Happy 18th!

 

The other day we were delighted to receive a very special watch. This customer bought a Rebelde K-Pilot in October 2014. He bought the watch for his grandson’s 18th birthday. The only catch, the grandson was still in primary school, a mere 8 years of age. So the watch - still in its original plastic, still with an unopened envelope containing the receipt and warranty details - was put away safely, in preparation for the birthday. Talk about prepared! The customer gave us a call about a week before coming in; ‘This is my story, should I have the watch overhauled before I give it to him?’ To which we answered, yes, absolutely. I know some of you may be asking, why would you have a watch serviced that has literally never been worn? The answer is actually quite simple. Evaporation. Pretty much any oil may be subject to evaporation, and this certainly includes watch lubrication. There is actually a test to determine exactly how much oil is being lost to evaporation called the Noack volatility test. However the amount of lubrication inside a watch on the best of days is of miniscule quantity. An easier way, is to wait for a customer to bring in a watch that has not been worn for 10 years or thereabouts. Then, you can take these photos.

Above, we can see what the third wheel upper pivot-in-jewel looked like upon receiving the watch. Note the length of the steel pivot protruding from the ruby bearing. Below we can see what it looks like now and, more importantly, what it would have looked like when it was first assembled and sold. No, it hasn't sunk into the jewel, the lubricant coincidentally is red. But you can clearly see how much lubricant is present. Around half way up the 'dish' of the jewel and almost at the rounded tip of the pivot.

Of course, the watch would have worked perfectly fine if he just gave it to his grandson. Likely for a year or two. But the frictional wear within the movement is exponential once the lubricant disappears. Every 5-6 years for a service is a good guess based on different kinds of wear and conditions the watch may be subject to. But that number is really from the last service. Not from when you got sick and tired of your MoonSwatch and decided to put back on your real-deal birth year 90s Tritium dial Moonwatch after it’s been sitting in the sock drawer for a few years. Lack of wear certainly extends the timer, but not by much. After 7 years you’re hurting your watch. Come in before it hurts you back (financially that is…).