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Oil shelf life

OldTimer

By OldTimer
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OldTimer New Member

OldTimer

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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?

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AdamC WRT Addict

AdamC

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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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AdamC WRT Addict

AdamC

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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. 
 

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

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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 ....

 

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rodabod Distinguished Member

rodabod

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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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