Hi all


I was looking through a few articles lately


and one of them is a Rolex watch ( can't remember the exact model )

according to the writer he bought the watch for RM45,000 back in 2015 and he recently got it's maintenance done at an certified Rolex dealer for RM2800


Which got me curious ... is he kidding ?


in 3 years time they cost RM2800 to maintain ? Aren't Rolexes suppose to last a lifetime ?



I mean China watches lasts at least 3 years

and Seiko's can last like 5 - 10 years and fixing them is like RM100 only

so is this true?

I service my seiko every 3 to 5 years. Cost me Rm160 per service. Rolex will only last a lifetime if you maintain it regularly

can't expect to drive a Benz and maintenance is like a Vios/City right?

It's very odd and I'm not sure why the writer needs to send his Rolex in for a service after 3 years. Rolex warranty is 5 years, so if anything is wrong with it he should have gotten it fixed under warranty.

New Rolex service interval is recommended between 7 to 10 years depending on usage and much longer if it's not worn regularly.
It is actually cheaper than having to send my quartz watch for a battery change and pressure tested every 2-3 years.

Obviously everything is expensive with Rolex but that's the price you have to pay to own one.

Worth having a look at this video.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wfNOgWGME_c&t=158s

for a car it's totally understandable , I mean it's a car right ?

the quality of equipment , the technology in the cars are definitely better than a city / vios .


But for a luxury watch it's very different ...

the only thing that separates a luxury watch and a mediocre one is the branding , movement etc ... I mean if you're not very keen on watching you wouldn't tell the difference between an auto , quartz , mechanical , japanese , swiss movement etc it's pretty minimal I feel.

the styling is subjective.

just look at Richard Mille and Audermars Piguet ... to an extend Hublot , they look horrendous ! In my opinion that is ... definitely some people's fancy but not me.


while there are Seikos , Hamilton etc that actually look pretty decent on a decent budget as well.



and RM2800 for a few springs , a few touches here and there is way overpriced

the insides are a definite thing of beauty , unnecessary complications but hey they're fun to watch ... sadly they don't come in skeleton cases

that's why its a luxury, Rolex does almost everything in house, that exclusivity comes with a cost
Rolex uses 912L steel, in house accuracy, etc... there's is technology...

A Rolex watch enters Richmont with a minimal RM2k service fee (2 years ago), other cost will incur depending on what is being changed
and like someone said, it comes with a 5 year warranty but the writer had it in in 3 years meaning something went wrong and its not covered under warranty...

Asian kills everyone in terms of pricing in whatever

its the same in everything... the more expensive the item, the more you need to maintain it

bro my seiko vios maintenance is like 2k plus too.

yours lexus, different bro

No idea. Though this does bring an interesting question. Do you really need to maintain a watch? I've been using the same timex explorer since 2002. Still works fine. Never serviced it before.

TS. For a luxury watch (automatic movement with some complications) that is worn daily, I estimate from my experience to set aside around 1-2% the cost of the watch for per annum for service. Of course you won't have to service each year, but add up this sum a few years and that'll be roughly what you will have to pay for service. If the watch is rarely worn out and kept on a watch winder, then the figure could be far less.

This is just a rough ballpark figure. If you accidentally drop the watch or knock something hard and something inside breaks, then the sky is the limit. Some parts are cheap to replace, some are expensive. Less expensive luxury watches are less complicated with cheaper parts and generally more durable, hence require less maintenance and servicing will likely be cheaper. Just look at a Vacheron vs Panerai or Brietling - pretty clear what to expect in terms of ownership costs. Rolex has got some pretty complicated, delicate, expensive models too, so I wouldn't generalize.

I think most people only send in for service when there's something wrong with the watch. If you ask a reputable watch shop whether your "insert name" watch needs to be serviced, usually their response will be "how is the watch running, is there anything wrong with it". Watch is not like a car which requires regular servicing to ensure safe running. Even if your luxury watch is losing a few more seconds each day or the power reserve is no longer as long as before, as long as you can accept it, or maybe the second time zone doesn't work, then just carry on wearing. Nobody knows or cares, only yourself.

why not ? Overhaul service c/w polishing n after that extra 1 year warranty .

mine went for service because the minute-hand spring worn out , cost nearly 3k c/w polishing and 1 year warranty .

so it's best to wear it daily . plus rolex steel watch is quite a daily watch .

