Reply With QuoteSimon Freese?
Haven't talked to Simon for a few years but I recall discussing micro-welding with him. Might be worth a try.
Does anyone have any recommendations for 904L welding?
The Watch Polisher is booked up.
The office manager at Watchworks says that Rocco is only doing Rolex servicing and not case work / restoration anymore.
(although im a bit baffled by her as I sent the model ref over when requesting the work and she said that hes only working on Rolex now)
Russel Talerman has been suggested but I dont know his work and apparently he has a long backlog also.
Simon Freese?
Haven't talked to Simon for a few years but I recall discussing micro-welding with him. Might be worth a try.
Just had a chat with Simon who is lovely. He doesn't do it but has put me on to a guy who does. Fingers crossed!
Thanks for the suggestion Paul
Does Stephen Hale not do it C?
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Danish Khan
Elite Workshops 020 7831 4555
Tell him you are one of mine be all good.
RIAC
Seth the watch dealer can do it
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Thanks for the suggestions all, Im going to work my way through them.
So far:
Simon Freese has suggested "Watch Toolkit" as has seen his work and thought it was excellent. Simon was great to chat to and has offered to disassemble if I just need to send the case off.
Ive messaged WT on insta.
The Watch Polisher looks great but doesn't answer messages.
Ill give Danesh a buzz and then Seth as I know he's under it too with repairs.
Rocco - least said the better at the moment. His office manager is dismissive and rude and far more interested in telling me what he wont do because hes busy rather than confirming what could be done if I sent it in for the full treatment.
Ive just said that I really dont care if he wants to fully service it and take it out to dinner and drinks on me so long as I get it back with the lug welded.
My GMT repair seems to be turning into a bit of a saga!
What did you do to it that needs welding?🙁Originally Posted by verv
Thanks for the suggestions all, Im going to work my way through them.
So far:
Simon Freese has suggested "Watch Toolkit" as has seen his work and thought it was excellent. Simon was great to chat to and has offered to disassemble if I just need to send the case off.
Ive messaged WT on insta.
The Watch Polisher looks great but doesn't answer messages.
Ill give Danesh a buzz and then Seth as I know he's under it too with repairs.
Rocco - least said the better at the moment. His office manager is dismissive and rude and far more interested in telling me what he wont do because hes busy rather than confirming what could be done if I sent it in for the full treatment.
Ive just said that I really dont care if he wants to fully service it and take it out to dinner and drinks on me so long as I get it back with the lug welded.
My GMT repair seems to be turning into a bit of a saga!
PM Verv
Hopefully this can get sorted efficiently with a limited amount of financial pain and inconvenience. No excuse for the less than cordial attitude from Watchworks, that's disappointing. Simon Freese is the exact opposite, he's helped me a few times in the past and has always been happy to advise.
I sent it in for a service with an AD's watchmaker as its timekeeping was out and I didnt know service history. There was a mark on the top of the left lug so I asked that it was skimmed while it was in to remove.
The service and skim was fine, but the lug seems to have also received an accidental skim which looks like a slip onto the wheel and has resulted in a wide rough Bexley bevel type scar on the left lug. Its irritating me so I want the lug rebuilt to as it was.
Got a quote from St James that a new middle case and service will be in the region of 2.7k
Its a minor skim but its doing my head in cos the case was perfect and I want it back to perfect as its a keeper.
Certainly makes sense to get it back to A1 condition.
Hope you get it sorted soon and at minimal cost.
have you dm'd the watch polisher on instagram, i have found him responsive.Thanks for the suggestions all, Im going to work my way through them.
So far:
Simon Freese has suggested "Watch Toolkit" as has seen his work and thought it was excellent. Simon was great to chat to and has offered to disassemble if I just need to send the case off.
Ive messaged WT on insta.
The Watch Polisher looks great but doesn't answer messages.
Ill give Danesh a buzz and then Seth as I know he's under it too with repairs.
