Do Automatic Watches Last Forever?

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An automatic watch is often considered a luxury timepiece. Most reputable companies that manufacture automatic timepieces usually sell them at unbelievably high prices, but there’s a good reason for that. When you buy a luxury timepiece, you should think of it as an investment.

These watches are made by skilled watchmakers, often by hand. Each of the inlaid gears and the components are put in meticulously by hand to ensure smooth performance. It’s one of the reasons why most people are able to pass down their luxury timepieces down from one generation to another.

The watch is certainly going to outlast you. The answer for this is simple: high-end automatic watches are designed to last a lifetime. But you need to understand that this is not always the case. To figure out how long do automatic watches last, it’s important to understand the components within the watch, the quality of construction, and, of course, the main factors that separate this watch from an ordinary cheap watch.

Five Tips to Take Care of Automatic Watches

There are several simple ways to take care of an automatic watch. Here are five tips that will help.

1. Service it Regularly

You need to take the watch to a horologist from time to time in order to get the movement and the machinery inside serviced. With time, the lubricants are going to dry off, so a consistent service will keep the watch running smoothly.

2. Keep it in a Box When You Aren’t Wearing it

Don’t just leave it out in the open; it’s best to store it in a box when you are not using the watch to prevent it from getting accidentally scratched or damaged in any way. It’s important that you store it properly when you are not using the watch.

3. Use it From Time to Time

The machinery in an automatic watch is going to get tight and stuck if you don’t use it from time to time. Don’t just leave it in a box for a longer period of time; make sure that you take it out and put it to use to ensure that the machinery continues to run properly.

4. Keep it Away from Moisture

With time, your automatic watch will lose its water resistance. Even a single drop of water could wreak havoc on the inner machinery. It’s best to keep it away from moisture!

5. Avoid Putting it Near Magnets

The performance of your watch is going to get affected if it gets severely magnetized. It’s got metal parts inside, so it’s important that you avoid keeping it near magnets.

How Long Can an Automatic Watch Last?

This may seem to be a fairly straightforward question, but you have to understand that the answer is quite subjective. Primarily, it depends on the quality of the watch. If you buy a genuine high-end automatic watch, it’s easily going to last you for years to come.

When watchmakers take the time and effort in order to use high-quality parts and make sure that everything is well set and properly laid in, the result is an automatic watch that can be handed down from one generation to another without any issues.

The quality of metals used is so high that these watches are never going to corrode or rust, and you don’t have to worry about any kind of damage over time. The only thing you need to be wary of is regular maintenance. These watches have a bunch of moving parts that must be lubricated properly from time to time to ensure smooth performance.

However, not all automatic watches are made in a similar manner. For example, there are now machine-made automatic watches as well. Watches that are made using cheaper-quality materials are unlikely to last as long, and you will eventually have to consider buying a replacement for these makes and models.

Now, there’s a perception amongst many people that a good automatic watch is likely to cost an arm and a leg. That’s not entirely true. Yes, the major brands such as Rolex and Patek Philippe are going to cost more than an average house, but you should know that in the world of luxury watches, a considerable amount of money that you pay for is the branding and the prestige associated with the name itself.

What Should You Look for in an Automatic Watch?

You should know that there are several indicators that speak to the quality of an automatic watch that you need to keep in mind. The first and most important thing that you need to consider when buying an automatic watch is the materials used in the watch.

The internal components within the watch all play an important role, so it’s important that you buy something that’s well made. For example, the Sistem51 watch from Swatch is the first automatic watch that’s made by machines. It’s a plastic watch, and albeit being an automatic, it’s really not one that you can hand down from one generation to another.

While all automatic watches work in a similar manner, you have to understand that the use of quality components can have a major impact on the longevity and performance of the watch. You also need to take a look at the movement of the watch. The most popular watch movements are either Japanese or Swiss, and they are both renowned for their long lives and the fact that they don’t require a lot of maintenance.

For the glass covering, you should make sure that it’s made of sapphire crystal. Sapphire crystal is robust and highly durable, and is unlikely to sustain damage. It’s a synthetic material but is completely scratch-proof and is virtually impossible to break. Of course, there are acrylic or glass face watches available too, but they are not going to be as reliable or as durable as sapphire crystal.