I time all mechanical watches using the state of the art Witschi Watch Expert 3.
ROLEX WATCH REPAIR, OMEGA WATCH REPAIR, BULOVA WATCH REPAIR, GRUEN WATCH REPAIR, & SEIKO WATCH REPAIR ARE A SPECIALTY!
FROM VINTAGE AMERICAN POCKET WATCHES TO THE FINEST SWISS WATCHES OF TODAY, LET ME HANDLE YOUR WATCH REPAIR!
PRICES AND INFORMATION IN EFFECT AUGUST 31, 2010
Please view this ENTIRE page to see if the answer to your question may be here. Please use the pricing information on these pages as a guide to the cost of your repair. These prices are only a guide so you can determine if you want to send your watch for an estimate. I will e-mail or phone you an estimate once I receive and examine your watch.
I time all mechanical watches using the state of the art Witschi Watch Expert 3.
Water resistant watches can be tested with the Bergeon water resistance tester.
All mechanical wrist watches can be tested on the Bergeon Final Test machine which simulates the watch being worn by a person.
I use the Witschi Cyclonic Rate to test quartz watches. From the Witschi web site: "The Cyclonic Rate enables the watchmaker quick and detailed analysis of defects on quartz watches. Driven through a rotating magnetic field, the watch is brought back into operation with a faster speed. So the mechanical functions can be checked quickly. Solidified oil and dirt can be released from the bearings by rotating the gear-train rapidly. This usually enables a blocked movement to be brought back into operation again. This is often the only possibility to repair a watch that cannot be dismantled." (http://www.witschi.com/e/produkte/?sub=2&cat=&id=64)
I use the Bergeon 5700 case opener to open screw-back watch cases.
I use a Vibrograf Mark V cleaning machine to clean all mechanical watches. This is one of the best machines on the market and does an outstanding job.
My lathe is a Henry Paulson lathe made be Boley Leinen for them. This was one of the most accurate watchmaker lathes ever built, the parts from one being completely interchangeable with another, accuracy that is still unrivaled from the best lathes today.
My staking set is by the C.&E. Marshall Company which has long been out of business. I like this set better than most others as it has a more logical layout. I have also added the jewelling tool to my set, which gives me the ability to do many other things that would not normally be possible.
I use the Bergeon 6173 Rack Press. This is one of the best presses on the market and insures completely vertical pressure on crystals, bezels, or case backs for a perfect fit every time.
TYPE OF WATCH |
ESTIMATE FEE |
USUAL REPAIR COST |
Seiko Kinetic Capacitor Overhaul Packages |
$55 |
$55 & Up (Special) |
Quartz Watch Battery Package |
$30 |
$30 & Up (Special) |
American Pocket (done at hourly rate) |
$60 |
$175 & Up |
Complicated Pocket watch |
$200 |
$950 & Up |
Modern Chronograph Wristwatch |
$100 |
$285 & Up |
Modern Dress Wristwatch |
$60 |
$200 & Up |
Swiss High Grade Pocket Watch |
$100 |
$495 & Up |
Standard Day/Date Automatic Wristwatch |
$80 |
$200 & Up |
High Grade Dress Wristwatch |
$90 |
$495 & Up |
High Grade Complicated Wristwatch |
$125 |
$295 & Up |
Vintage Complicated Wristwatch (Chronograph) |
$125 |
$325 & Up |
Vintage Dress Wristwatch (manual wind) |
$60 |
$200 & Up |
Vintage Day/Date Automatic Wristwatch |
$80 |
$225 & Up |
Round Mineral Glass Watch Crystal Replacement |
$30 |
$30 & Up |
Round Sapphire Watch Crystal Replacement |
$60 |
$60 & Up |
Fancy (Shapes Other Than Round) Watch Crystal Replacement |
$40 |
$40 & Up |
Assume a Seiko 6139 automatic winding chronograph from the 1960's-1970's. Per the pricing sheet, the estimate fee is $125. Minimum overhaul charge is $325. You could figure $75-$80 in parts if I change the crystal and the pusher gaskets, and maybe the hands (it may be a little more with the hands for this given watch). Assuming a $400 estimate, with parts, you would owe $75 (50% of $400 ($200) minus the estimate fee of $125) additional for work to commence after the estimate is approved, with the balance due upon work completion.
