Rep watch lifespan

[badboybrickz]

Hi guys

I understand rep watches are hobbyist passion and shouldn't be seen as more.

However some of these watches as seen on some TD sites costs as much as $500 and above.

I believe spending money on anything has to have some value for the spender but I've seen posts where people say "rep watches would break eventually" which I agree with because even gens would break eventually

So my question is what's the average lifespan of a gen watch before it eventually breaks? What are the most common pitfalls or mechanical issues of rep watches and how can they be prevented and repaired.

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[nipe]

Steel is steel, it will last as long as you take proper care of it. Movements needs service just like any other mechanical thing, if you service the movement (like you would a gen) there's no reason why it wouldn't last indefinitely

 

[ilya93robbins]

I only buy watches with movements I can service/repair myself (2824, 2836). Sometimes it is cheaper to buy the whole new movement (around £100) and that will keep the watch going for another 5 years.
I always have my watches in a winder to prevent them stopping which leads to unnecessary excessive hand winding and unscrewing the crown.

 

[Hinclimincli]

I only buy watches with movements I can service/repair myself (2824, 2836). Sometimes it is cheaper to buy the whole new movement (around £100) and that will keep the watch going for another 5 years.
I always have my watches in a winder to prevent them stopping which leads to unnecessary excessive hand winding and unscrewing the crown.

That's an interesting policy and makes a lot of sense, but 5 years of life for a properly taken care of ETA seems a bit low to me.

Now with regards to the winder, it adds extra wear on the watch (it's a bit like wearing it 24h). If it compensates the potential wear on the stem when manually winding and setting the time it would make sense but I'm never sure about that. Plus replacing a stem is nothing compared to replacing the parts that get damaged by normal use of the watch isn't it?

Unless the watch hasn't got a quickset date or has a lot of complications that have to be re-set once it stops, I'm keeping my watches out of winders.

 

[Nur-Uhr]

I have had Rep that worked up to 10 years without any servicing.
These watch I have sold to friends and they still wear them.
But on the other hand, I owned Reps where the movement stopped within 1 year. After movement service or change, they are also running.
I have also Gen, same story as above, some are running now a very long time without doing anything (exluded water resistance testing) they running runinng running and are keeping time very good.
Some Gens unfortunatelly also get stuck or needed much more service!!

Edit:
I never used a winder.

 

[ilya93robbins]

When I said 5 years, that is the minimum I expect from an ETA/Asian clone movement. It does really depend on the watch and how lucky you are.
I have only got 2 mechanical watches atm and I like to rotate them on the daily basis. I have read quite a lot of topics about whether to keep the watch in the winder on just in the box and I guess it all comes down to personal preference. I just don't like winding the watch every other day, setting correct time and date.

 

[Anthony75]

My 116655 YM RG has lasted 18 months and is fit for the bin. Crown and tube stripped and I can’t find replacements anywhere. Even the TD is no help. 1st and last rep watch!


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