How do I get you to work on my watch?

If you would like me to service your watch contact me by email or via the contact page submission form with details of your watch and I’ll get back to you as soon as I can.

How should I send it to you?

If you can remove the bracelet or strap it’s best to do so, however if you can’t I’ll remove it for you of course. It’s a good idea to put the watch into a small plastic bag then wrap it in with bubble wrap, plenty of it. Don’t use too much tape as it means I have to cut your watch free and sharp blades near watches aren’t a good mix. Place the bubblewrapped watch into a padded envelope, (the Jiffy Bag type) and please put a note in with it detailing who you are, exactly the work you want doing (for instance if you also want the case fully stripping and cleaning), if there are any separate parts packaged along with the watch, contact details and a return address. You wouldn’t believe the amount of watches I receive that are just a watch in a padded envelope and nothing else. Not too bad if they’re all different but half a dozen Seiko 6309’s in one week can get confusing! Also please don’t send it in any packaging you want returned, for example in the original box, grannies spectacle case or whatever.

If you’re sending from abroad please put a value of $10 on the customs form. This isn’t to defraud the UK’s customs department this is to ensure no duty has to be paid as the watch will be sent back to you once it’s repaired or serviced. Label the customs form “Spare Parts”. If duty has to be paid then I’m afraid the watch will be refused and will be returned to you.

If you’re sending from within the UK then Royal Mails Special Delivery service is the best method of sending, but 1st class signed for should be just as reliable albeit with a lot less cover.

How do you send my watch back?

Packages in the UK are returned using the Royal Mail Special Delivery service. There are three levels of cover, up to £500 costs £7.50, up to £1,000 costs £8.50 and up to £2,500 costs £10.50.

Packages abroad are sent via Royal Mails International tracked and signed for service, although for a few countries the tracking option isn’t available. You can check which countries on Royal Mails web pages. Prices for a packaged watch are generally between £15 to £20 depending where in the world it’s going. Insurance isn’t included as it’s prohibitively expensive but if you really need insurance contact me. Having said that I’ve never had a package fail to arrive either domestically or abroad.

All watches are packed in bubblewrap then placed in a foam padded cardboard box , this is then placed into a tamper resistant plastic envelope for addressing and posting.

Do you offer a guarantee?

All service work is guaranteed for one year but obviously if you drop your watch and it stops working this won’t be covered! However I like to think I’m fair, and if a problem develops with your watch within that year that wasn’t caused by water ingress or shock damage I’ll endeavour to repair it. To help keep my prices as low as possible the only proviso is that you are responsible for the cost sending the watch back to me.

Will you pressure test my watch?

If your watch is a waterproof model, if I can source the seals and if the case parts are in good enough condition with good sealing surfaces I’ll pressure test your watch. If you send me a watch with heavily corroded gasket surfaces, a crystal that has been polished wafer thin and a case tube that resembles a barley twist I’ll not be testing it! A standard test is 10bar (or less depending on your watches rating) but I can test up to 300bar, however there is an extra charge for anything over 10bar. I can’t guarantee water resistance (especially with vintage watches) all I can do is verify that your watch was resistant to water ingress when I tested it, with tests up to 10bar you’ll receive a printout of the test’s result.

How long will you have my watch for?

As little time as possible is what I aim for! In reality my service queue is generally around the eight week mark from receipt of a watch to it getting onto the bench but I’ll always let you know the current queue length if you ask. Once the work is completed there’s a minimum testing period of four days that a mechanical watch will have to endure before it’s ready for return. With smaller jobs I aim to turn them around within two weeks.

Do you use original parts?

I always endeavour to use original parts if possible. However with vintage watches parts availability can be non existent for certain models so sometimes pattern or aftermarket parts have to be used. Another point to bear in mind is NOS parts have usually been sitting around in packets or containers for many decades and can have been taken out for inspection many times over that period. This means sometimes they can be discoloured or have picked up blemishes or marks over the years where oxidisation or fingerprints have taken their toll. I’ll always attempt to clean up any marks but (especially with crystals) there can sometimes be minute blemishes or marks that won’t shift. I’m usually happy just to have found an elusive NOS part and any imperfections are part of its character!

How do I pay you?

If you’re UK based my preferred method of payment is by Bank Transfer to my account, I’ll give you the details with the invoice. If you’re abroad then PayPal is the best method but unfortunately because of PayPals charges I have to add 5.5% to the final bill.

What address do I send my watch to?

I’ll notify you of where to send your watch to when any work is agreed, for obvious reasons I don’t publish my address online!

Will my watch appear on your blog?

I love to feature your watches on my blog and endeavour to always keep the pages fresh with new content. However as you can imagine it’s very a very time consuming operation, and whilst I’d love to feature them all, back in the real world not all will end up on there. With most jobs I do take photographs as I go so even if your watch doesn’t feature on the blog you will receive various pictures of what was done to your watch by email.