Will A Cheap Watch Last Forever?

When we buy expensive luxury watches we expect them to last. We know they will outlast us and we can hand these down to the next generation, but what about a cheaper watch, how long will it last for? Well, it depends. Some will break in no time and others will last a life time.

It Depends On How The Watches Are Made

The life span of any watch, including cheap watches will depend on how they are made.

If a watch has been well designed and properly engineered it will be much more likely to stand the test of time. It will also depend on what it is made from and how it is assembled. The quality of the movement is also going to be really important when it comes to how long it will last.

When you look at high end luxury watches they tick all these boxes and this is why their products can long outlast us.

Price Isn’t Everything

There are plenty of manufactures who are able to keep the designs and build quality at a high standard while keeping the costs quite low.

Seiko is a great example of this. Everything that goes into their watches is good quality and well put together. A Seiko is in general a lot cheap than a brand like Rolex, but both products are going to last a long, long time.    

The same goes for companies like Vostok. Their watches are certainly cheap, and while they do not have the same classiness of the more luxury brands, their rough and ready movements are designed to last. They are actually engineered in a way that will make them last longer. Vostoks beat at much slower rate compared to other watches, basically meaning it will take it longer for them to wear out.

(You can read more about – Is Buying A Cheap Watch A Bad Idea?)

When Corners Are Cut

If a watch is made without this high level of care and corners are cut, it is going to drastically reduce its lifespan.

While it’s hard to say exactly who is cutting corners you can quickly tell when a watch isn’t at this level. I have a number of cheap homage’s and you can just tell the quality isn’t quite the same.

On paper the watch may read like it has amazing specifications, rivalling any other more expensive watch, but in your hand it doesn’t feel the same.

I have one watch that just feels very gritty when I wind it. Every day I just feel like I am slowly grinding the stem down to nothing and one day it’s going to fail. 

I have another watch that seems fine, until you push the crown back in and the second hand jumps forward about 5 seconds. That just doesn’t seem right either.

Both of these watches are not really that old and they actually have been doing this since the day I got them. It’s just how they are. The thing is, they where both extremely cheap I am fairly certainly corners where cut to get the watch to be the price it was, with the specifications it has. This is how some of these companies make money. They have to do this to be profitable.

Only time will tell how long they will last, but I’m not expecting it to be a long time. 

I did buy them through Aliexpress, but that does mean all these watches are bad. I have plenty of watches from there that I believe will last a lifetime. The quality and standard is certainly high enough to last alongside any well known brand.

Servicing

Servicing plays a massive part in how long a cheap watch will last.

Service Interludes

If you buy a cheap watch and it suggests a service interlude that is a pretty good sign they are happy with their quality and expecting it to last. It’s not a guarantee, but it’s certainly helpful insight.

If we look at Vostok again, they recommended that you service your watches every 10 years. They are literally saying “we think this should work just fine for 10 years”. It will go on longer, but its best to just get it checked out after 10 years.

I also own a cheap Casio where it is printed on the dial “10 year battery”. We need to realise that this isn’t information just found in a little sentence in the middle of the instruction manual; it’s printed across the dial for all to see! They are confident enough that their batteries will last 10 years. So they are obviously expecting the watch to outlast this!

Getting A Service

If you actually get your watched serviced, it will really insure it can last a very long time. A regular service is going to spot any issues and allow you to replace anything that might be showing signs of wear before they come a problem.

Not doing this may results in a failure that could lead to the watch being destroyed. Prevention is much easier than a cure. For example, little things like gaskets are easy to replace every few years and prevent water damage, rather than just ignoring it and then the gaskets full fail and water gets in and irreversibly ruins your dial!

It will also depend what watch you have. Sometimes the movement inside may be cheaper to just replace than service. A watch maker may not even bother trying to fix it and only opt for a replacement movement. A replacement is still going to keep the watch going on the inside so you shouldn’t be too worried.

I have a few watches with a NH35 and I am expecting to replace them, rather than repair them. The watch will not be in its original state, but that’s fine, they are cheap watches and it will just easily extend their lifespan by doing this.

Wear and Tear

Wear and tear is of course going to play a role in how long your watch lasts. Cheap watches are often used as beaters and well, they can often get pretty beat up and this can reduce their lifespan.

While trying to look after your watches is important, I would still suggest you wear all your watches without worrying about them too much. You are never going to get around the fact that the more you wear them, the more you will damage them and reduce their lifespan.

This is what they are designed for. You can’t buy a cheap watch and keep it locked away in a safe so it can last 100 years. That’s crazy, get it on your wrist and enjoy it.

Wear and tear is natural and you shouldn’t try to avoid it. If you are that worried about a watch getting beat up, buy a G-shock and let it do its thing, they are pretty much indestructible.  

(You can read more about – Should You Worry About Scratching Your Watch)

Conclusion

If you are able to buy a good quality watch, even if it is cheap, you should be able to get it to last a life time.

You will need to look after it and get it serviced from time to time, but that is easy to do. There is no reason why a cheap watch cannot last as long as a high end watch.

(You can read more about – How Long Do Quartz Watches Last?)