What Owners Say After Collecting Their Watch

The Challenge

The watch — a Swiss automatic from the 1970s — was losing approximately six minutes per day and running out of power reserve after fourteen hours instead of the expected thirty-eight. The owner had bought it at a market and was unsure of its service history.

What We Did

Full disassembly revealed a partially broken mainspring and an accumulation of dried lubricant on the escapement. After ultrasonic cleaning and mainspring replacement, the movement was lubricated and reassembled. Timing was measured across six positions over forty-eight hours before the watch was returned.

The Outcome

Power reserve restored to 36 hours. Daily rate deviation reduced to +4 seconds, within acceptable tolerance for the caliber's age. The owner received a written report with timing figures and collected the watch five weeks after intake.

The Challenge

A family heirloom, over one hundred years old, not running. Two workshops in Bangkok had declined to take it, citing the age of the movement and the difficulty of sourcing parts. The owner wanted it functioning again but was concerned about irreversible changes to the piece.

What We Did

Photographed at each stage. A cracked third-wheel jewel was identified and a compatible replacement sourced from a specialist supplier. The mainspring was replaced; the dial was cleaned conservatively without removing the original patina. The owner approved each stage before work proceeded.

The Outcome

The watch now runs and keeps reasonable time for a piece of its age. The dial retains its original character. The photographic record provided runs to 40 images across the service stages. Total time: nine weeks due to the jewel sourcing lead time.

The Challenge

A 1960s Omega with a cracked acrylic crystal and significant case wear. The owner had previously been advised by another shop to have the whole case polished uniformly, which would have erased the original half-brushed, half-polished finish — an important detail on this reference.

What We Did

Sourced a replacement acrylic crystal to the original dome profile. Polished the case using separate techniques for the brushed and polished surfaces — a slower process but one that preserves the factory finish design. Replaced the gasket and conducted a pressure test before closing.

The Outcome

Crystal replaced with a correct-profile acrylic dome. Case finish preserved with its original two-surface character. Ready for collection in twelve days. The owner commented that the watch looks as it would have when new — without looking over-restored.