This post has been edited by sjc1012: May 25 2018, 03:13 PM

Hmmm I understand servicing cars etc ..

but watches are a little far fetch for me .

I have a few rather cheap watches and they are never serviced but i guess good things need maintanence .. ? wait that don't make sense good things are made to last right ?

1. dont need service if all is fine

2. service to "renew" the watch, ie to polish the shine back after lots of scratches/dings etc

i thought they give 2yr warranty after service?

2 years ma ? i forgotten , i remember they extended the warranty .

if your watch is ahead thn your digital computer time (for me pc time is accurate) , for like 5-10 mins (if you are sure that you have winded to match wit the digital time) but still ahead of it , better go n do a service .

Once i heard a master said , even the daily worn watch , every year there's still diff. of 1-2 mins ahead .

so it's either you get a tourbillon watch or other higher-magnetic field watch such as Rolex Milgauss .

or you can choose a safer way , just leave your watch away from your phone ,radio and speaker or what-so-ever electronic device .

Watch service is to maintain one thing.. Accuracy. The most important function is to keep time. All those hundreds of moving parts do wear out eventually when oil dissapates and the accuracy will become worse.

If you just wear a fashion item and don't care about accuracy then all this is not important to you. However horology is a vital part of human from centuries ago until now, for some much more important than others. Everything we do involve time. If you work in the office, why do you wake up every morning at a certain 'time', your appointments are also based on time. Whether you are 5 minutes early to clock in or 5 minutes late is also due to time. For airline, rail transport, lrt accuracy is also very important. If the accuracy of time is off by 1 minute, it could mean a fatal crash.

However as fashion watch to look good, time is not important at all since you only use it as a bling item on your wrist. In those cases, you need not bother about servicing.

Luxury anything is expensive. The more expensive the luxury item, the more expensive the parts and servicing cost. Whether it is a car, boat, watch, hifi, computer, phone etc.

Fair enough , the world of the rich is different from mine , let's hope I can get my first luxury watch by 30

this is strange. Most rolex watches are good for at least 5 years and above. Anyway I would only service it when it has issues.

If I wanted accuracy nothing beats my smartphone synced to the internet and dozens of atomic clocks god knows where.

It's a luxury watch.

Luxury is defined as inessential. One should only indulge in it with excess in life. Shouldn't go bankrupt *cough* kak ros *cough* over it.

So what's the problem if it costs so much to maintain? Rightfully so what.

People who buy yachts, even if they don't use it, they need to coat the hull every 7 to 10 years, while all its doing is floating at the pier (smarter ones lift it up).

got difference. to differentiate the different levels of luxury lor.
haha.
i may be able to afford a basic rolex, but not able to afford a $1m rolex. lol

different luxury

Nothing wrong with 2k service. If I can afford a 50k Rolex watch, I can afford the 2k service fee. If that guy bought his rolex second hand, even I would have sent it for service after a number of years.

True that

it's just silly how that's more than it costs to maintain a car on a 6 month basis.

And most Seikos , Orients , Citizen watches all can be maintained for like RM 100 over a yearly basis , and all they do is keep track of time like ... it's such a basic function why would you need 2k to just keep track of time ? then again the world of the rich is not a world i'd be able to understand anytime soon

Its luxury. Watch service for only 5 years once, cars every 6 months so regardless cars are still more expensive.

Myvi can get point A to point B. Why buy Ferrari.

A single storey puts a roof over your head, why buy a bungalow.

If you have the money, its never silly.

There are few things come into play when servicing a luxury watch:

1. What complication the watch has i.e. chronograph?
2. What the servicing comprise of? Just regular servicing or change of parts, polishing and etc. as well?
3. Servicing at regular watch shop or authorised service centre
4. Brand of the watch

Quite honestly you don't need to service the watch if it still keep time well. My Omega Seamaster is coming to 10 years but never serviced before. My Rolex datejust is over 50 years old and has been service 2 or 3 times only. I guess my watch last really long because I rotate between watches.

Having said that you must always remember when you buy something of luxury, it will come with cost of ownership. Whether it's worth it or not I guess it's just personal value a person has.