Let's do another. Assume a Lord Elgin 14kt solid gold man's wrist watch with an Elgin 559 movement for a complete restoration. Per the pricing sheet, the estimate fee is $60. Minimum overhaul charge is $200. Assume an estimate of $400 with a dial refinish, new hands, new crystal, and outside case refinish (this is standard work for this type of a watch restoration). Assuming you approve the estimate you would have the final $400 cost minus 50% ($200) minus the $60 up-front estimate fee = $140 additional for work to commence after the estimate is approved, with the balance due upon work completion.
If you still have questions about these calculations then please contact me!
CLICK HERE FOR SEIKO KINETIC CAPACITOR REPLACEMENT
CLICK HERE FOR POCKET WATCH REPAIR
CLICK HERE FOR OMEGA WATCH REPAIR
CLICK HERE FOR ROLEX WATCH REPAIR
CLICK HERE FOR MECHANICAL WRIST WATCH REPAIR
CLICK HERE FOR QUARTZ WRIST WATCH REPAIR
CLICK HERE FOR WATCH BATTERY REPLACEMENT
CLICK HERE FOR WATCH CRYSTAL REPLACEMENT
Stems turned
Balance staffs turned
Hairsprings vibrated
Crowns replaced
Screws polished
Pocket watch domes and chains
QUESTION:
Is my watch worth repairing?
ANSWER:
That is totally up to the individual. Any solid gold watch is certainly worth repairing. If the watch has been in your family for a long time then it is probably worth the attempt as well. A lot of modern quartz watch can be repaired, but the cost is often more than the watch is worth monetarily. If however you like the watch, by all means ask about having it repaired! If you are searching for a watch to buy to pass-down through your family please see the watch shopping page for more information.
QUESTION:
How are your repair rates set?
ANSWER:
Watch repair is not an easy trade to learn, it takes time and patience. It also takes a lot of money to buy the equipment and tools to do the work right, and to get the training needed to do the work properly. This all must be factored in to labor rates.
The other consideration is time to do the work properly. It takes a minimum of 2-4 hours to service the average American pocket watch properly and do all the required checks and adjustments, complex watches take much longer (chronographs may take up to double the time).
Therefore, I submit that if someone is charging $35 to overhaul your watch (or anyone else's), what kind of job can they really be doing? I will let you be the judge of that.
My charges are more than some, but a lot less than others; I feel the price guide I have listed here is fair, I hope you will also.
QUESTION:
Do you give free estimates?
ANSWER:
No I do not. I know others do, but personally I doubt it is "free" in the end. It takes TIME to do the estimate right, if they aren't charging up-front for that time then they are making it back in their overhaul charges, or maybe their crystal charges, etc.
QUESTION:
Do you buy watches?
ANSWER:
As a general rule, no I do not. Sometimes I will buy a non-running parts watch, mostly modern that I know I can use parts from (Timex does not qualify here I'm afraid). I also don't think much of people that pawn off family heirlooms to make a quick $. I'm sorry, but that is the way I feel about it, and I'm sure some time in the future a child is going to ask for something that was their great grandfathers. I wonder what these people will tell them? "Family" means something to me, and when I see people trying to pawn their fathers or grandfathers watch it just about breaks my heart. I would however rather see them sell it than melt it down for the gold. I think people need to start realizing that a solid gold watch is worth a LOT more than the gold it contains, probably by a factor of at least three or more. I have seen a lot of pocket watches that are "sidewinders", hunting case movements in open-face cases. Many of these watches are the result of the original solid gold case being sold for scrap and the watch movement placed in the cheapest base-metal case the person could buy. Watchmakers and collectors as a group believe this happened mainly during the depression of the 1930's. One can only wonder how many beautiful solid gold watches were melted down during that time period. The American watch companies are gone now, once the products they produced are gone nothing will be left.
QUESTION:
Do you guarantee mechanical watches to keep "perfect" time?
ANSWER:
No I do not. I know others do, but personally I doubt they accomplish it in reality. Why? Because very few people know the exact time at any one second. Almost every clock you run across will read something different, and so will most watches. The truth of the matter is people have been spoiled by cheap, but accurate, quartz watches that keep nearly perfect time (I say "nearly" because in reality most quartz watches are off at least a few seconds a week +/-). Most mechanical watches, especially the vintage ones, never kept perfect time when new and they certainly will not now after years of use and wear (most of them were regulated to +/- 10-30 seconds a day from the factory when new). The specs for a mechanical chronometer only call for +/- 4 seconds a day in at least 3 positions to pass a COSA certification, and most 40-year-old chronometers are not even capable of that without many new parts being put into the movement. Therefore, my honest advice is that if you need a watch that is accurate to the second, buy a quartz watch or one of those new "atomic" watches or clocks.
