looks and runs like new. Case polishing and dial refinishing are permanent, and Lyon & Turnbull notes that collectors frequently favor watches that retain as many original elements as possible.
• Common ground. Replacing worn movement parts with the maker's own parts is widely treated as normal and is usually overlooked when judging originality. The value debate centers on what you can see: dial, hands, crown, pushers and case.

Original parts or new parts

• Repair or keep the original part. Patek Philippe and IWC say their restoration services aim to retain original components where possible, and the British Horological Institute's code of practice asks members to respect the original character of historic artefacts. Some watchmakers prefer a new part whenever one is available at a reasonable price.
• Replace it. For visible parts such as hands, vintage specialists value original hands, whatever their condition, above replacements.
• Not all replacement parts are equal. Options run from new-old-stock (unused period parts) to the brand's current service parts, generic parts, and parts made by hand. Generic parts are generally valued below original ones, though a working watch is generally valued above a broken one. For consumables such as mainsprings, watchmakers on repair forums often prefer modern alloy over old stock.
• Disclosure. For modern high-class watches, the BHI code says a watchmaker should get the customer's approval before fitting non-genuine parts and note them on the invoice. It also calls returning broken or replaced parts to the customer good practice.

Polishing the case

• Leave it unpolished. Polishing removes metal for good. Leaving it keeps lug shape, bevels, engravings and serials crisp, and an auction catalog can single this out: Phillips described one unpolished 1950s case as "a sight to behold".
• Polish or refinish. A skilled light refinish can tidy a case without changing its shape, and most watches are not collector pieces. Poor polishing rounds over bevels and polishes away machined surfaces, and it cannot be reversed.
• Where opinion divides. Collectors focused on value tend to avoid polishing altogether; some dealers distinguish skilled refinishing from over-polishing. Brand practice also differs: Rolex refinishes the case "on request", while Omega includes polishing in its standard service.
• Gold-plated and gold-filled cases. Replating gives an even color again. Collectors on watch forums note that new electroplate is much thinner than original gold-fill or gold cap and can wear through again, and many leave worn areas ("brassing") alone unless the watch has sentimental value.

Dial, hands and lume

• Original dial, worn or aged. The dial is widely regarded as the most valuable part of a vintage watch, and vintage specialists and auction houses describe an aged original as worth more than a replacement or refinished dial. Evenly faded "tropical" dials can even be described as a positive in auction catalogs. Aging and damage can continue.
• Refinished dial ("redial"). Cleaner and easier to read. It is permanent, widely reported to lower collector value, and auction houses note it in the lot description ("Dial refinished"). Some repairers see it as reasonable on common, non-collectible watches.
• Factory service dial. A genuine brand part with a fresh look. Vintage specialists value it below a degraded original, and new lume beside aged lume is easy to spot.
• Relume. New lume restores the glow. Relumed hands and dials are generally valued below original lume, and owners who wear their watches are split on whether a well-matched relume is acceptable.
• Radium lume. Watches made before about 1968 may have radium paint, which stays radioactive after it stops glowing. The Health Physics Society and the US EPA say intact watches are generally a low risk to wear, and both advise owners not to open or take them apart; the Health Physics Society also warns against removing the paint. The EPA directs disposal questions to state or local radiation control programs.

Crystal and water resistance

• Original-style acrylic. Keeps the watch as designed, and scratches can often be buffed out. It scratches easily.
• Sapphire or mineral. Far more scratch resistant, but not original, and sapphire can chip or shatter if hit at certain angles. Some dealers and collectors warn that an aftermarket crystal shaped differently from the original can affect fit and seal.
• Water. Gaskets are normally replaced at a vintage service. A recent pressure test, not the original rating, is the evidence that a watch seals. Europa Star advises against diving with watches made before the 1960s, while some owners use freshly serviced and tested vintage divers in water.

Brand heritage service or independent specialist

• The brand. Access to genuine and archive parts, original technical documentation, and brand paperwork. Patek Philippe and IWC say their restoration services aim to keep original parts, and Patek Philippe and TAG Heuer describe remaking parts that are no longer available. Standard (non-heritage) service aims at the brand's current specification: Rolex says parts that no longer meet its requirements are replaced, and collectors report brand service centers replacing dials, hands, crowns and crystals.
• An independent vintage specialist. Owners on forums report more say over what is kept. Some brands, including Rolex and the Swatch Group, restrict genuine parts supply to independent repairers, so not every independent can get every part.

Wearing it, and keeping its paperwork

• Running it. Lubricants age whether or not a watch is worn. Watchmakers widely agree that running a long-unserviced watch on dried oil causes wear, though some collectors report long-unserviced watches still keeping decent time. Shock protection was not fitted to most watches until about 1960, and magnetism, usually reversible, can make a watch run fast.
• Documents. Box, papers and service records support provenance at sale. Brand archive extracts (Patek Philippe and Longines offer them) confirm what the factory recorded for a serial number; Longines states that its extract does not certify authenticity.

Before you ship, ask

• Which parts do you expect to replace, and will you get my approval before replacing any visible part?
• Will the case be polished or the dial, hands or lume touched, and can I opt out in writing?
• Will removed parts be returned to me with the watch?
• After service, will the watch be pressure tested, and what water exposure, if any, do you consider it fit for?
• Will the work be done on site, or sent elsewhere? If it is sent on, where does it go, and does the quote add a fee on top of the service center's charge?

Providers on this page were researched against our Standard at the time they were listed and are rechecked periodically. Details can change between checks, so confirm terms, pricing and turnaround directly with the provider before sending your watch.

Sources: brands: Patek Philippe restoration, IWC restoration, TAG Heuer heritage, Rolex servicing procedure, Omega complete service, Longines history of my watch. Trade bodies and safety: BHI code of practice, AWCI watch FAQs, Health Physics Society, US EPA RadTown, ORAU Health Physics Museum. Auction houses: Lyon & Turnbull, Sotheby's lot note, Phillips lot note, Coronet on an unpolished Phillips lot. Trade press and specialists: WorldTempus value equation, part 2, part 3, part 4, Quill & Pad on restoration, Quill & Pad on magnetism, Europa Star on vintage water resistance, Monochrome on shock protection, Time+Tide on tropical dials, Time+Tide on vintage Rolex parts, Jeweller Magazine on Swatch Group parts, EveryWatch on polishing, Collectability on Patek service, Oracle of Time on lubrication, David Boettcher on water resistance, The Watch Guy on re-pivoting. Dealers: AWCO, SwissWatchExpo, Bob's Watches on polishing, on replacement parts, on crystals. Forums: Omega Forums service guide, Rolex service quote, brand vs independent, relumed hands, replating, vintage divers in water, servicing vintage, MyBulova on gold-fill, WatchRepairTalk on mainsprings, on dial refinishing, The Watch Site on crystals.