How often does a luxury watch need servicing, and what does it cost?
Short answer
Less often than folklore says. Rolex recommends roughly every ten years, Patek Philippe every eight to ten, Omega every five to eight, and Cartier a complete service about every five. Cartier publishes UK prices from £370; Patek publishes a full list in Swiss francs; Rolex publishes none and quotes after inspection. Budget weeks, not days.
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The intervals the manufacturers actually publish
The widely repeated 'every three to five years' does not come from the manufacturers named above. Patek Philippe's own site says eight to ten. If you are budgeting for a pre-owned watch, budget against the brand's figure, not the internet's.
- Rolex
- Service approximately every ten years, depending on the model and real-life usage.
- Patek Philippe
- Quartz and mechanical watches, manually wound and self-winding, every eight to ten years.
- Omega
- A complete service every five to eight years, plus a water-resistance check once a year.
- Cartier
- A complete service approximately every five years; Cartier's care page also recommends a functional check every six, and servicing sooner if the watch begins running noticeably fast or slow.
What a full service actually involves
Rolex's published procedure is the most detailed: the movement is completely dismantled, every component examined and anything outside specification replaced with genuine parts, then ultrasonic cleaning, reassembly and lubrication. The case is fully disassembled, seals replaced, and the case and bracelet refinished on request. The watch is then pressure-tested for waterproofness and put through a precision test plus a further Rolex test lasting at least 24 hours. It comes back with a two-year international service guarantee. A complete overhaul takes a minimum of four to six weeks.
Omega's process runs to eight steps and replaces all water-resistance gaskets, with a 24-month warranty on each intervention. Cartier covers disassembly, cleaning, movement refurbishment, checks, reassembly, refinishing and a water-resistance test — but damaged components such as a dial, crystal, crown or bracelet are quoted separately.
One caution from Cartier worth carrying into any purchase: refinishing removes a thin layer of metal, and should not be carried out more than five times in a watch's life. A heavily polished case is a finite resource that somebody has already been spending.
What the brands publish on price
Cartier publishes UK minimum prices: a complete service from £370, with a minimum of three weeks; a battery service at £55; polishing from £365; a functional check free of charge; restoration by estimate with a three-month minimum.
Patek Philippe publishes a full public maximum price list in Swiss francs, excluding tax — 900 for a manually wound mechanical, 1,000 for a self-winding, rising through complication tiers, with a case or bracelet refresh at 350 and both at 500. Grand complications and watches over thirty years old are quoted on request. Convert those to sterling at a rate you can date, or quote them as they are published.
Rolex publishes no price list at all. Its own answer is that cost depends on the servicing required and the state of the watch, that the watch is evaluated by Rolex-certified watchmakers first, and that you receive an estimate for approval.
The UK third-party route
Independent specialists are the usual alternative, and most also quote after inspection rather than publishing prices. Watchfinder & Co., the largest independent multi-brand service centre in the UK, quotes per watch, turns work around in roughly six to eight weeks and gives a 24-month warranty on every overhaul.
A handful publish guide prices — Watches.co.uk, for example, has listed figures in the £520 to £680 range for common Rolex references, excluding case parts, movement parts and refurbishment. Treat any such figure as indicative and get a written quote.
Ranges you will find quoted in SEO articles with no stated methodology are not worth budgeting against. The honest planning number is: a four-figure sum is possible for a complication, a mid-hundreds sum is typical for a simple mechanical, and you will not know until it has been inspected.
What this means when buying pre-owned
- Ask when it was last serviced
- A watch due a service is a watch with a cost attached. That is not a reason not to buy it — it is a reason to price it in.
- Service papers are worth having
- They evidence the work and often carry their own guarantee period.
- Factor the downtime
- Four to six weeks minimum at Rolex; six to eight at a large independent. It is not a weekend job.
- Watch the polishing
- Refinishing is finite. Over-polished cases lose crisp edges and, with them, value.
Common questions
Is it true a Rolex needs servicing every five years?
No. Rolex's own recommendation is approximately every ten years, depending on the model and how it is used. The shorter figure is folklore.
How much is a Rolex service in the UK?
Rolex does not publish prices — the watch is assessed by Rolex-certified watchmakers and you receive an estimate to approve. UK independents typically quote after inspection too; a few publish guide figures in the mid-hundreds for common references, excluding parts.
Does a service reset the warranty?
It gives you a service guarantee, which is not the same as the original warranty. Rolex issues a two-year international service guarantee; Omega gives 24 months on each intervention; Patek's authorised centres give two years.
Where this comes from
Every figure and rule above is taken from the sources below. Rules, fees and brand practices change — check the source before you rely on it for a specific purchase.
- Rolex — Watch care and service FAQ (service interval, estimates) — 2026-09-19
- Rolex — The Rolex servicing procedure — 2026-09-19
- Patek Philippe — Watch care recommendations (service interval) — 2026-09-19
- Patek Philippe — Service costs (published maximum prices, CHF excl. tax) — 2026-09-19
- Omega — Interventions and prices / complete service — 2026-09-19
- Cartier UK — Watch service costs — 2026-09-19
- Cartier — Watch complete service (what it includes; refinishing limit) — 2026-09-19
- Watchfinder & Co. — Watch servicing (turnaround, warranty) — 2026-09-19
- Watches.co.uk — Watch repair guide prices — figures last confirmed on the page in December 2023
Put it into practice
Buying guides and live listings for the models this applies to most: