If on the face of your watch it says quartz, or you have never wound it, and it
it's not an auto-wind watch, please go to the battery powered watch estimate page.
If your watch has started to tell erratic time it probably needs to be cleaned
and oiled. If it's suddenly fast by hours a day, the hairspring is probably stuck together
and sometimes just that needs to be cleaned or put back in position. If it has been cleaned and oiled recently,
oil could have leaked onto the hair spring from the balance jewel, and the watch should be
returned under warranty. Oil leaking onto the hair spring is the most common problem after
a watch is cleaned and oiled.
If your watch tells time only (no day or date) figure about $127.00 and up for basic
cleaning and oiling plus parts.
If it tells the day or day/date, the cost would be about $140.00 and up for cleaning and
oiling plus parts.
If the watch has been dropped and now won't run, it probably needs a balance
staff which can cost anywhere from $75.00 to $300.00, plus cleaning and oiling.
If the watch crystal (the clear face) has been broken, the
cost of repairing
is approximately $40.00 and up.
Auto-wind watches have a pendulum in them that moves when the watch is moved.
This winds the mainspring. The mainspring is designed to slip some so the watch won't
over-wind. If it slips too much, the watch won't run very long. A new mainspring costs
about $45.00 and up. If needed, cleaning and oiling runs about $120.00 and up.
For old pocket watches basic cleaning & oiling costs $140.00 and up. Due
to extreme price increases, most mainsprings for pocket watches now cost about
$80.00 installed.
If you got your watch wet and it then stopped, the problem could be rust.
Rust is hard to estimate on this page, as it depends on how badly your watch is rusted. It
could be as simple as a new stem and detent, about $45.00 for parts, or it could go as high
as $200.00 or more for just rust removal, plus parts.
If you turn and turn the crown, the part you wind and set the watch with), and
the watch mainspring won't wind up tight, and it's not an auto-wind watch, you probably
have a broken mainspring. The cost for replacing the mainspring is about $45.00 and up.
The price for cleaning and oiling a Rolex, starts at $295.00.
Mechanical watches have a mainspring that exerts a lot of power on very small
surfaces. If you don't have them cleaned and oiled every four to ten years (depending on how well they are sealed)
, dirt can mix in with the oil, and acts like sandpaper this can dramatically
shorten the life of
your watch.
Sometimes parts are not available, and to make them is just too expensive; or,
you like the watch, but want a more accurate watch than you would get from a repair. In
those cases you might want to put a more accurate battery powered movement in the watch
case, preserving the face and hands. Prices to convert to battery power insides
start $85.00 dollars.
Note: Many old watches never kept good time in the first place, and cannot be
made to run better than they did when new.
Note: These prices are only a guide so you can determine if you want to send me
your watch. Having received your watch I will E-Mail you a firm price quote for repair.
Watch Brands I Specialize in