Rocco - least said the better at the moment. His office manager is dismissive and rude and far more interested in telling me what he wont do because hes busy rather than confirming what could be done if I sent it in for the full treatment.
Ive just said that I really dont care if he wants to fully service it and take it out to dinner and drinks on me so long as I get it back with the lug welded.
My GMT repair seems to be turning into a bit of a saga!
Yes, 6th June and again this morning.
Did you ever get anywhere?
I can do this btw… it takes around a week.
They come back like brand new.
( which doesn’t suit everyone)
Best,
James
Arrrrr James, thank you but it's been dropped of at Elite workshop for Danish this morning!
Watch polisher and watch toolkit didnt respond to messages, but WP had a post on saying that he wasn't responding to messages until he cleared his backlog so thats fine.
Watchworks - office manager is worse than a GP's receptionist so nope.
Elite - were really pleasant
Friend of Blackies - also lovely but easier to get the watch to London via MrsV who's in Hatton today anyway.
Ill update the thread when its back but this is what Ive asked to be fixed -
Left lug shoulder, get rid of that damned bevel, weld the dinks to the inner lug by the bracelet, and return top of lugs to OEM finish.
Danish is well known, I’m sure it will be excellent
I hadn’t spotted this thread until today
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Will be interesting to see what comes back C
At first I thought the bevel in pic was it fixed- Very poor finish but not unusual it seems.
Amazes me that inner lugs can get dinged like that.
spring bar id guess
With drilled lugs?
Why would you lever spring out with prong, if lugs are drilled?
has to go back in some way
some weirdos like to go in from the top
I took my now long gone 16610 LV into Rolex St James, and they popped the bracelet off forwards in front of me at the desk to check the serial number etc - leaving a nice set of scars on the inner lugs which I didn’t notice until I got home. I lived with it as it wasn’t a very expensive watch at the time, but couldn’t believe how stupid the legendary white coated Rolex watchmaker had been!
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when you think about it spring bars are a very crude instrument in this day and age.
Watching this thread with interest. I’ve got a modern Speedmaster Mk 2 that needs some light refinishing and I suspect one mark requires some metal to be added. So I suspect it needs laser welding plus sunburst finishing. I think STS can do that but other suggestions welcome.
GMT arrived back this morning. MUCH better. Shoulder has been rebuilt and the top of the lugs have an infinitely better finish. I'm pleased.
Very nice C, and a quick turnaround.
I hadn't seen this thread until now but I'm always reminded of this story:
https://forum.tz-uk.com/showthread.p...ejust-be-fixed
What they can do is near miraculous.
https://www.the-saleroom.com/en-gb/a...801e07d063ec9c
Perhaps this will end up with some of this evidenced magic and one or two other veneer adjustments .
Thank you for posting this … very impressed on all fronts … learning all the time !
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Last edited by Norbert; 5th August 2022 at 21:57.
I`m v. impressed to see how that's been fixed, even with the correct equipment that takes skill. I`ve never used a laser welder but I`d love to try, I'm sure there's a high degree of skill needed to avoid making a complete mess of the job.
Glad this has turned out well, if a watch is a keeper you want it right.
Good grief. A tad WABIed.
Impressive work.
Really just looks like factory finish to me. The small bevels look perfect and the brushed finish appears to have the correct grain to it.
I’d be super happy with that refinish.
That looks great C, it’s nice to have some patina and wabi but it’s also good to be able to get that kind of repair and finish.
That looks great! Can you indicate what it cost you please? I have a watch that I’d like similar work done on.
PM if easier!
It was 127 for the work + vat and return postage.
All in it cost me 162 for the weld and a light valet over the bracelet which had quiet a few hairlines on the 12 side from leaning on tables etc.
I was expecting a bigger bill tbh.
That’s a fantastic price. Did you have to drop it in in person?
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Great job Verv. Similar to what my mate does.
Here's a few pics of a GMT with a badly polished clasp which he hit 800 times with the laser. work.
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Last edited by blackie; 7th August 2022 at 13:13.
