I have put the question to a watchmaker and apparently, it takes around 2 hours to service a non chrono and approx 4 hours to service a chronograph. materials (cleaning fluids, lubricants and so forth) are negligeable so you are left with labour. most watch makers charge around £30-£40 ($45-$60) per hour. considering the above, the cost of servicing a simple non chrono should be around £80 and double that for a chrono as long as there are no parts to replace.

Some watchmakers may charge a lot more and may do other bits of work as part of the service like polishing case and bracelet as well as replacing some low values parts such as spring bars and sometimes crystals.

A sign of a good watchmaker is one that is ready to guarantee the watch following service. My watchmaker gives a 6 month warranty against defects (covers mechanical faults) following a service. Obviously, droping you watch or abusing it would not be covered.

There is always the exception to the rule. An analogy is mechanics. A Porsche or Ferrari mechanic will have far higher labour costs than your local back street workshop mechanic. I suppose it comes down to quality of equipment and materials and like all trades, best to go for someone with a good history and reputation.

I am sure watchmaking has good guys as well as it 's share of bad guys.

Hi- a question from a newbie- what should I expect to pay for a
: regular service of a Vintage Heuer.
: I have Vintage Monacos 1133Bs x 3 ; Carreras including a Dato 12
: & Tachy; and a beautiful Calculator and several early Heuer
: Rally Clocks. Im told watches from the 60's-70's should be
: serviced every 3 years and was somewhat gobsmacked today to
: receive a quote of $600 $700 to service just one watch from my
: collection from a local vintage watch repair shop. Appreciate
: some thoughts and guidance from the experts