Piaget Service Guide: Costs, Intervals, Polishing and Ultra-Thin Movements

Piaget publishes its service prices, and the US list valid from October 1, 2026 is a good anchor. A complete service starts at $620 for a quartz watch, $910 for a mechanical watch, $1,310 for a watch with complications and $3,050 for high complications. Exceptional pieces are quoted on estimate. All of these are "from" prices, so a worn mainspring, a cracked crystal or a damaged bracelet will push the final figure up.

The smaller jobs are listed too. A battery service starts at $65 and takes about a week. A water resistance renewal starts at $315, and polishing starts at $165 when it's added to another service or $340 on its own. Diagnostics and estimates are free, transport included, which makes it reasonable to send a watch in just to find out what it needs.

Prices differ by country, so ask for a written estimate in your own currency. The conditions of service also say an estimate lapses if you don't accept it within the stated period, so don't let it sit.

Piaget's list describes the complete service in specific terms: the movement is disassembled and cleaned, components are checked and replaced as needed, and the movement is reassembled. The case, metal bracelet and buckle get an ultrasonic clean. The watchmaker checks the rate and amplitude, verifies water resistance and runs the watch for 72 hours before it goes back to you. A finishing treatment on the case is available on request.

That last point matters. Refinishing isn't automatic, so if you want the case left alone, you don't have to argue for it. If you do want it refreshed, say exactly what you want.

Two clauses in the conditions of service catch people out. Replaced components become Piaget's property and aren't returned. And unpaid or uncollected work has deadlines: payment within 3 months and collection within 12 months of being notified, after which Piaget may dispose of the item. If you're sending in a vintage piece with original parts you care about, discuss that before you approve the estimate.

Piaget's own pages don't agree on a single number. The FAQ has carried advice ranging from every three to four years to every ten, and one version of the servicing page has recommended a complete service every 8 years. The current US servicing page avoids a fixed interval and says frequency depends on how often you wear the watch, the model and the environment it lives in.

What it does fix is the water resistance renewal, which it recommends every 3 to 5 years. That's the more useful figure for most owners. Gaskets age whether or not the movement is running well, and a watch that's been through a few summers of hand washing and the occasional swim deserves new seals before the movement needs attention.

Our view: treat the water resistance renewal as the routine and let the free check-up decide when the movement needs a full service. If the rate drifts, the power reserve drops or the winding feels rough, book it then rather than waiting for a calendar date.

Piaget boutiques offer a free check-up every two years. It covers an aesthetic inspection, a check of timekeeping, a water tightness check where the boutique has the equipment, demagnetisation for mechanical watches and a check of the other functions.

The demagnetisation is worth using. Piaget's FAQ says magnetic fields won't damage a watch but can upset its precision or even stop it. Keep it away from strong magnets, and if you have doubts, the boutique can check it. A mechanical Piaget that suddenly runs minutes fast a day is more likely magnetised than broken, and that's a free fix rather than a full service.

Most Piaget watches are gold, and gold scratches easily, so the temptation to polish is strong. Piaget's own guidance is restrained: it recommends polishing at most three times in a watch's lifetime, says it removes an extremely fine layer of metal and should only be done when necessary, and advises against it for old watches, particularly those with decorated cases such as clous de Paris.

White gold has an extra step. Piaget's polishing service includes rhodium plating on white gold, which restores the bright white colour the alloy has when new.

The Polo 79 shows why restraint pays off. Its 38mm yellow gold case uses polished gadroons, each an individual piece that slides into place, set against a case middle that's brushed on the flats and mirror polished on the chamfers. The bracelet links are held by screws from the back. That mix of finishes is what makes the watch, and an aggressive polish blurs it. Ask for the scratches to be addressed while the brushed and polished surfaces stay distinct, and ask what will be done to each part before the work starts.

Thinness is Piaget's specialty, and it changes the servicing picture. The Altiplano Ultimate Automatic with the 910P calibre is 4.3mm thick in total. To get there, Piaget mounts the movement's wheels and pivots directly on the caseback, so there's no separate mainplate, and it uses a peripheral rotor that runs around the edge of the movement instead of sitting on top of it. Piaget lists 238 components, a 3 Hz frequency and about 48 hours of power reserve.

In a watch like that, the case and movement are one assembly. Opening it, cleaning it and setting it back up is a job for a watchmaker who has handled the calibre before, not a general repair counter. Part supply matters too, because components for an integrated design aren't interchangeable with anything else. Piaget's current list has the watch at $43,900, and it's not a piece to experiment with.

Ultra-thin construction also asks more of the owner. Piaget's warranty terms exclude damage from knocks, dents and crushing, and the brand's FAQ tells owners to avoid thermal shocks, vibration and solvents. A 4.3mm watch with 2 bar of water resistance is a dress watch. Take it off for sport and keep it away from water beyond hand washing.

Yes, while the warranty is running. Piaget's warranty terms exclude services and repairs done by anyone other than an authorised Piaget service centre, and the use of components other than those Piaget recommends. Piaget also reserves the right to refuse work on watches altered or repaired outside its network. The warranty terms add that water resistance is guaranteed only if an authorised centre tests it after each opening of the case.

The warranty period can be long. A new Piaget comes with a 24 month international warranty, and the Piaget Care programme can extend it by up to 6 years, for a total of no more than 8. You have to register at care.piaget.com while the original two years are still valid, with proof of purchase. The extension stays with the watch if you sell it, which is worth mentioning in any listing.

Once the warranty has expired, the choice is yours. Piaget's own service work carries a 24 month warranty on the labour and replaced parts. An experienced independent can be a good choice for a simple quartz or a manual wind dress watch. For the 910P, a perpetual calendar or anything with an integrated case and movement, we'd send it to the brand.