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Cost to service/overhaul the watch in US?

MrOptional

Active Member
8/10/18
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Does anyone know a reasonable cost to service/overhaul a new rep with Miyota 9015 movement? The watch is not keeping time nor holding the charge for more than 3 hours.

I've been quoted $150 US, seems a bit high to me, so not sure if this is the right price, or if I need to keep looking.
 

efajri

Put Some Respect On My Name
17/10/16
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That's about right.
Gen Rolex movement is around $300.
Chinese movement on the other hand, you'd better off buying a new one because it's so cheap.
 
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Specter1000

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18/2/15
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Yep...that's in the right price range. I usually charge an hourly rate when I do service and a minimum for cleaning that is in that range. I'm just a hobbyist and the overhead I have in consumables is not cheap....hell, watch cleaning fluid for my ultrasonics run nearly $100 each time I order.

....and that is just to clean and reassemble, if the watchsmith finds something else wrong it just goes up from there.
 

MrOptional

Active Member
8/10/18
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I see, thanks for your inputs. I got new watch AP 15400 and it doesn't hold charge for more than 2 hours, and about 40 seconds late per day, so hence a bit upset that I need to spend more $$.

Do you think Miyota movement needs to be serviced by a modder (the guy quoted $150, local modder here), or just a regular watch smith (quoted $100, has good reviews, but not a modder, just a regular watch smith willing to work on rep).
 

Specter1000

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the Miyota should be no problem...so I agree, if both quoted it, most likely either is fine. You don't need a modder to service a movement. One thing you learn quickly in the rep world...sometimes you get watches that don't work, need service when new, have issues, ect. I have been lucky, in about a dozen reps I have only needed to service 2. But one gave me fits time and time again....but all fixed now. Since I do my own work, I save a lot of money...so that helps. :)
 
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r0b9502

Renowned Member
22/1/17
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Here's an option which people dont talk about, but I will follow through with, if I am in a circumstance such as yours: contact the TD who sold you the malfunctioning piece and ask him to honor his guarantee/warrantee. Yes, you will have to spend say $25 to ship it back, but send him a very stern email mentioning you wont accept this in the future.

Of course, I am assuming this malfunction is within the TD's guarantee period.
 

r0b9502

Renowned Member
22/1/17
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Customs risk for me. I am sure Bob would agree. He may have more reasons.

Thats a valid reason.

An anecdote: I think it was to do with the PAM lefty that I ordered. QCs showed respectable accuracy, a month or two after it sat on winder it was running some -30s/d. I contacted TD and he offered to fix it if I ship it back. I then thought, heck, am I being a wimp, shouldnt I regulate it myself?? So, on with that project, I encountered some decoration plate which obstructed the regulation lever. Removed it and threw it away with all its retaining screws. Something went horribly wrong and watch stopped working. I sent it to forum watchsmith who serviced it, replaced some part and advised me that one of the movement retaining screws was crucial to the operational accuracy!
 

bobandshawn

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29/10/13
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You won't see the watch for 2 months. You will get frustrated with the wait, the communication, possibly the outcome. You could lose it at customs. You'll bitch about the TD in a post and get things all riled up for a crappy fake watch. This is not Amazon and inevitable at some point for everyone. It's cheaper, quicker, easier to just repair stateside or replace the movement...
 

MrOptional

Active Member
8/10/18
393
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Thanks! For me personally it’s easier to spend $100 on service rather than dealing with TD and shipping all over again. Just trying to figure out if regular watchsmith who don’t work much on reps can do appropriate service on reps or better go to modder for that. Don’t watchsmith to f up anything!;)
 

Maron

Mythical Poster
16/2/15
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Canada
Thanks! For me personally it’s easier to spend $100 on service rather than dealing with TD and shipping all over again. Just trying to figure out if regular watchsmith who don’t work much on reps can do appropriate service on reps or better go to modder for that. Don’t watchsmith to f up anything!;)

Go with someone that has a reputation for doing good work with good tools.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
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Specter1000

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Thanks! For me personally it’s easier to spend $100 on service rather than dealing with TD and shipping all over again. Just trying to figure out if regular watchsmith who don’t work much on reps can do appropriate service on reps or better go to modder for that. Don’t watchsmith to f up anything!;)

Plus...you will find, some of the reps are poorly assembled, meaning not oiled very well and dirt and grime in the movement. I personally believe some are better than others and I have seen great improvements over the last couple years...but after a service your watch will be good to go for awhile without issues.
 
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r0b9502

Renowned Member
22/1/17
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Well, here is a possibility: The trusted repairman disassembles the watch to clean/service and in the process parts break. It happened to me on one occasion. He had to buy replacement parts, and even when those were available sorta easily it took 2 months. With the newer super-rep movements, one might just have to buy gen parts, which might cost more than the watch.

Say you have the new Noob Daytona with working chrono, and it it gets broken within a month of receipt. Not a matter of accuracy which you can attempt to fix, but like OP mentioned (I think), it has 2 hour power reserve. Or, for a hypothetical example, the chrono does not reset, or even run.... What would one do?
 
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Art Tic

Time Machine Collector
26/2/17
948
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Never send broken watches back to China!
I was foolish to have done that twice, and in both instances, my watches were never seen again.
Pay the money to service it locally, so you won't have to deal with the frustration and regret.