I quite like stripping watches and cleaning them up and getting them to run right. I'm no expert so wouldn't do that with an Omega or Rolex, but with simple watches that don't owe me much I'm happy to have a go!
There is one exception to this though - I hate fitting crystals. I know it's a simple job, but it's one I just can't get to grips with. So - I suppose I live by the motto of know your limits!
So, to this end I sent off this cheap Poljot to have a new crystal fitted, to a watchmender who is generally well thought of, and recommended, on this forum (I won't mention his name as that perhaps would be unfair) although I don't believe he posts here (or even ever reads emails or has updated his website since 1923)...
He fitted the new crystal, and I'd asked him to fit a seconds hand at the same time, as none of the ones I had would fit - these Soviet watches seem to use prop-shafts off tractors for the centre wheel pinion. As I'd not heard from him for a week or so, I gave him a ring to see the state of play - Crystal fitted and watch ready to come back... Goody.
Then he added he couldn't fit a seconds hand as the pinion was broken and the watch would need stripping and a new fourth wheel fitting - costing about £60 or so. OK - I'll have it back as it is and can use it without a seconds hand - after all, it's not worth a fortune.
After getting it back, I thought I'd have a quick look through a loupe - centre pinion is still there, and revolving at a steady rate... Something off here...
So, found a bag of hands, found a gold one with a decently large looking centre bush and reamed it out slightly to make a fit, and voila! Seconds hand on firmly and working away like a good one.
So - overall, not impressed that the watchmender didn't really try - and probably fibbed rather a lot to me...
Thoughts? Should I name and shame?
Watch does look better with new crystal - and I hate fitting them - so overall no harm done - but I would have been had for £60 if I'd asked him to do the work.
Poljot Automatic. by Burbage Photography, on Flickr
Poljot Automatic. by Burbage Photography, on Flickr
Poljot Automatic. by Burbage Photography, on Flickr
Poljot Automatic. by Burbage Photography, on Flickr
How it looked when I bought it:
Poljot dress watch by Burbage Photography, on Flickr
I'd name them - that's what the forum is for. We should be better informed than the man on the street. the good news is your watch was not butchered like some watchmakers have done, and you were able to carry out the work. I wouldn't have been able to do the work, so would have had a useless watch for me :( or a £60 bill!
It's just a matter of time...
I'll hang fire and see what the overall thought is - I have to say it's the first time I've used this chap, and did so based on good words said on this forum about his work - perhaps I was just unlucky and he didn't have the extra 1/2 hour to mess about with, what is after all, a worthless watch.Originally Posted by Omegamanic
I'm pleased with how well it's come up though compared to when I got it! That's the bit that makes my bodging and staring through a loupe without breathing worthwhile!
What a liberty!
Nice old watch, he should have at least had a look at it properly.
Cheers,
Neil.
That was my thought - even if he said "look I can't be arsed messing about to find a seconds hand that fits, so have it back" I'd have been happy enough!
Good point.
Apologies to all the great guys out there. This was Rytetime in Leicester.
Who may also be a great watch repairer - just wasn't this time.
Thanks for posting; this bit gave him away straight away to me:
Experience with Rytetime is variable (and communication not a strong point!) and if the search function was working properly here you would be able to find that out, as issues have come up before.although I don't believe he posts here (or even ever reads emails or has updated his website since 1923)...
Ah! I did have a look through - as best I could, but only found a couple of recommendations.
Unfortunately, the chap I used to use who taught me a huge amount about appreciating watches, died a good few years ago. That's why I've been doing so much DIY on watches since.
He was proper old school, and had a little Alladin's cave of a shop in Peacehaven.
Funny enough I got 2 watches back from Ryte time today.
Both watches were faulty, now back to their best.
Good communication (called me on a Friday evening) to authorise the repair cost.
From sending in to getting back just under a month.
I'm sure it's a variable thing - perhaps he just didn't have a hand to fit mine and didn't want to mess about for a few quid...
Not sure about the naming & shaming aspect, but he certainly didn`t go the extra mile on this one and fabricated a tale to fob the owner off.
I`m new to the service/repairing game but it surprises me how a well-regarded repairer can let things slip. I`ve wondered whether this guy has someone working for him who doesn`t always get things right.
A good reputation is hard-won and easily lost IMO; every single job that goes out to a customer is an advertisement for your work.......good or bad. It's a double-edged sword; each job is an opportunity to show what you can do but it's also a potential banana skin.
