I am new to watch collecting and I am eying a relatively expensive timepiece for myself. The cost of the watch is already pretty high for me and I noticed that the manufacturer recommends servicing once every 5 to 8 years and that the cost of the servicing is about 10% of the total cost of the timepiece. My question for you is if the cost of maintenance/servicing should be a consideration in the budget to buy a watch or are these estimates largely inflated and aren’t necessary as much as the manufacturer recommends? Thanks!
Sure do. I avoided a JLC that I found for an excellent price, probably 2k underpriced, because I’ve read bad things about their servicing policies. I like going Valjoux/ETA-type movements both because they tend to be cheaper to service and are widely servicable compared to the newer in-house movements. They are great movements too: that now 17 million dollar Newman Daytona used a Val. 72 or 722! Also, widely-used movements support independent watchmakers. That’s not to say I wouldn’t go in-house, but it does have an impact for me.