Hello Friends, I would like to have your ideas how ya'll keep up with the last cleaning date on your EDC watches. Being that your EDC watch needs to be cleaned somewhere near every 5 years depending on carrying conditions, what is the best way you have found to keep track of it? I know there are some pros that will have some great ideas. Thanks in advance and looking forward to your ideas!

What is EDC ?

sorry,the watch I carry everyday.

Mine get cleaned after I drop them and have to take them to Dave for a new staff...

I just have a little notebook with the description, serial number, and date of last service in it.

I try to go every 2 years but that is just my preference. I try to do it in the spring and seem to remember that every 2 years, alhough some days I cannot remember where i am!

Maybe one the tech savvy members here could create an app for all these new smart devices, if one doesnt already exist.Then license to ihc 185, market it to raise funds for the club. Just a thought.

quote:

Mine get cleaned after I drop them and have to take them to Dave for a new staff

Now that's funny

An excel spreadsheet with watch, serial and date works great.

Each watch has it's own "habits" which often mirror those of the owner. So my suggestion is to have the watch serviced when it stops keeping good time.

I certainly 2nd that !! All the records in the world will have absolutely nothing to do with when a watch is ready for a servicing, it will tell you.

Collectors with multiple watches that aren't worn every day, but are stored in a climate controlled environment may not require service for several years, two years, or one year

Also like the watches "owner" , when we aren't running well it's "time" to see the doctor

regards,
bb

Would you suggest the same thing for your car? Dont change the oil until it starts running funny?

Not me,,,,,,

When my older truck a 2001 Chevy, which is used daily [and is my Baby], gets 3000 miles on it I change the oil. I do that because of the temperature changes in an internal combustion engine and the oil at those extreme temperatures breaks down quicker.

As to your vehicle, you do whatever you want. But with the new synthetic oils that most manufacturers use today, some of them, like my 2012 Dodge, recommends up to 7000 miles between oil changes. If you are concerned, you might want to go to an auto forum as there is quite a bit of difference in watches and automobiles and the different types of engines. This is a watch forum.

regards,
bb

Hmmm... Well I might get POUNDED but here goes. I know this isn't an auto forum but, isn't my every day carry watch like a small engine, maybe not as big or as much torque as my 71 chevy 383 stroker--but still an engine and has rotating parts. Dave had a good point, every watch does have its habits, and the watch I'm referring to is a 992b. Last time it needed a COA it did speak up and it spoke loudly as it started veering off the railroad time path. I had a COA and it is back to RR time again. I was just trying to figure or come up with a way to keep from getting to that point again. I liked Deacon's idea about the spring time or a holiday to make it easier to remember. I am the type of person who believes in PM (preventive maintenance). Thanks for all your suggestions and post!!

There you go !! You have taken a reading from a general consensus of opinions !! And that's possibly the best that one can hope for.

Actually there isn't any comparison between an internal combustion engine and a Hamilton 992B engine as the ICE may have internal temperatures reaching 3600 degrees Fahrenheit whereas the 992B will generally only have an internal temperature not exceeding 100 degrees Fahrenheit at a given time.

That's the reason the rules for watches don't apply to automobiles.

If you are carrying a watch everyday it would probably need to go in every 2 years as preventative maintenance to get the sludge out and for fresh lube and a minor adjustment or tweaking before it begins to gain/lose time and/or stop.

If it is put away in a climate controlled situation and wound a bit say twice a year then who knows how long the synthetic new oils may last. Under those circumstances it could very well be twice as long between COA's as one carried daily.

If you like Deacon's opinion, go with it, you won't go wrong, they are all good opinions.

regards,
bb

Nothing wrong with preventative maintenance!

If you read the manual for yor auto or talk to a competent mechanic, it will say change oil after xxxx miles OR a certain amount of time - whichever comes first. For example my Ducati says after 2200 miles or every riding season. All oils breakdown with use and TIME. Many manufactures recommend only 6 months between changes.

My watchmaker told me that for an antique watch carried daily it should be COA'd every 2-3 years because the case doesn't seal well. Modern mechanical watch every 4-5 years.

If my watch ran on Gasoline, I would be VERY CAREFUL with it!

My point on comparing a watch to a car was the maintenance aspect. Lets face it these are antique watches we are talking about. Shouldnt we be more focused on keeping them in good shape? If we could easily replace worn parts I would say sure go ahead and wait until it acts up. But dont you take a chance of wear and tear eventually making your watch unusable if you wait for problems to develop? Granted it may take quite a few years for this to happen. But, personally I would rather pass down my carry watch to my grandson in good shape rather than one that has problems because I neglected to maintain it.
Perhaps my opinion on maintenance is also a reflection of the fact I do my own maintenance. The cost of some cleaning fluid, lubricants and my time isn't all that much compared to having to find some worn (and possibly impossible to find) part IMHO. If I were paying a hundred+ dollars or more for a COA perhaps I wouldn't be in a hurry to do it.

I see your point Jim. I also agree that if we wait for a problem to develope then we are destined for a problem to happen.