I bought a nice 60s Roamer from an auction about 2 months ago (see my recent thread if you want to see the pics). It's been working fine, but today it just stopped. I thought I'd forgotten to wind it! I've taken it in for a service and was told it could cost £100 to put right. The staff in the jewellers is sending it away, and will contact me with a quote. Does this price sound about right/typical? I'm in the UK (north east) and don't mind shopping around. Thanks in advance for any info.
My watch stopped
- Thread starter sam o'reilly
- Start date
Sounds about right for a service. Hopefully it is a reputable service.
- Thread starter
- #3
Thanks. Looks like I may have to bite the bullet then. Generally speaking, does a reputable service offer a guarantee of service... if you know what I mean.
Sounds reasonable to me. I assume he won't charge you if he can't get it fixed.
Normally there is a warranty of a few months to a year for a properly serviced watch. However, it only would cover the repair that was done. Mechanical watches are very complicated machines with lots of parts that might fail. Btw, I love mechanical watches and they do have a maintenance cost associated with ownership. Best, Bradley
The price sounds about right for a full dissemble cleaning and oiling. Ask around and make sure this guy knows what he's doing. All our best watchmakers are retiring or passing on, unfortunately.
- Thread starter
- #7
Thanks for the feedback, and watch this space.
If you're in or near a large city, chances are you have a few options as regards watchmakers. If you're into vintage watches, you can post on any of the various watch-related discussion forums such as WatchUSeek or Timezone, etc., and ask for a recommendation of a watchmaker in your city. A reputable watchmaker will offer a guarantee of 3 months, 6 months, etc. The watchmaker I use here in Southern California provides a 1 year guarantee.
If you find a good one, treat him right. Don't ask too many questions. The good ones are cranky. Here's a conversation I had with one who has since retired: "What was wrong with my watch?" "It was broke."
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