My Best Life in Jewelry
Why Professional Watch Care Matters: The Expertise Behind Your Timepiece
Published: Aug 19, 2026
At Van Scoy Jewelers, we know that a watch is more than something that simply tells time. For many people, a watch is an investment, a treasured gift, a family heirloom, or a piece they plan to enjoy for many years.
That is why we are proud to offer something becoming increasingly difficult to find, professional watch services.
Van Scoy Jewelers offers watch battery replacement for most watches. While changing a battery may sound simple, proper watch care involves more than simply opening the case and installing a new battery.
Our goal is to handle your watch carefully and properly, while also looking for potential issues that could affect its performance or water resistances.
One reason customers are sometimes surprised when they receive an estimate for watch repair or cleaning is that they may not realize just how complicated a watch can be.
A mechanical watch can contain dozens to hundreds of individual components, depending on the movement. A relatively simple mechanical movement may contain around 100 parts, while highly complicated watches—such as chronographs, perpetual calendars, and minute repeaters—can contain 200, 300, 400 or even more individual components.
Every one of those components has a job, and many of them are incredibly small.
When a watch needs professional service, you aren't simply paying someone to "clean a watch." You're paying for the knowledge, experience, equipment, time and precision required to work on a miniature mechanical machine.
A professional watchmaker requires specialized training and experience. Working on a fine timepiece requires patience, precision and an understanding of how hundreds of tiny components work together.
Lubrication alone requires considerable precision. Too much lubricant can be just as problematic as too little. The wrong lubricant in the wrong location can affect the performance of a movement.
This is why professional watchmaking is a skill—not simply a task.
Another area that can be misunderstood is water resistance.
A watch may say that it is water resistant, but that doesn't mean it will remain water resistant forever. Gaskets can deteriorate with age, crowns can wear, crystals can become damaged, and case backs can lose their proper seal.
A pressure test uses specialized equipment to determine whether a watch's case is maintaining its water resistance under the conditions being tested.
If a watch fails a test, that can be an important warning. The problem may involve a gasket, crown, crystal, case back or another sealing surface. Finding that problem before moisture enters the watch can potentially prevent much more expensive damage.
We understand that hearing a repair or service estimate can sometimes be surprising. However, the cost isn't simply for the amount of time someone spends holding the watch, It reflects the skill, experience, specialized equipment, precision and responsibility involved in working on someone's valuable timepiece.
A watchmaker is working with components that can be microscopic and extremely delicate. One damaged or misplaced component can affect the entire movement. In some cases, replacement parts can also be difficult or expensive to obtain.
When you bring a valuable watch to a professional, you're trusting someone with something that may have significant financial and sometimes sentimental value.
That's a responsibility we take seriously.
At Van Scoy Jewelers, we're proud to continue offering watch services to our customers when many other jewelers have stopped providing them.
Whether your watch needs a battery replacement, cleaning, repair, maintenance or water-resistance testing, our goal is to help you keep your timepiece working properly for years to come.
The next time you receive an estimate for professional watch service, remember what is happening behind that estimate: you're not just paying to have a watch cleaned or repaired. You're paying for the expertise required to care for a tiny, intricate precision machine.
And when that watch has been part of your life for years—or may someday be passed down to the next generation—that care is worth it.
That is why we are proud to offer something becoming increasingly difficult to find, professional watch services.
Van Scoy Jewelers offers watch battery replacement for most watches. While changing a battery may sound simple, proper watch care involves more than simply opening the case and installing a new battery.
Our goal is to handle your watch carefully and properly, while also looking for potential issues that could affect its performance or water resistances.
One reason customers are sometimes surprised when they receive an estimate for watch repair or cleaning is that they may not realize just how complicated a watch can be.
A mechanical watch can contain dozens to hundreds of individual components, depending on the movement. A relatively simple mechanical movement may contain around 100 parts, while highly complicated watches—such as chronographs, perpetual calendars, and minute repeaters—can contain 200, 300, 400 or even more individual components.
Every one of those components has a job, and many of them are incredibly small.
When a watch needs professional service, you aren't simply paying someone to "clean a watch." You're paying for the knowledge, experience, equipment, time and precision required to work on a miniature mechanical machine.
A professional watchmaker requires specialized training and experience. Working on a fine timepiece requires patience, precision and an understanding of how hundreds of tiny components work together.
Lubrication alone requires considerable precision. Too much lubricant can be just as problematic as too little. The wrong lubricant in the wrong location can affect the performance of a movement.
This is why professional watchmaking is a skill—not simply a task.
Another area that can be misunderstood is water resistance.
A watch may say that it is water resistant, but that doesn't mean it will remain water resistant forever. Gaskets can deteriorate with age, crowns can wear, crystals can become damaged, and case backs can lose their proper seal.
A pressure test uses specialized equipment to determine whether a watch's case is maintaining its water resistance under the conditions being tested.
If a watch fails a test, that can be an important warning. The problem may involve a gasket, crown, crystal, case back or another sealing surface. Finding that problem before moisture enters the watch can potentially prevent much more expensive damage.
We understand that hearing a repair or service estimate can sometimes be surprising. However, the cost isn't simply for the amount of time someone spends holding the watch, It reflects the skill, experience, specialized equipment, precision and responsibility involved in working on someone's valuable timepiece.
A watchmaker is working with components that can be microscopic and extremely delicate. One damaged or misplaced component can affect the entire movement. In some cases, replacement parts can also be difficult or expensive to obtain.
When you bring a valuable watch to a professional, you're trusting someone with something that may have significant financial and sometimes sentimental value.
That's a responsibility we take seriously.
At Van Scoy Jewelers, we're proud to continue offering watch services to our customers when many other jewelers have stopped providing them.
Whether your watch needs a battery replacement, cleaning, repair, maintenance or water-resistance testing, our goal is to help you keep your timepiece working properly for years to come.
The next time you receive an estimate for professional watch service, remember what is happening behind that estimate: you're not just paying to have a watch cleaned or repaired. You're paying for the expertise required to care for a tiny, intricate precision machine.
And when that watch has been part of your life for years—or may someday be passed down to the next generation—that care is worth it.