Full Restorations
Whether you're a dedicated collector or simply trying to get that old heirloom fixed, we know how to get these tiny and delicate engines running properly, so trust us with your grandfather's pocket watch for expert restorations that will take just a few days.
Original Condition
Mismatched and incorrect parts don't belong anywhere on your watch, so have it restored properly, which means putting things as close as practicable to the day it left the factory. We can't erase every bump and scrape from over a century of service - and these should be left as a tribute to history - but all of the movement's components, as well as the dial, hands and case, will be back to original specifications again.
Accuracy Is Precision
There are no corners to be cut if an accurate watch is the goal.
It takes a hundred close-tolerance parts working in unison with little room for error for these antiques to function correctly.
- The balance wheel will be properly staffed, poised and weighted, and trued in both flat and round.
- The jeweling and escapement will be examined under the scope for flaws and replaced if needed.
- The gear train checked for condition, end shake and tolerance, and the mainspring will be tested.
- The movement timed against the three basic positions (dial up, dial down, and pendant up).
Doing It Right
Broken parts, mismatched hands, and missing screws all detract from the beauty of your heirloom watch, so when it leaves here:
- Every component will be matching and correct.
- Any missing plate enamel will be replaced.
- Plate tarnish will be greatly reduced.
- Screws and hardware buffed and polished.
- The proper hands fitted and colored.
- The dial replaced, repaired or whitened in solution.
- The case will be de-greased in a chemical bath.
- The stem and sleeve cleaned, and the bow tightened.
- The crystal will be reset or replaced with new glass.
A Lot Goes Into Every Watch
Staff Fabrication
Any fabricated staff starts with a drill stock blank in diameters from 0.5 mm up to 2.5 mm. Taking very precise measurements, the new staff is turned on the lathe. After sizing the pivots, the staff is polished with a burnisher and is ready for service.
Custom fabrication starting at $90/hour
Re-Pivoting
An impact can easily break delicate pivots, and if that happens the staff can be trued up, the center found, and the hub drilled to precise dimensions. A new pivot is then fabricated to size and seated either by friction or by temperature inversion.
Re-pivoting starting at $125
Hairspring Work
Snarled hairsprings are caused by impatiently tugging at them while removing the balance assembly. They can become laced, where the stud becomes woven into the coils. If it's not a complete mess the hairspring can be untangled and reformed in a spiral.
Untangling starting at $65
Re-colleting
A broken hairspring collet is the result of hammering it back on to a replacement balance staff that was too large. It's one of the most common examples of deliberate damage, and also one of the most avoidable in this age of instant education on YouTube.
Re-colleting starting at $175
Jewel Shellacking
Shellac is a naturally-occurring resin that is used to mount the roller jewel and both pallet stones, which absorb millions of impacts during their service life. It's very important that they be mounted correctly, and sometimes need to be reset.
Stone setting starting at $25
Jewel Replacement
Machining jewel settings is a science in itself, since they're rarely a drop-in fit and so must be milled to spec from a blank or from an oversized setting. This is done to very close tolerances before the screw pockets can be cut in the cap jewel, if there is one. Care is always taken to preserve the color match, whether gold or brass.
Jewel replacement starting at $85
Micro-Welding
Cracks caused by careless tinkerers can be filled with new metal and milled back to original dimensions, assuming the alloy is nickel steel or steel-plated bronze. The nominal diameter of the set screw in the photograph on the right is 0.4 millimeters.
Micro-welding starting at $145
Under The Dial
The components under the dial are every bit as important as the ones between the plates, and yet they often go ignored. All of the hardware on your watch will be cleaned and inspected, milled flat and polished, and repaired or replaced as needed.
Component prices and hourly rates apply
Swiss Watch Repair
The Factories
There were plenty of reputable Swiss factories founded in the 1800s such as Bulova, Jurgensen and Longines that produced high-grade and complicated pieces, but they used several cost-cutting techniques that prevented them from measuring up to their American counterparts.
Most models did not have banking pins, the jewels were friction-fit instead of easily-changed screw-set ones, gilt plate finishes were the most common, and the regulators usually had no micro-adjustment, almost certainly because all of these were the cheapest options.
The Designs
Vintage Swiss watches usually suffered from poor designs, soft alloys, coarse threads, and low tolerances. Note how this leaning mainspring barrel in the photograph is actually rubbing against the barrel plate because it's anchored only by the upper arbor mount.
The Bar Movement
The single most common design was called the bar movement, or bar style, because of the multiple slim bridges used to anchor the gear train components. Legitimate companies like the British firm of M I Tobias did produce this design, but dozens of Swiss factories made millions of cheap knock-offs that mimicked it, even going so far as to call theirs an M J Tobias. Even though the design was similar, none of the individual parts were interchangeable because they came from different factories, including the dial, since the feet weren't all in the same locations. They were all low-grade, low-count examples with press-fit jewels.
The Problems
The Swiss were fixated on making the thinnest watches possible, which meant flimsy gear train wheels, components rubbing against each other, and skinny mainsprings that had trouble pushing the balance wheel.
Regardless, they can be usually restored to running condition.
Showing It Off
If your watch should prove to be too damaged to restore or if the budget isn't there to fully complete the work, another option is a cosmetic one. We can clean and patch the dial, install a new crystal and correct hands, and buff the case so it can be put under glass on your mantel.
Your family heirloom will look like it used to when it was newer, you don't have to worry about maintaining it, and you can show it off in a place of honor while being glad that it survived all these years.
Cosmetic Work
Dial Refurbishing
Watch dials are fragile things made from porcelain, and like a mirror, once it's cracked it cannot be reversed. We offer basic repairs, although the dial has to be reasonably intact for us to have any kind of success. White porcelain dials only, please.
Dial refurbishing starting at $25
Enamel Replacement
Harsh chemicals can scrub the enamel inlay from the plate engravings, so we offer enamel replacement in both black and the brick red found on several Illinois models. It's a very tedious and time-consuming process, but definitely worth it.
New enamel starting at $35
Tarnish Reduction
Plate tarnish can be substantially reduced using several methods, regardless if the tarnish was caused by chemical residue, decades of exposure to smoke, salt air environment or harsh cleaners. We can't always eliminate it completely, but it will be an improvement.
Tarnish removal starting at $65
Hand Coloring
Wartime material shortages meant using acrylic for crystals, which yellowed and caused the hands to rust. If the hands on your watch aren't too pitted they can be polished out and returned to the factory colors of either plum or cobalt blue.
Hand coloring starting at $20
Hardware Bluing
Nothing sets off the plates of a movement like blued hardware. If your watch is missing a few blued screws we can give it back that factory look. Cap jewels, regulator arms, and even hairspring mounts can also be blued.
Hardware bluing starting at $15
Crystal Replacement
Plastic (acrylic) crystals weren't available until World War II, so they certainly don't belong on a watch from the late 1800s. No vintage watch leaves here with a plastic crystal, so new glass is available in all styles.
New glass crystals starting at $40
Case Polishing
Nickel or silver watch cases can be polished up like new, unless there is ornate engraving. Gold cases shouldn't be buffed at all.
Case polishing starting at $25
Display Conversion
If your movement has a dazzling pattern, we can mill the back cover into a bezel, add a new glass crystal, and turn your vintage timepiece into an instant showpiece. Not every case is a good candidate because only certain kinds can be converted, so be sure to contact us first.
We only cut into cases that are worn or damaged.
Display conversions starting at $125
All cosmetic work is performed during service or restoration of your watch, meaning that none of these services are offered separately.
Restoration Highlights
One of the rarest of all Waltham dials - the coveted red guilloche with fancy hands, fronting a Model '88.