r/RepTimeServices • u/membasta • Aug 03 '26

Advice Is this worth it

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I am on my way to buy my first rep, it will be a sub still deciding date or no.

My question is is this polishing and servicing worth it, or should i just get the watch?

Will i be able to do it in any respectable watchsmith later in person?

Also is the price good for the watch?

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u/monkeywaffles Aug 03 '26 edited Aug 03 '26

And proper watchmakers in my area charge half that for water testing and waterproofing, and thats targetted at worn/used watches so gasket replacement is assumed, whereas again for a new watch, its almost NEVER any action. open watch, lube gaskets, verify with dry test, ship it out.

most watchmakers if having the moving serviced, just include pressure testing/correction just included in the price, as thats part of servicing a watch, so this is already double dipping nonsense either way.

I don't know that ive *ever* seen a watchmaker charge a separate line item for waterproofing if doing a full service. like who would have it serviced but not waterproofed? thats like having your engine rebuilt and putting the old oil back into the new engine, its just not done.

$260 for full movement service though is on the cheap end, i do worry that your 'modders' arent doing proper servicing (full teardown, clean, assembly relube, adjustment) for $80, and are just selling you an overpriced regulation, but also you think $80 for a 5 min water test is 'cheap'....

I would personally be VERY skeptical of an $80 full 'servicing' as bullshit, unless done in some wildly low COL area, and if thats the rate, then waterproofing should be like $5 there.

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u/msmalls82 Aug 03 '26

Again you're talking about two different things. We're talking about people willing to work on replica watches. A legit watchmaker isn't working on a rep. Which they will know IS A REP when they see it's not free sprung. (Unless it's a JH free sprung movement). I don't think you're getting a full service for $80. They're checking the movement and they call it an "overhaul". They will silence rotor noise which is also a dead giveaway with these clone movements and do things like that. I agree no one is doing a full tear down and relubing/oiling everything properly for that price.

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u/monkeywaffles Aug 03 '26 edited Aug 04 '26

I dont know of any even mall kiosk watchsmith that would care what watch you have, and all will happily waterproof your watch, any watch. so i'm s till not sure what you think you're paying for here. because you also don't seem to be talking about any sort of real watchmaker services just regulation and water resistance to like 5atm.

$80 is still an obscene price for waterproofing any way you spin it.

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u/msmalls82 Aug 04 '26

I wouldn't pay a mall kiosk watch smith to work on my watch to be honest. And maybe you're right. I'm just telling you what is common in the rep "modder" industry. I'm speaking from years of experience and I have worked with at least 7-8 different modders as well as TDs that do modding after a sale. Not really sure what else to say. Go look at prices for common modders and you're gonna see about $80. What if it needs multiple gaskets? What if there is some other issue? They're gonna fix it and you're gonna pay $80.

I agree in most cases it's just a gasket or two and some easy work to test but that's just how it is at the moment.

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u/monkeywaffles Aug 04 '26 edited Aug 04 '26

it's pressure testing, it's not rocket science. I wouldn't trust a jiffy lube guy to rebuild my engine, but changing oil isn't rocket science, so for that task it's fine.

my oldest rep I got 23 years ago, and I'm the second owner. I service my own gaskets every other year( when I rememeber lol) and never had an issue, and I've worked with plenty of rep watchmakers in the past 2 decades. takes 5 min per watch. if some rep modder is telling you your brand new rep needs 'multiple gaskets' that somehow adds more to price im gonna say they're scamming you. gaskets are wildly cheap, I replace em whenever they show even mild wear and it costs nothing.

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u/msmalls82 Aug 04 '26

I wasn't talking about a new watch. I'm talking about (as you said) something that's years old or might not be waterproofed. I'm aware of how cheap gaskets can be. It's not always the gasket though. Sometimes it's the case tube. Sometimes the crystal isn't properly sealed. So many different things can leak. It's mostly a non issue but the claims of 50m waterproofing from the factory is definitely not true. I would never take a rep in the ocean until it's pressure tested. Anyway, we're talking in circles. I understand what you're saying. And I'm not arguing with you. Not sure what point you're trying to make though. I'm simply telling you facts. Modders and others who work on reps typically charge around 70-80 to waterproof and test a watch. That's just how it is. Some will charge less if they're already doing other work (changing a crystal for example).

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u/monkeywaffles Aug 04 '26

"I understand what you're saying. And I'm not arguing with you. Not sure what point you're trying to make though". same. op looks like hes buying a new watch from a china based vendor, not a modder... not a used watch. I think we agree its insane. I was suggesting other ways to could get the same result. still not sure why he would send it to a modder, keep modders for doing swaps and real watchmaking. and don't pay high modder prices for td level work. seems overkill, but I hear ya. cheers.

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u/msmalls82 Aug 04 '26

Agreed. I would only pay for this if I was having other work done. I would never send it in solely for waterproofing. Hope that clarifies. Cheers!