. . . after reassembly, and I recall him taking an especially deliberate effort with the Mk II Speedmaster . . . cordially, Art

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My four-five years apprenticeship was only enough for me to grasp what should be done, not how to do it all.
(and for what it's worth, I also have 25 years experience in automotive repair/diagnostics)
I can give you the basic idea:

1. Get watch in with some description from owner if anything is awry, and budget constraints if any
2. Photograph watch carefully to document any condition issues, and check timing on machine - keep pre-adjustment record
3. Dismantle watch, placing all components in one of several places. Note if anything is obviously damaged.
      a. case goes into ultra-sound machine along with bracelet or buckle
      b. strap goes into safe place unless really dirty, then perhaps will clean/condition with leather treatment
      c. dial, hands, stem stay clean and dry under glass - never get touched under normal circumstances (or hands get discarded on a factory service)
      d. movement gets disassembled down to component parts unless there is a special module which is not serviceable. Goes into cleaning machine.
      e. balance may be placed into glass dish with cleaning solution - does NOT go into machine
4. Inspect all the parts again.
HUNT AROUND & ORDER NEW PARTS, then wait EVENTUALLY GET BACK TO WORK
5. Clean jewels with stick
6. Inspect and reclean entire movement in machine again if necessary
7. Reassemble, lubricating all pivots and jewels
8. Adjust movement
9. Clean case, polish case and bracelet if requested
10. Recase movement
11. Recheck timing
12. Check operation of all functions and complications
13. Set time
14. Reinstall strap or bracelet
15. Bag and label old parts for owner if applicable
16. Put watch on winder or wear around in the shop/house for 1-2 days, making sure owner complaint was resolved
17. Make call to owner indicating watch is ready
18. Wait

OR you could get this:

Get watch in envelope
Open case and set aside
Place complete movement in special cleaning machine
Take out and dry
Relubricate a few key jewels
Wind and adjust
Recase movement
Check timekeeping

OR

Put watch on timing machine
Decide owner is crazy
Keep watch for 2 months
Call owner and say it's ready


=======

See photos for fun examples

=======



ON JEWELED WATCHES< YOU HAVE TO PHOTOGRAPH & VERIFY EVERY DIAMOND IS IN PLACE - NO ARGUMENTS WITH CUSTOMERS!


OPEN WATCH - SOUNDS EASY, BUT CHECK THE SCREWS THAT HELD THIS TOGETHER! TOOK A WEEK OF SOAKING AND TEASING





KEEPING THE STUFF TOGETHER IS KEY TO GETTING PAID



INSPECT CAREFULLY



AVOID THESE >> AT ALL COST

OMG - THIS VACHERON IS A PILE! LOOK WHAT'S DAMAGED!




EVEN THE PLATES ARE DAMAGED

 
THIS VACHERON BRACELET WAS BROKEN AND NEEDED LASER WELDING, AND THE HANDS HAD FALLEN OFF!
THERE'S VERY LITTLE "MEAT" TO THIS CASE

 

LOOKS BETTER NOW

CARTIER WAITING FOR PARTS, GOLDSMITH DID SOME REPAIRS

 


MATCHSTICK / POUND COIN SHOW SCALE OF DAMAGED BEARING RACE ON ROTOR, AND BROKEN GEAR

 

THESE WORN-OUT PARTS ARE OFF A TUDOR CHRONO WORTH MAYBE $10-12,000 NOWADAYS.
WE BROKE THE SECOND HAND PULLING IT OFF, BUT FOUND ANOTHER

THIS IS HOW IT SHOULD LOOK GOING BACK TOGETHER. NICE AND CLEAN!

 


NOT LIKE THIS WHERE I SQUASHED A LARGE NYLON GASKET.
ONLY COST US A DOLLAR OR TWO BUT A COUPLE DAYS AND HOURS DELAY
WE ENDED UP USING FREEZER TO CHILL & SHRINK-FIT THE PARTS

Sorry to be so long-winded. I hope it was entertaining.

Mike   aka Cazalea 

This message has been edited by cazalea on 2009-03-01 21:52:50

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Even have two 'WAIT' stages

Option #3 seemed to be probable. I will marked my screws next round


As for the screws, the week long teasing, are you trying to remove the build-up?

