Reply With QuoteI'm a big fan of Dariusz at the Clock Gallery in Ealing if you can go that far west. Knows his stuff.
I've tried to reach him by email, phone, and instagram over the past couple of weeks without success. I noticed he made a post seeking watchmakers on instagram about three weeks ago so it's possible he's swamped with repairs (or on vacation).
Alternatively (and I'd much prefer to use Mr. Freese, who did a fantastic job on my watch), if anyone has recommendations for a watchmaker of comparable quality (ideally in London) who would be able to look at my Autavia 3646 I would be grateful. Unfortunately I'm only in the UK for another 2 months.
I'm a big fan of Dariusz at the Clock Gallery in Ealing if you can go that far west. Knows his stuff.
Unusual, I got an almost instant response back in June. Kelly Freese usually answers office emails.
google maps says it's permanently closed :(Originally Posted by tobywatches
This has been discussed on Omegaforums.net
It seems he is snowed under with work and comms are falling behind.
My understanding is he is taking steps to;
Find suitable watchmakers and sort out the comms side better.
His watchmaking skills have never been in doubt, it looks like his success itself has become a problem.
And when I Google it, it goes to what looks to be a residential address, which also doesn't bode well given there's no website associated with it: https://maps.app.goo.gl/ykeHb7EwhLBZZv8S9
Has anyone got any updates on this?
I am having to chase him through the small claims courts as he has a watch of mine which he cannot be contacted to return.
He has had it since June of last year and has not responded to multiple emails, phone calls and letters.
His postal address is also out of action now. I had letters informing him of pending escalation to the courts returned to me when sent by RMSD.
There’s a big thread on omegaforums with loads of complaints of Simon’s recent performance wrt servicing, turnaround times and poor comms. Sounds like he’s taken on way too much work and is completely wrecking his reputation. A real shame
I bought an Autavia from here a couple of years ago. The watch had been photographed only from the front, it was a good price so I jumped on it, only to receive something that look like it had been bitten by a dog.having recently moved to Greece I didn’t bother escalating with the seller.
Anyways, supposedly it had been serviced by Simon with documentation to prove it.
I decided to have the case laser welded and had my watchmaker look it over. He told me that it was a mess with wrong lubrication used and a number of other issues.
People seem to consider Simon very highly but I have my doubts
Bizarrely, I tried to call him today regarding my 2007 2254 which is beginning to need servicing.
I rang a landline number that diverted to a mobile number and thence to voicemail. I did leave a message but am concerned to hear that there appear to be issues.
Are there any recommendations for a good Omega servicer out there? I'm Kent based but work in London.
Thanks,
Drop it in to OW.
Thanks muchly!
I bought an Omega Megaquartz Constellation and sent it to Simon for a case and bracelet refinish back in January 2024.
It came back about 4 months later and the work was ok for the money. About 8 days later the watch stopped working so he agreed to take it back to see if a replacement circuit could be obtained from Tony who was the previous owner of STS.
That was the last I heard. 9 months of phone calls, emails and letters all unanswered.
I would not touch him with a barge pole. His postal address is bouncing post back and has now been removed from his website.
I will pursue him through the courts as I will get my property back or have him compensate me for it. A quick look on the Omega Forum site shows he has been at this for quite some time now. There are plenty of alternatives out there so please be aware my case is not an isolated incident.
OW?
Dreadful shame.
He is all over IG pushing his “new watch”, I’m assuming all his efforts are going into this.
I heard from him in Mid December when I chased him up on two watches I had recommended colleagues to send him for a service.
His response "had a number of setbacks that have caused me to take longer than usual with the repairs, the power at my workshop was unexpectedly cut off so I have had to temporarily relocate until January, this has upset my work flow considerably."
I know one watch has since been received and the watch owner is extremely happy with the work, if not the time it took. The other was still waiting last I heard.
Sent from my SM-G986B using TZ-UK mobile app
Presumably. It’s not a great look when quite a few people seem to be struggling to even have their property returned to them. I’ve only taken an interest because I’ve got a couple of vintage omegas that need a service and I’ve been looking into options
Haven' t had contact with Simon for a few years but I always found him pleasant and very helpful, he helped me with parts for a couple of jobs in the past. The lack if communication is hard to defend, Ican understand watch owners getting upset at this, but I find it hard believe there' s any issue with the quality of work, you don' t become a bad watchmaker. With any quartz or electronic watch it is impossible to guarantee the electrical parts, and with the vintage stuff there are virtually no replacements available, owners need to be aware of this and its one reason why I won' t touch them.
Simon is a lovely person who is also an excellent watchmaker. I'm really sorry to hear people are having problems with his servicing and delays, It sounds like he doesn't want to say not to anyone and has taken on far too much work.
"A man of little significance"
April fool?
It could be that he is deluged with work and so he is subbing out his jobs to less competent people.
I've heard of this type of stuff before but of course all it does is trash his reputation.
Cheers,
Neil.
He serviced an Ed White for me many moons ago. I remember having a good old chat with him then sending him the watch. Still had to wait 12 weeks or so, but he was the go to guy for that sort of stuff. I’m guessing he is a victim of his own success. He can take people on to help him with the comms and admin, but more difficult to recruit people to help with actual work.
If I worked on a bigger scale I would struggle with the admin/ non technical side. Searching internet for parts, typing out the invoice/ report, packaging the watch, checking the return address is valid, taking them to the Post Office, it all takes time. All too easy to get snowed under with jobs.
As for the actual work, as a general rule anything modern ( post 1990) should be straightforward and anything old (pre 1980) won' t be. There are exceptions to these rules but as a generalisation the older the watch the more challenging it' s likely to be. Challenging equates to time, lots of it in some cases.
Simon has a great reputation and I know he takes on the very demanding jobs, its a shame to see his reputation being questioned, but poor communication is always going to lead to problems.
It's a bit more than poor comms, he's had peoples property for years, his address is apparently useless and it's taken people going to court to get their watches back.
That's before anyone mention poor workmanship but there are mentions of that, here and on other forums.
His socials are up to date though.
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