MrsV dropped it in for me as she was in Hatton doing her own thing. I'd written a list for them and they let me know they'd received, quoted etc over WhatsApp.
Your mates work looked ace Blackie and thanks for putting me on to him but it was easier to get the watch to London for the work.
I was keeping an eye on this thread as I’ve a couple that would benefit from similar treatment. Great result Celia and very pleased for you. Damaging a previously pristine watch is bad enough but a poor ‘repair’ is much harder to live with.
great job on the verv -- pennies compared to what I was expecting
Even worse when you didnt actually damage it yourself!
Ouch.Even worse when you didnt actually damage it yourself!
Im seriously impressed by that job!
So... rolex wont laser weld, but replace the whole case? Did I read that right?
If so, I think Im going down the laser weld route before I send my 116600 for service shortly...
Just resurrecting the thread, I have a very small job that I think will only get sorted by laser welding, the pin from the clasp in my T Touch bracelet keeps coming out of the hole, I think its just a press fit thats not holding now, like I say, its a tiny job for someone, do you think I would be wasting the companies discussed time to even ask, Ive been searching for the clasp online but the only options I can find are a whole new bracelet at several hundred pounds.
James, I noticed in the thread you can get this sort of thing done?
Thanks.
Jason.
Cheers..
Jase
Probably not the answer you want or something you would entertain but if it’s a beater and you are unlikely to sell the watch I would look at a chemical weld solution / 2 part epoxy.Just resurrecting the thread, I have a very small job that I think will only get sorted by laser welding, the pin from the clasp in my T Touch bracelet keeps coming out of the hole, I think its just a press fit thats not holding now, like I say, its a tiny job for someone, do you think I would be wasting the companies discussed time to even ask, Ive been searching for the clasp online but the only options I can find are a whole new bracelet at several hundred pounds.
James, I noticed in the thread you can get this sort of thing done?
Thanks.
Jason.
Thanks, tried it, didn't hold though sadly, I was quite surprised it didn't work, I may try again and be a bit more liberal.
Cheers..
Jase
On the basis that this part was originally press- fitted, I would press it back together. However, to get a tight fit I would compress the metal into a slight oval to make it a tight fit, if it ended up too tight I would heat the clasp to get it to expand slightly and aim for an interference fit. This is what I term a fannying about job, I think it’s possible to fix but there’s an element of trial and error to get it sorted. There’s nothing to lose because if repair isn’t successful the fallback is a replacement clasp. I don’t think epoxy adhesive would work because the fit is too tight and insufficient adhesive will be retained.
This part shouldn’t have failed, ideally it would be replaced FOC on a goodwill basis.......that’s my definition of protecting the brand.
Jason - there seems to be plenty of replacement clasps on eBay for around £50-£70. Maybe worth considering for confidence reasons.Just resurrecting the thread, I have a very small job that I think will only get sorted by laser welding, the pin from the clasp in my T Touch bracelet keeps coming out of the hole, I think its just a press fit thats not holding now, like I say, its a tiny job for someone, do you think I would be wasting the companies discussed time to even ask, Ive been searching for the clasp online but the only options I can find are a whole new bracelet at several hundred pounds.
James, I noticed in the thread you can get this sort of thing done?
Thanks.
Jason.
I have no idea how much a fix would cost, but if it requires welding then I would have thought it would be close to the cost of a replacement clasp.
Thanks Jon, I’ve looked extensively on eBay and I haven’t seen the correct clasp yet, there are some variations of it, but not the exact one sadly. If you compare the link fitting from the bracelet to the clasp then the eBay ones are not quite right, thanks for looking though.
Thanks Paul, I’ll keep fannying around with it and see if I can get it seated better.
Last edited by JasonM; 20th December 2022 at 07:20.
I'm bowled over by the quality of these repairs! And for such reasonable prices. Incredible.
For those in the USA, good to know this capability exists.
Credit: @zimmermanwatchrepair
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