Reply With QuoteFor a Longines I suggest Brendan (webwatchmaker).
Unfortunately the local watch repair place has gone hugely downhill, and I've not been happy with two recent services I've had from him. Last straw - I took in my wife's vintage Longines (inherited from a maiden great aunt, no idea on age or provenance) for a new strap and a quote for service. In swapping the straps he broke both the springbars, then had the gall to charge me £7.50 EACH for two 11mm springbars I saw him pick out of a case that looks very similar to one I got off ebay with 200 pieces in for ten quid. As we were on our way to a wedding where my wife wanted to wear the watch, I had no choice but to be ripped off.
Given that, where can I send an old ladies' watch (in both senses!) for a reasonably priced service? The stem just pulls all the way out when you try to set the time. No idea what she's done to it to get it like that, but it's beyond my meagre skills.
For a Longines I suggest Brendan (webwatchmaker).
Send it to Brendan, he loves old watches and he likes a challenge
Old watches can be a nightmare, I`ve had my fill of them thesedays. As a general rule, there will always be a problem somewhere, the question is how big or small a problem.
Longines movements are straightforward, and they're nicely made, but like anything from that era parts availability is a problem.
Last edited by walkerwek1958; 21st March 2019 at 17:13.
I think that's what my guy's attitude has become. He'd rather change ten quartz batteries at £10 a go than service something proper.Originally Posted by walkerwek1958
Send it to Brendan, he loves old watches and he likes a challenge
Old watches can be a nightmare, I`ve had my fill of them thesedays. As a general rule, there will always be a problem somewhere, the question is how big or small a problem.
Longines movements are straightforward, and they're nicely made, but like anything from that era parts availability is a problem.
A massive shame. His service is really what first got me into watches. I inherited a pretty beaten up Omega Geneve, took it to him to see if he could do anything with it. He just happened to have a NOS acrylic crystal (an actual Omega one) as well as a genuine Omega 19mm strap to match it. He restored it into wearable condition, serviced it so it kept time, but didn't lose any of the patina. My research into it led to sites like this...and eventually a collection!
I have a feeling if I took him the same thing now he'd just tell me to send it to Omega.
What you have to appreciate is the time and patience that’s sometimes needed to fix problems with old watches. For anyone who’s doing watch work for a living this isn’t good, the intrinsic satisfaction of knowing you’ve done a great job in sorting out a difficult problem is offset by the fact that it’s taken several hours, and those hours could ‘ve been spent servicing 2 or 3 easier watches that would’ve been more profitable and less stressful.
I’ve ended up sorting out old watches and struggling. Small ladies watches, with no adjustable beat arm, and no shockproofing have to be the worst of the lot. Hairsprings are often distorted, the watches are always out of beat and can be v. fiddly to correct......I could go on. By contrast, a pre co- axial Omega with an ETA 2892 movement is a nice straightforward job that can be completed quickly and is unlikely to present difficulty, I’ve just started on one this afternoon and I know it’ll be a hassle- free. Despite the significant value of the watch it’s less stressful than working on something more challenging that’s worth far less, that’s because it’s an order of magnitude easier to do.
It is what it is, there’s a limited number of repairers out there and no-one can blame them for cherry- picking the jobs they want to take on.
Last edited by walkerwek1958; 22nd March 2019 at 01:18.
Just realised I've not got round to organising to send this off yet, and given Brendan's recent behaviour on here, can anyone recommend anybody else?
I've also been given my Father's 1950s Longines to get serviced as he dropped it and it now longer works. It'd be nice to get a dial restoration done on it as well, if anyone knows of someone who could do that?
Thanks
Please give the younger independents a chance. The experience is always helpful.
I have no wish to take any repairs from you. Or people like you who don't know the whole story but post malignant comments anyway.
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If it's been dropped and no longer runs the chances are the balance staff is broken. I`m not volunteering, I only take on easy jobs that I fancy thesedays, I like to keep the stress factor down to a minimum.
It does run, just badly. To be honest, it may have been crap before the fall, my Dad only wore it for a few hours at a time. Main problem is the edge of the domed acrylic crystal is compromised. Not broken or shattered, just those marks where you can see it's been dropped.
I don't need to know the whole story. Your vitriolic replies tell me everything I needed to know. So glad I didn't send anything to you a couple of months ago before you showed yourself up on here. Even without taking a side on who was right or who was wrong, everything you've posted recently has been utterly abhorrent.
So I'm right. You judge without all the facts. Just what I thought. Bear pit is full of them.
Enjoy learning how to fix your watches yourself. I will try living on sardines and mouldy bread.
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Last edited by Webwatchmaker; 15th August 2019 at 19:00.
Webwatchmaker
Just so rise to it because you will lose your rag and thereby lose the argument.
You are dealing with people who are more interested in having a go at you than what they are talking about watches. Just ignore them, they are not worth the effort. You know more about watches than that tribe put together, so just ignore them.
Thanks Mick, I know you are right. I'm fighting my way through 50 Breitling chronographs promised for end of October and really need a break. I think that's making me a bit unpredictable. So I'm going to visit Cornwall and murder some fish.
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This lot just love attacking someone on a 10 to 1 basis. One of them comes in, you answer back, then another comes in and you answer back again and then the third one comes in and so on. It will just wear you down and once you lose your rag, they claim victory.
They are gutless little cowards, just ignore them and more importantly, ignore the provocations.
Be kind to the fish.
I will. Most will get away.
It's the same dozen or so who spike the forum all day long. I hear that plastic is polluting the Arctic. Perhaps one or two might be lucky enough to get a cleaning job there. The rest can join the other dinosaurs in Wyoming.
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