Watch Repair, Watch Servicing and Watch Restoration
Stamford and London
We have two excellent watchmakers: Steve is a Craft Member of the BHI, qualified to work on the classics like Rolex and Omega.
James is a relatively new kid on the block - he's only been doing this for twenty years - a Grad BHI (Hackney College), and WOSTEP (Watches of Switzerland Training and Education Program) qualified, he is the keen watchMAKER, having made my own personal wristwatch, incorporating a Massey English lever escapement just for fun!
Both work form home - watchmakers don't like the kind of dirt the clockshop gives off - but we meet each week and exchange watches and chatter. Both carry full insurance and keep very secure and discreet workshops. We have a small watch workshop in Stamford where we perform minor surgery and repairs to watches
It does however, avoid the sinking feeling when customers are led up the garden path about who is working on their watch, only to discover "it's in the post"!
Suzette, who initially came to us to work as a secretary, has been studying under James since the week she arrived and handles the day to day running of the watch repair business. She is more than capable of minor adjustments and repairs to anything from a Smiths to a Patek Phillipe.
An odd adition to the list would be Oliver Hall, who has worked here mainly as a clock repairerer for the last two years. Oliver has just been headhunted by Breitling for their service division, having got the job over a number of experienced and better qualified watchmakers. We must be training our staff right. As much as we're sorry to lose him, we're proud to have got him to where he is now!
I don't believe there is a watch repair we can't handle. Only economics dictates what is or is not possible.
Unlike many so-called watch shops where things are sent away and not seen again for months, 97% of our watch repair or servicing is completed within 28 days (often much sooner - only parts supply accounts for the other 3%.)  The following is a (not complete or comprehensive) list of the MECHANICAL watches we work on. Mainly for your search engine rather than to scroll through!
The only watch we are not happy to work on is Rado ceramic watches, which we strongly reccommend go back to the manufacturer. The glass is held in place uniquely and is easily broken.
Admiral, Alpina, Altus, Amida, Angelus, Anomino, Arnold, Audemars Piguet, Arogno, Atlantic, Aurore, Azimuth, Ball, Baume & Mercier, Baumgartner, Bauer, Becker, Beguelin, Benrus, Ernst Benz, Bettlach, Bifora, Bidlingmaier, Blancpain, Breuget, Breitenbach, Breitling, Brac, Bucherer, Bulla, Bullova (all types), Buren, Buret, Buser, Buti, Bvlgari (Bulgari), Cartier, Champ, Chase-Durer, Chezard, Chopard, Chronoswiss, Citizen, Civitas, Concord, Frederique Constant, Cortebert, Corgement, Corum, Court-essor, Culmina, Cupillard, Cyma, Damas, Derby, Desa, Doxa, Dunhill, Durowe, Ebel, Eberle, Ebosa, Election, Elgin, Emes, Enicar, Epos, Louis Erard, Eterna, Excelsior, Favre Leuba, Felsa, Fleurier, Font, Forster, Fortis, Frey, d. freemont, General, GSW, Girard Perregaux, Glycine, Graham, Grau and Hampel, Gruen, Guba, Hanhart, Harwood, Hebdomas, Helebros, Helios, Heuer (as in Tag Heuer), Imhof, Imperial, International, (IWC), Jaeger, Journe, Judex, Jules Jurgensen, Junghans, Keinzele, Kasper, Kurth, Kurtz, Landeron, Langendorf, Lapanouse, Lavina, Le Coultre, (as in Jaeger le Coultre), Lemania, Leon Levy, Le Phare, Liengme, Lip, Longines, Looping, Lord, Lorsa, Lunesa, Luxor, Mallery, Marlboro, Marvin, Mauthe, Melano, MST, A Michel, Mido, Mimo, Minerva, Moeris, Montilier, Movado, Mt Vernon, Muller, Nation, NFT, Nidor, NPX, O'Maire, Omega, Optima, Orient, Orion, Oris, Osco, Otero, Parrenin, Park, Panerai, Pesseax, Pfaff, Phenix, Phinney, Piaget, Pierce, Precimax, Qualitas, Rayville, Reconvelier, Record, Recta, Rensie, Reymond, Rolex, Roseba, Sonceboz, Sandoz, Savoi, A Schild, Dchild & Co, Seiko, Semca, Sigma, Schuler, Stratford, Stuyvesant, Suza, Switana, SWI, Swiza, Tavannes (Cyma), Terasse, Tissot, Troesch, Transpacific, Tudor, Unitas, Universal, Urofa, Vulcain, Waltham, Westfield, Wittnauer, Zenith, Zentra, A horror story or two
We recently took in a lovely gent's Patek Phillipe wristwatch which wouldn't keep time. The previous repairer had lost the upper shockproofing spring for the balance staff. Unable to source one, and perhaps unable to make one, he replaced it with superglue.
Although the watch worked it would not keep time. Had it recieved a stout blow, the shockproofing would not have worked and the balance staff might easily have broken.
The Patek Phillipe owner was happy to pay a few pounds to have the right spring as opposed to a bit of superglue!
Another customer who came in had purchased - at considerable expense - a nice Panerai wristwatch. After a couple of years it began to lose a little. He took the watch back to the shop he bought it from. It was "away" for nine weeks. When it came back it was losing more than ever -- after a bill of just short of £600.
When I had a look at the watch it was set to run slow. Moving the setting towards "fast", with the watch on the timing machine, we soon had it gaining just a fraction.
(Good mechanical watches should always gain rather than lose - partly because it does no harm to be early rather than late, partly because most have "hacking" which means that by pulling out the crown the watch can be stopped, synchronised, and re-started easily.)
It took less than an hour to time the watch. Needless to say our bill was a little smaller than the "main dealer"!
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