QUESTION:
Do you have a retail shop or storefront?
ANSWER:
No I do not, I work from my home. Some view this as "unprofessional", but I will tell you now that most watchmakers do work from their homes. This means we do not have the overhead of paying for a store and the increased insurance, utilities, etc. Unless one has a retail jewelry or watch business connected with the repair business, there is no reason to have a store to repair watches. It does not mean one does unprofessional work. On the contrary, it also means I do not have to do 10 watches a day just to pay the bills; I can take my time and do the work properly. I now do my business exclusively by mail order; this means fewer interruptions so I can work more efficiently.
QUESTION:
Will you work on any watch???
ANSWER:
I will not touch some watches. This has to do more with quality and parts issues than anything. Some of the old pocket watches were poorly made at the outset, and are a nightmare to work on with 70 + years of wear on them. Parts for 1970's-1980's quartz watches are usually obsolete. Additionally, there are part issues with some of the newer watches. More and more companies are refusing to sell parts to repair people and material houses. The perceived goal in this, is once the independent watchmakers are driven out of business then the manufacturers will have a monopoly on the service of their product by their service centers. Below is a list of watches that I will not work on, more will be added as needed:
Crown, New York Standard, Columbia, Seiko Quartz Chronographs (except battery changes and case, crystal, and band work), Omega quartz watches, Franck Muller watches.
QUESTION:
Will my watch be "like new" after it is repaired?
ANSWER:
I have seen others claim "After we repair your watch it will be like new!". Obviously this is at the very least an exaggeration. Your watch will not be "like new" just because you had it cleaned and oiled. The only way to make it "like new" is most likely to replace every single worn part, send the case out to be replated, and get the manufacturer (most likely no longer in business in the case of old watches) to provide a warranty. All that would cost a GREAT deal of money! Now, your watch most likely will run a LOT better after it is cleaned. Your watch may look a LOT better after the case/band is cleaned or buffed. You may be able to see the time a LOT better after the crystal is buffed or replaced. In addition, certainly a new band can go a LONG way to make your watch look a LOT better. However,please, do not expect a "brand new" watch out of a 50-100 year old one.
QUESTION:
Do I have to pay for the parts and labor even if you are unable to repair my watch or get it to function 100%?
ANSWER:
Well, yes you do. You would not expect a mechanic to work on your car for nothing for hours even if he could not fix it in the end would you? When I invest an hour of my time in your timepiece that is an hour of my life that I will never get back. I also have to pay for the parts I order and use no matter if your watch runs in the end or not. I make an honest attempt to repair every watch I accept for service and I try to be "up front" about everything. At the very least you will have to pay for the parts and return shipping even if the repair is unsuccessful.
To date I have only had a few watches that would not function after much work was put in them (mostly old mechanicals), but there comes a time when it is necessary for one of us to make the decision to "cut our losses" on problem watches. Often, it is the customer that makes the decision, sometimes it is I. If the watch cannot be made to run after a reasonable amount of work is put into it then I will often just ask for my time and my cost on the parts to be paid (and to be clear here I only mark-up parts 10%-20% to start with so I am NOT getting rich on the parts). Often, when a watch comes in that I think is going to be a "problem watch," I will either reject it outright or only accept the job if it is preformed for time and material (no estimate). Most watches that fall into this category are old pocket watches that have been treated badly, are badly worn, or that have been "hacked and cobbled" by "watch plumbers." I have had a few newer watches, such as one Seiko Kinetic (it was smashed) that had problems that were not obvious when they came into the shop and only became apparent after the watch was reassembled. These instances are rare on newer watches however.
QUESTION:
How should I pack and ship my watch?
ANSWER:
There are detailed instructions at the bottom of this web page for packing and shipping your watch, please follow them. Please Do not send any type of "gift box" or original box the watch came in or instruction manuals, I have no way to track them with the repairs. Please, pack your watch as I have requested; I have never had a watch destroyed or lost in shipment that was packed correctly.
