DIY watch repair - surprising result

[Pints]

I found an old box a few months back which contained various items from my youth, one of which was the watch I had as a schoolboy. Nothing fancy, just a quartz.

I tried it on and the perished strap promptly snapped. I managed to find a replacement (rather unusual fitting strap) on ebay and ordered a new battery while I was there. Long story short, I ordered a 2nd battery which also seemingly didn't get the watch working.

I'd now spent £5 on a watch which probably wasn't worth a fiver to start with. There was nothing to lose so I opened the back up, gave it a small squirt of WD-40, dried off the excess with a tissue, popped the battery back in and... hey presto! 15-odd years since it was last on my wrist, most of which was spent in a damp garage in a box, and it seems to be ticking away quite nicely (or has done for the last 35 minutes).

So, is this just a brief recovery before the WD-40 stops it ticking forever or should I open up my own watch repair shop.
What do the watch knowledgeables think?

[Laser Sag]

Dont know on how long the repair will last but just accept your luck while it is working and enjoy your recaptured youth.
Never tried to repair watches but years ago father in law dropped his SLR camera and it wouldnt work we took it all apart and refitted to no avail still wouldnt work so he got a new one via insurance.Some years latter found the camera in a box and as it now didnt matter dropped it from about 18 inches onto the carpet and it worked fine there after, sometimes you are lucky sometimes you arent.

[glazbagun]

Quartz watches are even less tolerant of crud/dried oil inside them than mechanicals, since they have so little power to last them for such a long time. So if I had to guess, I'd say the wheels were dried up/full of crap, and the WD40 has managed to either lubricate the pinions or dislodge whatever was holding the watch up.

Really, really not a recommended servicing technique, though. Ideally the entire inside of the watch should be spotlessly clean & grease free, except for the pivots & a few other points needing oil. Overlubrication leads to crud (like from a tissue ) sticking everywhere and also (ironically) leads to the lubrication creeping away from where it's needed most, so a watch that's overoiled actually runs much drier than one oiled correctly. Just dunking a watch in oil will certainly lubricate it, but probably shorten its lifespan.

Wether it will shorten it enough to be of concern to an owner is another question.

Edited by glazbagun on Sunday 21st March 16:03

[Pints]

Cheers Glaz. Points noted but since it wasn't really going to work on its own accord, and not worth the repair cost, it seemed a worthwhile effort.

Now 17.19 and it's been running since 8.29. So far so good

If it dies it just gives me a good reason to buy that G-shock I've had my eye on.

[glazbagun]

It'll still probably run for a decade or two.

[eccles]

It's nice when you unexpectedly fix something. I bought a nice non working Seiko off ebay for a couple of quid. When it arrived I took the back off to see if it was anything obvious, and hey presto a screw had come out and had jammed the rotor. Screw was refitted, and the watch is still going strong to this day!