Reply With QuoteThey were right though, weren't they? Surely if it is a kinetic auto relay it has a capacitor?Originally Posted by geoffcotton
Foggy
Casually asked how much a battery replacement would cost for a Seiko kinetic auto relay.
I was reliably informed these watches do not have batteries, you just need to give it a good shake and wear it..
I informed them it has had a battery replacement previously.. I doubt that was the reply, if it doesn't work leave it with us we will send it away and have it repaired.
I had to check on YouTube to convince myself I hadn't lost my mind.
They were right though, weren't they? Surely if it is a kinetic auto relay it has a capacitor?
Foggy
Indeed the watchmaker was sort of right but it would have been better if he informed the customer that it actually uses a capacitor which is a bit different from a battery. Looks like he lost a customer.
Easy enough to do yourself with a few basic tools.
Avoid them.
Used them twice,admittedly a few years ago,but never fully happy with their service but I knew no better then.
Try Seiko UK or seek recommendations on here for servicing etc.
Stay clear. They have damaged watches for me in the past. Go to a proper watch store.
I've had a bad experience with them aswell, with one of my watches coming back with deep scratches on the back that was done when they tried to get the caseback off.
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Why would you ask a cobbler and key cutter to fix your watch?
OK Timpson's aren't the best people, but you must to be fair to them, a Kinetic doesn't have a standard battery in it like a conventional quartz watch, so they were being accurate. I think early models had a capacitor, but they didn't work well, so more recent models have some sort of rechargeable cell in. I'm puzzled though that you've already had a 'battery' change in it....maybe the capacitor was changed, but the normal procedure is to change the movement for a later version. It shouldn't need fixing again...
That's unfair.
It's all about the individual and their capability. These guys get training and have to be validated as competent up to a certain standard, but some will be far better than others. To tar them all with the same brush is unfair, I certainly wouldn't.
I don`t have a wall full of certificates to show what I can do, I`ve got where I am on minimal training followed by a lot of self-teaching, and I respect the fact that others will do the same. Some have an aptitude for the work whilst others don`t.
The standard of work and skill from the Timpsons folk will vary, but that happens in all walks of life. Some of these guys will be very good, others less so.
Paul
Isn't it also about the environment in which they work? Every cobbler's bench I've seen is filthy. I wouldn't want the back taken off one of my watches anywhere near it.
On a whim wondered if timpson's could change the battery on my f300 seamaster chrono. figured that was quite easy , could have done it myself but was away from home.
Guy shakes it , then tries to wind it .
Whoah there ! I says , its electric don't do that that you'll damage the crown.
Looks at me all confused " Its an Omega , its an automatic "
Just grabbed it back , funnily enough the crown had to be repaired by KeithT a few months later although I admit its quite easy to knock the crown .
Agree with Paul, some will be better skilled than others. I can see it when I get my soles / heels changed. Moving contracts next week & the chap who did an amazing job across my barkers will now be 2hrs away....
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I think if you search for Timpson on the forum you’ll find few, if any, good experiences.
You know as well as I do that satisfied customers rarely publicise their satisfaction........dissatisfied customers are far more likely to voice their opinion.
If you sea a bus go past with oxo written on it don’t assume it’s full of oxos!
I’m not saying Timpsons always cover themselves in glory, but I dislike the generalisations and criticism based on heresay.
Why don’t more of you try sorting your own watches out?........ you might find our that it’s not quite as easy as it looks.
If you’re not happy with Timpsons get your hand in your pocket and go elsewhere at 4 times the price.
Paul
Never mind damaging watches, they previously damaged some expensive shoes by cutting slashes in the leather uppers and then lied to me by claiming that the damage was already there.
I have never been back and would always recommend going elsewhere.
Never had a problem with them on the stuff they could repair, they wont touch my Meg as they don't know the brand, they don't seem to know that Miota and ETA movements are the same, regardless of what's on the face.
Eh?
Miyota and ETA movements are not the same!
There’s a factor that most people overlook; when confronted with a watch a repairer has to decide whether they’re happy to take the job on. Once you’ve accepted a job, even a relatively trivial one such as a battery swap, you HAVE to be certain you can complete it. I get asked to work on watches I ‘ve never heard of despite being a watch enthusiast, in such cases I do my homework and decide whether I can do the job and whether I fancy the hassle involved. The guy working for Timpsons isn’t likely to be an expert, and he has to make a quick decision on the spot.
