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Thread: Terrible repair service - watchmaker or butcher? What should I do?

  1. #51
    Grand Master number2's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by daveandmairi View Post
    1) I didn't name the repairer because I wanted to know if I was right in being unhappy with his response before deciding what to do next.
    2) They are stuck between the rotor and the glass. Not sure how better to explain it. Nothing is moving.
    The rotor has a smooth surface, the case back has a smooth surface, the screws have threads, if they were to 'come loose' they would jam in the 'gear train',

    Sorry OP, still don't believe this story.
    "Once is happenstance. Twice is coincidence. The third time it's enemy action."

    'Populism, the last refuge of a Tory scoundrel'.

  2. #52
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    Quote Originally Posted by stiver3 View Post
    Wow, they are big screws! You do wonder how they were missed....

    Sent from my HTC One_M8 using Tapatalk
    Curiously enough the screws look like type that are used in 'spectacles'.
    "Once is happenstance. Twice is coincidence. The third time it's enemy action."

    'Populism, the last refuge of a Tory scoundrel'.

  3. #53
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    Quote Originally Posted by Lampoc View Post
    I had the exact same thing happen with a brand new Bremont a few months ago (with only 1 screw though). Why is it so unbelievable?
    And when you looked inside a huge screw was sat on the rotor, coincidence indeed.
    "Once is happenstance. Twice is coincidence. The third time it's enemy action."

    'Populism, the last refuge of a Tory scoundrel'.

  4. #54
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    Any expert would know that those screws hold the giggling pin to the laffin shaft... and without them the tickle valve won’t open and close properly

  5. #55
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    Quote Originally Posted by Enoch View Post
    Any expert would know that those screws hold the giggling pin to the laffin shaft... and without them the tickle valve won’t open and close properly
    "Once is happenstance. Twice is coincidence. The third time it's enemy action."

    'Populism, the last refuge of a Tory scoundrel'.

  6. #56
    Master Lampoc's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by number2 View Post
    And when you looked inside a huge screw was sat on the rotor, coincidence indeed.
    It was a movement holder screw and it was stuck between the rotor and case back glass. Coincidence indeed. Perhaps it's a worldwide conspiracy theory of some sort and the OP and I are somehow in on it.

  7. #57
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    Quote Originally Posted by Lampoc View Post
    It was a movement holder screw and it was stuck between the rotor and case back glass. Coincidence indeed. Perhaps it's a worldwide conspiracy theory of some sort and the OP and I are somehow in on it.
    Lolz,
    "Once is happenstance. Twice is coincidence. The third time it's enemy action."

    'Populism, the last refuge of a Tory scoundrel'.

  8. #58
    Craftsman
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    I'd have no idea what the OP would stand to gain here. Posting for advice seems completely reasonable.

    If it were me, I'd not return my watch to that repairer, even to return it given the treatment it received would not be something I'd want to do.

    I would find another approved repairer, plenty from here, and ask for their attention and opinion on what exactly might have gone on in this case. Then you could bring that to the forum (if you could be bothered to) to decide what next steps to take.

  9. #59
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    Quote Originally Posted by daveandmairi View Post
    Having searched various forums I sent my beloved Zenith off to have a repair (the hour hand had come loose after a fall) using a repairer that plenty of people had said offer a great service. A day after I got it back I noticed that the rotor wasn't turning and to my horror found two screws jamming it.

    I contacted the repairer who has so far denied that loose screws floating around the mechanism would be his responsibility since I didn't have a full service. He has agreed to 'have a look at it' if I send it back at my own expense.
    If someone finds a fault with a watch you've worked on, the only reasonable response is to pay to get it back and prioritize it so that the customer is inconvenienced the least amount. In my opinion, he's not dealing particularly well with you and you should bear that in mind.

    Did you send the Watchmaker this picture? If he hasn't seen the pictures, what if he thinks (for example) it's one of the three screws around the rotor bearing that has come out? He would have had no reason to touch those and as you only paid him for a partial job, he could hardly be expected to have gone around and checked the torque on every screw he could see. Then his comment (although not necessarily his attitude) makes sense.

    This is the reason that no-one likes taking on partial jobs and I will only do it for someone I know well because whatever is wrong afterwards, it's always the fault of the last person who opened the case. I don't know many Watchmakers who will take on partial jobs for people they don't know.

    You'd expect him to take the movement out of the case and remove enough to be able to support the movement behind the hands as it's poor practice to just press the hands on with the movement supported around its edge (for example, if you could go in through the front). As has been mentioned, they could be case clamp screws and he didn't tighten them well. They look about 3 mm long if the case is about 40 mm diameter.

    It's surprising how screws loosen over time. The worst seem to be the old "bumper" movements as the regular impacts of the rotor on the springs causes a little shock that will loosen anything not fully tight. I had a '50s Bumper Omega in before Christmas with a blocked train. It was one dial screw that had worked out and got into the train but this had clearly not been looked at for years. That screw goes in at 90 degrees to the circumference and is not short so, just unlucky that it could find a way out.

    Good luck, Chris

  10. #60
    Master
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    This is why Rolex won't touch the internals of a watch without a full service - something people frequently cry about.

  11. #61
    Master Alansmithee's Avatar
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    Given the op is using his real name (or rather its easy to work out his real name) - whatever else is going on, I doubt it's trolling.

  12. #62
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    I’ll certainly echo Chris’s comments, I’m wary about doing partial repair jobs for the same reason. It’s what I call ‘pass the parcel syndrome’, last person to touch it gets the hassle. People seem to assume a repairer is always looking to make work for himself by reporting the need for additional work whan a watch comes in, but tgat’s usually not the case. Often, one problem with a watch is the tip of the iceberg and there are other issues.

    As for 1950s Omega bumper automatics, I’ve worked on several recently and after reading Chris’s comment I sincerely hope I tightened every screw carefully!

    Paul

  13. #63
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    One thing I definitely wouldn’t do is post the watch anywhere and risk those screws bumping around in the movement. If I couldn’t take the back off myself and tip them out I’d gingerly carry it to the nearest watchmaker I trusted to do that. I’d then want a full Service carried out by someone qualified, as any metal chipped off by the screws rattling around would need cleaning out and any damage to delicate parts checked along with timing etc. - imagine one of those screws bouncing off the hairspring.

    Not a nice thing to see, however it happened.

  14. #64
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    Hi op

    Any reply/update from the watch maker?

  15. #65
    Master
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    Humans make errors it's life. I had a watch serviced by a well respected guy many people use on here and it was 15 min out and the dial had several bits of fluff on it lol.


    Take it to a dealer to confirm what you are saying simple as that!!! Provide a name and contact number to the guy who serviced it. Simple:)

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