Many friends who own watches will have a consensus that the maintenance cost of watches is too high. Firstly, there are some unscrupulous repairmen who charge extortionate prices to rip off customers. However, I believe that such repairmen are only doing one-time business and will not last long; secondly, the vast majority of regular and well-educated masters are working in the field. Operating your own repair brand, the price is also more reasonable. Some friends also said that a battery outside costs about ten yuan, and the Swiss battery only costs about a hundred yuan. It costs me two to three hundred to replace a battery, which is simply violent! Today, let’s talk about this topic.
A master who can skillfully repair high-end watches may need several years of hard training, which not only consumes a lot of energy, but also requires a considerable investment in financial resources. Spend huge sums of money to purchase relevant information books and tools, and practice movements. In the process of learning and repairing, you may need to dismantle several movements to gain some knowledge. So don’t think of the skills that others have spent their whole lives learning as cheap. This type of work will test the temperament of those who want to become a watch repairman. They must be patient, not anxious and impatient, and be able to endure the boring temperament of facing the nuanced world all day long.
The movement parts are disassembled and cleaned with lubricating oil, and then re-oiled after installation. If worn parts are found during the process, additional money will be required to replace them. During maintenance and disassembly and cleaning, the waterproof gaskets also need to be replaced, which is equivalent to a regular inspection of the car. The process is very cumbersome.
At present, the learning of watch repair skills has evolved from the previous "teaching and teaching" model to the "China Watch Training Base", a large-scale and systematic teaching institution established by a national-level industry scientific research institution. It has developed and improved into a strict teaching curriculum and Educational assessment system, thereby standardizing the industry market.
Furthermore, imported high-end watches have complex internal structures and are very difficult to repair. They require a high professional level of repairmen and are very time-consuming. Disassembly often takes several hours. This kind of watch is still aimed at old masters who have been engaged in the watch repair industry for many years. It takes a long time when the technology is relatively solid. Because the travel time of the mechanical watch relies on the movement of the movement gear and spring to release energy. The metal is in contact with the running-in for a long time. At the same time, it is also necessary to ensure the stable operation of the gear bearings. Over time, the watch parts will inevitably need to be inspected. Clean and replace expired greasy dirt. Because the lubricating oil dropped on the machine parts will gradually evaporate and dry over time; the mutual friction of the gears will produce some metal shavings, which increases the rotational resistance; dust, fibers, etc. continue to invade from the gaps in the watch case and become machine scale. . Therefore, after a watch has been used for a certain period, it is necessary to disassemble and assemble the movement parts for cleaning and lubricating oil. This is really not something that ordinary people can bear to do. You can imagine the hardship involved.
There are also valuable accessories and tool costs. Swiss original machine parts are expensive, and Switzerland is a country known for expensive labor and low efficiency. Of course, all of this is done slowly and carefully. The parts in the movement factory are all manufactured and produced as a complete set, but the shipping procedures for scattered parts are very cumbersome. Some parts even require maintenance technicians to make and process them themselves. A set of professional maintenance tools and instruments provided by maintenance masters is also very expensive and consumes a lot of money.
Finally, it cannot be ruled out that there are very few professional repairmen in the watch repair industry, and talents are scarce.