Pretty shock to see the bottom plate defaced.  So do you need to contact the owner?  As it is only visible after disassembled.

Last part, for the shrink-fitting (using freezer, creative! ) which parts are you referring? Caseback?

...will parts loosen later?

Kong

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DISCLAIMER:
I don't do watch repairs for a living (I have a "real" job) and because my watchmaker is retiring we are not taking work.
Please don't think this is hustling up business - I'm just trying to explain things a bit, thanks.

I am better at communicating (text & photos) than I am at being a watchmaker.
I let the watchmaker do his thing and I was the "front man" with most of the customers.
But I learned not to communicate "too much" technical info as it irritates some people.

Kong, on the expanding/contracting - we put the insert part (front of bezel and crystal) in the freezer for a couple hours.
We put the main part of the case in hot almost boiling water - inserted the gasket and they went right together smoothly.
Gave them time to come to temperature and dry out.

On that Vacheron with the rotten screws, we had a couple heads broken, so needed to drill one off, soak others with penetrating oil, etc.
It should have had gold screws in gold, but they had been replaced by 3 steel screws which had rotted from owner's sweat, or something.

The constant surprise was watches that look terrible on the outside (and are nice inside) and those that look great (and are crap inside).

Mike

HERE'S ANOTHER SHOT OF THAT MANGLED MOVEMENT

BUT THIS VACHERON WAS A BEAUTY INSIDE, FROM ABOUT 1951

HOWEVER IT WAS NOT SO NICE FROM THE FRONT

THE OWNER DECIDED HE WANTED THE DIAL REFINISHED



NOW IT'S PRETTY NICE - HE WASN'T INTERESTING IN SENDING TO SWITZERLAND FOR A 6-MONTH FACTORY SPA TREATMENT
JUST WANTED IT RUNNING AND WEARABLE




THIS OTHER WATCH FROM THE SAME GUY LOOKED GOOD ON THE OUTSIDE BUT NOT SO NICE INSIDE. THIS ONE WAS THROWN AWAY

 

  This message has been edited by cazalea on 2009-03-02 10:13:40

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Dear Mike,

 

This is exactly the information I was hoping to elicit. Thanks for going to the trouble to reply in detail – and with pictures as well.

 

I do appreciate getting the parts returned to me, but this seems to be rare in my experience. I wonder if I should ask for them up front.

 

I also think it is wise to explicitly tell the watchmaker not to change the hands without good reason and not without contacting you first.

 

Thanks again,

 

Andrew

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. . . whose watchmaker handles all my repairs, and he's told me a bunch of stories regarding watch repair, the best of which was the regular customer who came in one day in a hurry with a watch for repair, explaining that it belonged to her deceased father and had just been discovered in a drawer. "Please service Dad's Patek, Van . . . I've got to run now - bye!" He took one look at the watch, instantly realized it wasn't a Patek, and called her back from the exit (actually refusing to let her out as the front and back doors are controlled electronically). "Mrs X, I'm very sorry, but your Dad didn't leave you a Patek . . . this is quartz knock-off that might have cost him $20." The implication of the story is that had he allowed her to leave the store before bringing the pedestrian origins of the watch to her attention, she could've accused him of a very serious breach of trust, to say the least. I hope your door buzzer is in good repair, Mike ;-) . . . cordially, Art

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A long-time lady friend bought this watch for its name and bling, then tired of winding it.
She asked if the movement could be replaced with a quartz one.
The unnamed watchmaker said sure - and put an ETA quartz movement into it.
And gave back to her a nice little crummy, worn-out mechanical movement not even fitting the case.

Fast forward 15 years

She brings me the Cartier and movement saying "Can you put this back as it was?"
Well, not an enjoyable conversation, I can tell you.
She didn't mistrust me, so it wasn't a case of unproving anything, it was having to tell her she was cheated back then...
This message has been edited by cazalea on 2009-03-02 10:10:20

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Some tests as well they claimed, performance test, accuracy test, pressure test, water resistance test.

 

cost for replacement parts: worn parts e.g. gaskets…

 

giving you a certificate and invoice and extended warranty period …

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