Published 18 August 2026 · Updated 19 August 2026 · Written by Tibor on the second floor of Powerscourt Townhouse Centre, Dublin 2
A vintage watch we sell gets opened before we talk price. That is the job on a piece leaving the trays. The photograph above is the bench on the second floor of Powerscourt, not a stock studio. We are not taking other repairs, even to look at a piece for an estimate.
Omega tells owners to have water resistance checked once a year and a complete service every 5 to 8 years, depending on how the watch is worn (Omega, 2026). Rolex now publishes about ten years (Rolex, 2026). A family watch that sat in a drawer in Cork often needs oil sooner than that. Dried oil and a leaking cell are how an inheritance becomes a project.
What you need to know
- The back comes off with the right tool, not a blade.
- Battery and strap replacement are the only jobs we can take.
- Omega’s own interval is 5 to 8 years for a full service, plus a yearly water-resistance check.
What do we look at first?
The case back comes off with the tool for that back. Then the movement, the oils, whether a battery has leaked, and whether someone has already been inside with the wrong screwdriver.
On a piece we might sell, we also check the dial, the hands, the crown, and the serials against what that reference should look like. You get that in writing for 12 months if you buy it here. The seven tests we use before we treat a watch as money are on the vintage watches in Dublin page.
A cheap cell left in a plated case will etch the movement. Omega’s own quartz warning is the four-second jump of the seconds hand. That is how a fifty-euro job becomes a several-hundred-euro service. Same-day battery work is usual when the back is a standard snap or screw type. We will tell you if a Rolex, Cartier, or Omega needs a specialist tool or a new gasket before we open it. That work sits on watch repair in Dublin.
Rolex describes an official service as a full dismantle, ultrasonic clean, fresh lubrication, timing, and a waterproofness test (Rolex, 2026). We are not taking that work. We will not call a wipe and a polish a service.
| We look at | We will not |
|---|---|
| Oils, leak, previous screwdriver marks | Prise a case with a blade |
| Dial, hands, crown, serials on a sale piece | Promise an overhaul from a photograph |
| Whether we can stand over the job | Restore a dial you actually wanted left alone |
What will we not do?
We will not prise a case with a blade. We will not promise a full overhaul from a photograph. We will not talk you into a restoration that destroys the dial you actually wanted.
If the watch is not a job we can stand over, we say so. Rolex and Omega both say unofficial opening can void a factory guarantee. We would rather tell you that on Tuesday than pretend otherwise.
Battery and strap work we still take, including on watches bought elsewhere. Other repairs we cannot look at, even from a photograph sent at midnight.
How do you leave a watch with us?
Call 01 679 9107 or walk in Monday to Saturday, 11:00 to 18:00. Second floor, Powerscourt Townhouse Centre, 59 William Street South, Dublin 2. Battery replacement and strap replacement only.
If you are buying, try the watch on in the shop. A bench note is not the same as a cuff test. If you have not been here yet, start with visiting the shop in Powerscourt. Manufacturer service intervals sit on when to service everybody’s watch.
Questions? We are on the second floor of the Powerscourt Townhouse Centre, Dublin 2.
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