You might think that because you’ve spent a lot of money on a luxury replica watch product, most of your expenses will have been dealt with the moment you leave the store/website. While this is likely to be true for many years to come, the maintenance cost of a complex mechanical timer increases over time, and the total cost often ends up exceeding the original retail price.
On the one hand, this is a good sign – it means your purchase has been worth maintaining, that it has been a faithful companion for many years, and that it has given you much joy over that time. And as “happy” as owners of luxury watches are to submit them for service, there is always a modicum of annoyance at having to hand over wads of cash just to keep something running.
To that point first: fake watches such as the Rolex Submariner are often called “bulletproof” and praised for their durability; however, regardless of how robust something is in its construction, all mechanical objects require regular maintenance. Most luxury watchmaking companies will advise customers to have their watch serviced every 3-5 years to ensure optimal operation and to protect against serious wear and tear. But what does that mean, and is it always necessary to follow the watchmaker’s advice?
What “service” entails largely depends on the company you’re dealing with. It can make a difference if your replica watch is powered by either a bought-in movement or an in-house creation. In general, most major brands are confident in saying they will have the requisite parts to rebuild their watches from scratch for up to 30 years following the purchase. That’s quite a long time, but if you’re going to invest in an heirloom and pass it on to future generations, it’s probably not what you want to hear.
Small issues like this – lubrication issues or minor damage to components caused through general use and nominal shocks – are what regular servicing can protect against. Just because your watch doesn’t show errors doesn’t mean there aren’t errors brewing. And damage to a wheel pinion is small fry to the kind of damage that could occur to one of the more significant components – most notably, the mainplate.
This is what I call severe wear and tear. The need to replace a large number of moving locations is something all owners want to avoid. This is not only expensive, but also time-consuming. It can also have a very negative effect on the value of the watch, even destroying its origin.
Here you must play a strategic game. Most new brands buy-in the majority of their movements. These movements also tend to be simple workhorses. The dual advantage of this is clear: To begin with, these common movements are readily available from other brands and nearly all service centers worth their salt will be able to source parts for them. Secondly, these garden movements aren’t very complicated and aren’t likely to be that temperamental. That means you can run these best replica watches into the ground without too much concern.
For more complicated watches with an esteemed heritage, you need not fear. These brands are often able to call upon centuries of know-how to fix almost anything that bears their name. At this level, however, newer brands are less reliable. Top-tech brands that emphasize new materials and machinery do not have the capacity to secure parts as their peers do. So, if you prefer to wear the watch, be sure to maintain it. Don’t be afraid to rely on the brand’s customer service and ask for high-quality work to ensure that your favorite stock continues to run and run well for many years to come.