QUESTION:
How long will it take to repair my watch?
ANSWER:
Well, as long as it takes is the best answer I can give. I cannot fix every watch that comes in within 7 days, it is just not possible. As an example between 12/1/02 and 1/8/03 I took in about 80 watches for repair, some days they came in 6 at a time! There is just no possible way to do that many watches in even a month and still do quality work. Add to them the watches that were already in the shop and you have a real mess. All I can do is work as quickly and efficiently as possible and still do quality work. I WILL NOT cut corners just to get a job done quickly! Please take the following as a guideline:
Estimates: 1 months. If you have not heard from me on the estimate after 2 months then please e-mail me.
Repairs completed: 1-12 months. This will depend on my schedule and parts availability. In the case of some older watches it may take MONTHS to find the parts, not weeks. Most modern watches are done in two to four weeks, it is the older watches, particularly pocket watches, which generally take the most time. Please also consider that watchmakers are not material houses, we do not stock every part for every watch ever made. Often, we are at the mercy of the material house when it comes to getting the parts to fix a watch. I should think one would rather wait for the parts to come and have the job done correctly, than to have someone "try" to fix the watch, without the proper parts, and have it end up worse than it was before.
Crystal, crown, battery, and band jobs will usually be completed in 1-4 weeks depending on parts availability.
Seiko Kinetic watches are usually returned within 1-4 weeks unless further repairs are needed.
QUESTION:
Can I e-mail about the status of my repair?
ANSWER:
Yes you can, but please be courteous with the e-mails. Some people e-mail 2 days after they have mailed me the watch asking for an update on the repair, obviously the answer is not something they like, but the truth, "I haven't even looked at it yet". E-mailing for repair updates on the weekend is also not appreciated, I need time off too, so please respect that. Please remember I give repair updates by e-mail as a courtesy; if you took your watch to a jeweler, and he sent it away for repair you would receive no updates until the work was done or the watch came back. Thank you for your understanding!
IMPORTANT POINTS, PLEASE READ!
Labor rate is $40 per hour.
I totally disassemble every mechanical watch I overhaul. Total disassembly is the only correct way to examine a mechanical watch for defects.
Many watches, especially old pocket watches, have other problems that cannot be seen until disassembly. Approximately 50% of antique pocket watches I see have broken jewels. Approximately 50% of the antique pocket watches I see have bent balance pivots or flat spots on the balance pivots. Without correcting these things I cannot guarantee the watch to keep good time. If any of these defects are found the customer will be notified before the repairs are carried out.
WATER RESISTANCE OF WATCHES IS NOT GUARANTEED. There are all kinds of legal reasons for this, so your understanding is appreciated!
ANY watch that comes into the shop that requires a water resistance test during service that has a glued in crystal will have the crystal reglued for a flat $15 charge. This operation is mandatory on any watch that comes in that is to be water tested with a glued in crystal. The reason is that these watches almost always fail the water resistance test, with the result being that the crystal blows out in the tester and I have to dry out the movement and reglue the crystal anyway.
Due to quality and/or parts issues I no longer work on the following brands of watches: Crown, New York Standard, Columbia, Seiko Quartz Chronographs, Omega quartz watches, Franck Muller watches.
I reserve the right to refuse service on any watch. I am sorry for this, but due to the recent amount of hacked and cobbled watches, particularly pocket watches, coming into my shop I have no choice.
I will not under any circumstances work on, nor do I endorse, any replica/fake watches!
Not responsible for accidents, damages, or loss in the mail.
SHIPPING AND ESTIMATES
PLEASE read, agree to, and follow the procedure below for sending your watch for estimate/repair. The steps below are for YOUR safety and that of your timepiece! I take in many watches for repair and without the proper information I have requested I can not track your watch or return it to you! SIMPLY HAVING THE INFORMATION ON YOUR CHECK OR MONEY ORDER IS NOT ENOUGH. I AM SOMETIMES NOT THE ONE THAT OPENS THE PARCELS OR CASHES THE CHECKS/MONEY ORDERS. PLEASE PROVIDE THE INFORMATION I ASK FOR BELOW! THANK YOU!!!
