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Oil shelf life

OldTimer

By OldTimer
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OldTimer New Member

OldTimer

Posted
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Assuming lubricants are a tool topic, how long is the shelf life of watch oils?  I am restarting my watch repair business after decades of dormancy and now wonder if I should start with new watch oils or if I can use what I already have. They were off in a dark corner but opened many years ago. Mostly what I work on are American pocket watches and other vintage pieces. What products should I use in the oil cups and where to purchase?

AdamC WRT Addict

AdamC

Posted
Posted

All the recent synthetic Moebius oils I’ve purchased have a relative short shelf life; e.g, 2023 so if that’s anything to go on it would mean replacing your oils. I buy mine from a French seller on ebay as they are less than the main suppliers in the UK. Hope that helps. Happy New Year!!


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vinn3 Distinguished Member

vinn3

Posted
Posted

welcome old timer. watch repair is an excellent retirement job.  I haven't  had a problem with synthetic oils "jelling or evaporating",  thou it has been said of whale oil [ the original watch oil] did not evaporate.  vin

rodabod Distinguished Member

rodabod

Posted
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I’m not entirely convinced about manufacturer’s shelf life dates being used to decide whether or not an oil is still good to use or not. 

 

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AdamC WRT Addict

AdamC

Posted
Posted
I’m not entirely convinced about manufacturer’s shelf life dates being used to decide whether or not an oil is still good to use or not. 
 

I do wonder whether the expiry dates on the Moebius oils are biased towards profits and not a true reflection of their effectiveness after that date. I’d imagine they may still be good for double the life stated, but that would be a guess. I bought these in Nov 2017. 8fc01517e333a4dafb452839a022f195.jpg


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Endeavor Distinguished Member

Endeavor

Posted
Posted (edited)

Moebius 8000, natural oil. On eBay 1ml sells for about £12 including postage ...... let's say £10 for ease. This is a very rough approach anyway.

There are 1000 ml in 1 liter. 1x US barrel = 159 ltr.

1x US barrel of Moebius 8000 sells for £10 * 1000 * 159 = £ 1.590.000,- = US $ 2.161.470 @ current exchange rate.

1x barrel of crude oil cost around $50 ....... deduct all the refinery, some additives cost, laboratory cost,  bottle and packaging cost. Then of course the taxes ...... a combination of Switzerland & Multinationals ..... 

What shelf life would you give it if you own Moebius ....... :angel:

And this is of course just one of their many different oils they sell ....

 

Edited by Endeavor
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rodabod Distinguished Member

rodabod

Posted
Posted

Some natural oils turn acidic with time. Hence why you get green gunge in oil sinks on brass clock plates.

I think the dates written on Moebius oils should only be considered as sell-by dates. Their fully synthetic oils should last a lot longer than their natural-based oils like D5 and 8200.

I own an Omega from 1997 which has never been serviced and is still running excellently. This is partly due to having an hermetically sealed case with screw-down crown. However, the oil still appears to be doing it's job.

I keep thing I should get a glass plate and place several droplets of different lubes down to see how they dry and deteriorate over the years.

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