Paul
There are two sides to every story and so far we have only heard one. I prefer to keep an open mind before before joining in the destruction of a hard-won good reputation.
Something confuses me. The OP shows a picture of the watch as it was when he bought it.
Poljot dress watch by Burbage Photography, on Flickr
It clearly shows that the watch had a second hand fitted. So, what happened to it before the watch was given to RyteTime?
If it had no second hand when it was given to RyteTime then I have to assume that the OP removed it? In which case I'm a bit confused by the statement "none of the ones I had would fit".
In my experience I wouldn't expect to hear from any repairer within a week? I wonder if RyteTime gave an estimation of how long the work would take?
Why didn't the OP say to RyteTime that the pinion was intact when he bought the watch? He must have known that as it apparently had a second hand fitted when he bought it.
I note that the OP lives "Near Hinckley, Leics" which is surely not that far away from the RyteTime business premises? Surely a visit to discuss the problem face to face, or a further telephone call would have been in order before a public denouncement?
I only have experience of RyteTime and not the OP so my views are obviously one-sided. In the interests of balance and fairness I should like to make the following comments:
I have used RyteTime on a number of occasions and I have one watch with them now. In my personal experience their prices are very competetive and their communications are timely and efficient. I have never had a problem communicating by letter, telephone or email.
Kind regards
Dave
I think everyone has an off day!! Personally if I have bad service I just take my business elsewhere. I do believe it is right to name and shame or write a report on the service. It might help them pick their game back up. I was always taught a good reputation takes a life time to get and a second to loose!
I agree, everyone has an off day. However, if I have bad service I give the service provider a chance (or several chances) to put things right. If they don't, gloves come off. In this case I don't see any evidence that the OP gave the service provider an opportunity to put things right. That seems unfair to me.
Kind regards
Dave
There are two sides to every story and so far we have only heard one. I prefer to keep an open mind before before joining in the destruction of a hard-won good reputation.
Something confuses me. The OP shows a picture of the watch as it was when he bought it.
Poljot dress watch by Burbage Photography, on Flickr
It clearly shows that the watch had a second hand fitted. So, what happened to it before the watch was given to RyteTime?
If it had no second hand when it was given to RyteTime then I have to assume that the OP removed it? In which case I'm a bit confused by the statement "none of the ones I had would fit".
In my experience I wouldn't expect to hear from any repairer within a week? I wonder if RyteTime gave an estimation of how long the work would take?
Why didn't the OP say to RyteTime that the pinion was intact when he bought the watch? He must have known that as it apparently had a second hand fitted when he bought it.
I note that the OP lives "Near Hinckley, Leics" which is surely not that far away from the RyteTime business premises? Surely a visit to discuss the problem face to face, or a further telephone call would have been in order before a public denouncement?
I only have experience of RyteTime and not the OP so my views are obviously one-sided. In the interests of balance and fairness I should like to make the following comments:
I have used RyteTime on a number of occasions and I have one watch with them now. In my personal experience their prices are very competetive and their communications are timely and efficient. I have never had a problem communicating by letter, telephone or email.
Kind regards
Dave
Right!
There was a second hand fitted - but what the picture doesn't show was that it was bent and although I'd straightened it, I wasn't happy with it. Hence the request for a new one to be fitted. The old one didn't come back with the watch - and neither did one of the screws that holds the movement into the case.
The reason I chased him after a week was based on the fact that when I spoke to him to book it in, he told me it would be back to me in a week. I chose him because of his recommendations on here, and he's local and I thought I could drop the watch off. But he doesn't have business premises and works from his house and doesn't allow people to know where it is to drop off or pick up watches - that's why he uses a PO box as his address. so a face to face meeting is difficult.
I'm not rubbishing the bloke - if others have found his work to be good and well priced, then that's brilliant. I have to say that he promised me a one week turnaround, that didn't happen, he mis-diagnosed the problem with the seconds hand (and to be honest I didn't argue over the phone with him on that as as soon as he said about the pinion being broken I lost all faith in his skills).
Furthermore he, in my opinion, is not a great businessman, he told me once I'd paid he'd post the watch the next day - it took another three days for it to be put in the post.
I'd happily have left with with him longer by the way, but it was him that told me a week. Don't make promises you can't keep in business.