All customers must please fill-out and enclose the watch repair form and liability waiver. Click here to open and print the form, it will open in a new window: Watch Repair Authorization Form
I hate to add this, but after years of asking, people still are sending their watches in envelopes, padded envelopes, and uninsured. That being said, ANY watch that is received in an envelope or uninsured WILL be refused at the post office and returned to the owner at their expense. I am sorry, but if I accept the package and there is damage I then become the responsible party. Please ship you watch in a box and insure it. Thank you!!!!
1) BEFORE sending your watch you must first e-mail me for approval of your repair. No watches except Seiko Kinetic will be accepted for repair without prior approval. Once your repair is approved by me you will be provided with my complete shipping address. ALL REPAIRS EXCEPT SEIKO KINETIC OVERHAULS AND BATTERY OVERHAULS MUST BE PRE-APPROVED BEFORE ACCEPTANCE. The reason for this is that people were just sending watches without asking. Please, just e-mail and I will be more than happy to talk with you about your repair. Kinetic watches and battery overhauls may be sent at anytime without prior approval.
2) Wrap your watch in BUBBLE WRAP and place it in a BOX. Use the Small Flat-Rate box available at most any USPS Office.
Fill the box completely with packing material so your watch doesn't become damaged in shipment! I have had people using 1 small piece of bubble wrap in a large box. The result is the watch comes out of the bubble wrap and bangs around for thousands of miles in transit. PLEASE, use an adequate amount of packing material to fill the box, it will be cheaper than buying a new watch!!
PLEASE do not use "Styrofoam peanuts" to pack the watch! The result will be that the watch will settle to the bottom and be unprotected for most of the trip to my Post Office!
PLEASE, do not put tape on the watch itself!
3) Enclose the Watch Repair Authorization Form with your watch.
4) Include a check in the proper amount to cover the estimate fee (see Estimates above).
5) Ship your timepiece by USPS Priority Mail.
Insure your parcel for at least $100.
Put Delivery Confirmation on the parcel (that way you can check to make sure I received it on-line). The e-mail situation is getting overwhelming and I no longer e-mail when watches are received.
Mark the package "FRAGILE".
DO NOT SHIP BY UPS OR FED-EX, THEY CANNOT DELIVER TO MY PO BOX ADDRESS.
IMPORTANT NOTES
I do not do work on "approval", watches will be held until the bill is settled, or the watch can be sent C.O.D.
If you do contact me about your repair, PLEASE be specific, I can have other watches in the shop and can't remember ever one.
Please take the following as a guideline for repair times
Evaluations/estimates: 1 week to 2 months. If you haven't heard from me after 2 1/2 months then please e-mail me.
Repairs completed 1 week to 12 months depending on the repair. This will depend on my schedule and parts availability. In the case of some older watches, such as old pocket watches, it may take MONTHS to find the parts, not weeks.
PLEASE, allow me time to do the work, I cannot estimate/fix every watch that comes in within 4-5 days, it is just not possible, especially during the "busy season".
PAYMENT METHODS
Personal check
Cashiers check
Money order
I do not take any credit card payments. Sorry!
Please make all checks or money orders payable to Scott A. Ekleberry
If you still feel you have any unanswered questions after reading through my web site, please feel free to e-mail questions. Thank you!!!
NAVIGATE MY SITE
A. Lange & Sohne |
Alfred Dunhill |
Bertolucci |
Blancpain |
Breguet |
Breitling |
Bulgari |
Cartier |
Certina |
Chaumet |
Chopard |
Daniel Mink |
David Yurman |
Dior |
Doxa |
Ebel |
Fossil |
Frederique Constant |
Franck Muller |
Guess |
Glycine |
Hublot |
Harry Winston |
Krieger |
Jaeger-LeCoultre |
Marcel Watch |
Luminox |
Mont Blanc |
Meylan Stopwatches |
Piaget |
Parmigiani |
Raymond Weil |
Pierre Balmain |
Sector |
RGM |
Tourneau |
Skagen |
Ulysse Nardin |
Tutima |
Van Cleef & Arpels |
| Vacheron Constantine | Zodiac |
| Invicta | |
AFFILIATIONS
This site is protected by the copyright laws and international copyright treaties, as well as other intellectual property laws and treaties. Violations of copyright laws and international treaties, as well as other intellectual property laws can be prosecuted to the full extent of the law.
This page and all content copyright 2001-2010 by It's About Time! Watch Repair