Lets consider a quartz Omega that needs a battery swap. It’s not a difficult job, but the consequences of a mistake are v. expensive. ETA / Omega quartz movements are very easy to damage, touch the exposed coil with a metal tool and the movement’s scrap.......yes folks, it’s that easy to write the movement off, one slip woth a tool and it’s tears before bedtime. I don’t like working on them because the ‘get out of jail’ option if something goes wrong is to send the watch to an Omega accredited repairer and soak up the cost. Likewise with other prestige brands, a mistake can be very costly and it makes more sense to decline the job. I can do them and be 99.9% certain nothing will go wrong, but I don’t bother because the money to be made from the job doesn’t justify the risk.
FFS stop knocking these guys, and don’t expct them to be experts. They’re trained to swap batteries on cheap watches and they have the good sense to decline anything that may land them in deep water. No- one asks any of you to own these watches, don’t be despondent when someone declines to work on them.
Paul
No they are not the same as EACH OTHER obviously
But a Miyota 123 in Casio is the same as a Miyota 123 in a TAG, an ETA 1000 in Raymond Weil is the same as an ETA 1000 in a Tissot.
Don't forget that Timpson's don't just do batteries, they have a list as long as your arm on which Swiss brands they service and repair, mechanical and quartz. I have taken Corum, Raymond Weil, Rado and various others in there as well as around 100 quartz models.
Definitely depends on the operative at Timpsons. Took my wife's Mondaine for a battery change around 5 years ago before I got into changing them myself. Bought a lifetime battery change deal for £20. First guy scratched the back of the case. Not too bothered. Its a cheap watch. The next two times the battery was changed (at different stores) there was no problem. Will continue to use them since its free now and they change the rear gasket and pressure test it. At some point I will have to look into changing the crown gasket. On my quartz watches I change the batteries myself. But again I will have to get gaskets at some point.
Ah, I see what you were saying.
Sounds like the perfect reason to avoid them then. They might do a reasonable job … or they might leave it totally FUBAR. Why take the chance?
Quite.
I went to them for a simple tooth extraction and they transplanted my brain into a chimpanzee. Luckily I went to WH Smiths who sent me into the future so a space doctor could transplant me from my simian form into this hyperallloy combat chassis you see before you.
So it worked out okay in the end but no thanks to Timpsons the bloody scamps.
I am not sure if they have a standard pricing policy, as they are franchises. If it's just battery changing and possibly a new seal, do it yourself and save the money
It’s infuriating I know, but I took my shoes into my authorised Omega repair centre and they came back like this.
Last time I used timpsons , the guy scratched my case backs and lugs doing some battery changes and wouldn't do anything about it , never again
We tend to think case back removal is simple. It's not. Every watch model has differently spaced grooves, will have been tightened to a different torque etc. Unless someone is doing it very regularly there is a more than tiny chance of some cosmetic damage.
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Last edited by stefmcd; 12th February 2018 at 12:40.
Last time I attempted to use Timpsons it was for two simple battery replacements. One was a no brand beater and the other was an eighties Mappin & Webb. The guy consulted his list and wanted £5 for the beater and £35 for the Mappin & Webb, just because it had Mappin & Webb on the dial. The guy even admitted that it was the same battery for each and that the Mappin would be the easier job. Water resistance was not an issue and no pressure testing was required. I declined his offer and had both done at my local jeweller for a tenner.
An old established jewelers close to me did a battery change on a tag sel years ago and he hadn't tightend the case clamp properly and put big gouges in the case then denighed it after doing it right in front of me, I've had better service from timpsons they even pressure tested a watch for me for free.
No. ....
Fas est ab hoste doceri
Correct. There’s also the possibility that the last monkey who fitted the caseback grossly overtightened it or damaged the threads.
Provided the correct seal is fitted and it’s in good condition there’s no need to overtighten a caseback. Once the seal has compressed and the caseback is fully home it becomes tight to turn, you can feel this happen and there’s nothing to be gained by overtightening. It’s nothing like fitting bolts on cars with a torque wrench, it doesn’t work that way, once the caseback feels tight it just needs a ‘nip’ to make sure it’s firm.
I don’t envy the Timpson guys, I wouldn’t want to swap batteries whilst the customer waited and watched me doing it.
Even removing and fitting watchstraps can be tricky. If someone’s used the wrong type of springbars or the springbars have corroded getting the old strap off becomes a challenge.
Paul
They are a bunch of clowns , avoid . I took pair of the wife’s shoes to be re heeled and a year of lies and blusters resulted with them having to replace the shoes as they lost them !
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