I agree, everyone has an off day. However, if I have bad service I give the service provider a chance (or several chances) to put things right. If they don't, gloves come off. In this case I don't see any evidence that the OP gave the service provider an opportunity to put things right. That seems unfair to me.
Kind regards
Dave
Difficult to give him a chance to put things right isn't it? What do I do? Call him a liar on the phone and tell him to get the hand fitted? What's to stop him then breaking the pinion and claiming it was always thus?
OK, you say: "The old one didn't come back with the watch", so the watch had a second hand. Presumably it was fitted to the watch when you gave it to RyteTime? If it was, and they claim the pinion was broken, then it's fairly obvious who broke it. If the second hand wasn't fitted then it's debatable who damaged the pinion, if indeed it was damaged.
It's not difficult at all. You don't have to call him a liar unless you want to be confrontational. In these circumstances I'd prefer a face to face so people can see the "body language" but I note your comments about business premises. You simply state the facts as you see them and give the chap an opportunity to remedy the problem. If someone makes a mistake it is surely not unreasonable to give them an opportunity to put it right? If they don't take the opportunity, fair enough. My only problem with your original post is that you (apparently) didn't give them the opportunity to put it right. If you had made an honest mistake, you may feel defensive but would you not want to have the opportunity to make things right?
Kind regards
Dave
I would. But, to be fair it's not an honest mistake (in my humble opinion). With a 3X loupe I could see the end of the pinion still revolving away happily. It took me half an hour to find a seconds hand that matched the look, and to ream out the centre bush to match the size of the pinion.OK, you say: "The old one didn't come back with the watch", so the watch had a second hand. Presumably it was fitted to the watch when you gave it to RyteTime? If it was, and they claim the pinion was broken, then it's fairly obvious who broke it. If the second hand wasn't fitted then it's debatable who damaged the pinion, if indeed it was damaged.
It's not difficult at all. You don't have to call him a liar unless you want to be confrontational. In these circumstances I'd prefer a face to face so people can see the "body language" but I note your comments about business premises. You simply state the facts as you see them and give the chap an opportunity to remedy the problem. If someone makes a mistake it is surely not unreasonable to give them an opportunity to put it right? If they don't take the opportunity, fair enough. My only problem with your original post is that you (apparently) didn't give them the opportunity to put it right. If you had made an honest mistake, you may feel defensive but would you not want to have the opportunity to make things right?
Kind regards
Dave
The more I think about this, the more I feel it was an attempt to get more money out of me.
I only named him when it was suggested on here that it was not fair to others not to. I am sure he must be capable of good quality work, otherwise other people on here wouldn't recommend him. I'm happy to let the matter rest, and I won't mention him when people ask for a good watch mender. I just won't use him again. It's a shame for him, as over the course of time I would have spent a reasonable amount of money with him. I will send any work I can't, or won't, do myself, elsewhere.
This is what often happens when a watchmaker gets a good reputation and ends up inundated with work.
Many years ago I had a similar problem, the bloke who did my watches was very good but very busy. Some stuff started coming back that was not up to scratch (or rather it was, a deep scratch on a Rolex Oyster back :? )
Under interrogation :lol: he admitted to me that he was subbing out work to keep up.
I never used him again.
Cheers,
Neil.
While I don't think it's a bad idea to "name and shame" in these sort of situations, (after all, people have a right to let other people know about bad as well as good experiences) I think it makes a big difference what kind of a forum that happens on.
I've seen some real storm in a teacup situations emerge on other forums before where a whole community gets in up in arms, and goes out of it's way to destroy somebodies business and credibility, when the matter could easily have been resolved between the two parties involved.
Luckily this seems to be the sort of place where people recognise that one persons bad experience doesn't necessarily mean somebody is an out and out criminal, and more importantly, that it is wrong to rubbish somebody without them being given the right to reply.
Quite. Please don't get me wrong here. I know some people in this forum have had great service from him.
I thought it was worth mentioning that, on this occasion, his service was far from great. Had I known nothing at all about how watches work, instead of very little, I'd have been £60 out of pocket.
I also appreciate that £60 is a trifling sum these days, not even half a tank of petrol, but I still don't like to spend it if I don't need to.
I hoped my posting may have helped someone who was unsure of who to trust with their pride and joy. If it has, great... If not, at the end of the day, it's a few electrons bouncing around.
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