Month: November 2023

We offer a full range of repairs in our fully equipped watch workshop – from part jobs like battery replacement through to full servicing of the vast majority of brands including Omega, Tag Heuer, Breitling and Rolex.

This job was an involved one – working on a Tag Heuer Lewis Hamilton Carrera Chronograph which arrived to us in poor condition. Our client wanted it restored and refurbished back to an excellent standard.

On arrival the entire case and bracelet were heavily marked and scuffed. In particular the fixed bezel was in poor condition. The crown was damaged and in need of replacement, plus the movement (a Tag Heuer calibre 16, based on an ETA 7750) was in desperate need of a service.

We are an authorised service centre for Tag Heuer, so we are able to order the required parts to complete this repair. We ordered a new bezel, crown, pushers and seals – these were all fitted as part of the job. Only authorised service centres can order these parts for Tag Heuer watches. We’ve been assessed by Tag Heuer so you can be confident we have the skills and correct brand specific tooling to repair your watch.

Alongside ordering in these parts, we refinished the watch case and bracelet. To do this we use a variety of different wheels and polishing compounds to achieve the desired finish. The bracelet on this watch has a brushed and high polish finish, so we mask off the bracelet in sections to create this effect.

Servicing the movement involved completely stripping down the Calibre 16 automatic chronograph movement. These are good quality movements with a considerable number of parts. Everything is checked and cleaned by hand, before being put through our watch movement cleaning machine. Reassembly and oiling can then take place. We use a variety of different lubricants and oils based on the part and function. We adhere to the manufacturers specification for this, as given on the movement data sheet.

Once the movement is serviced, we can begin complete reassembly. We reunite the movement, dial and hands with the newly refurbished case. We can then pressure test the complete watch for water resistance before it goes on test prior to collection by our client. A job well done – the watch looks fantastic after this intervention.

Yours sincerely

David Clark FGA DGA MJVA PJDip. PJGemDip.

Managing Director, JVA Registered Valuer®

W.E. Clark & Son Limited

One of the most requested jobs in our workshop is the refinishing of watch cases and bracelets. Watch polishing is a skill set in its own right, separate from those needed to effectively service and repair the watch mechanism.

While we as watchmakers are of course concerned with neat oiling and the movement being set up to optimal efficiency, this isn’t as obvious to most clients, besides being aware of if the watch is keeping time or not. The aesthetic condition of the case and bracelet however is most certainly noticeable, with marks and scratches very apparent. It’s inevitable scratches occur if a watch is worn regularly, and while some like to keep the “used” look, others like their watches to be polished.

We have the skills needed to refinish a range of different metals and style of watch case and bracelet. We also have the experience to advise when it’s best not to polish, or when to do so but only lightly. It can be a fine line, but unnecessary, ill-advised or poor-quality polishing can negatively impact on the value of a watch.

In this instance we have a ladies Omega Constellation for polishing. For this particular watch we needed to restore a high polish finish, and it’s absolutely an appropriate candidate for polishing.

The first step was to remove the movement from the case. Once the movement is removed we can disassemble the case as necessary. Once the movement is removed and we’ve stripped the watch down to an appropriate level, we can give the case and bracelet an ultrasonic clean.

It’s important to note any major marks can be dealt with prior to polishing – we want to polish for as little time as possible but with maximum effect. In this instance the case and bracelet were scuffed up all over, but there wasn’t anything particularly major which needed dealing with beforehand.

The refinishing process involves stages of polishing using our Durston double polishing motor. Between each stage we ultrasonically clean the case and bracelet to avoid contaminating polishing mops with different compounds. For the final high polish finish we use Menzerna M5 compound – this has always given us excellent results.

Once the refinishing is complete, a final ultrasonic clean is given. Each part is then steam cleaned to ensure everything is spotless before drying.

Yours sincerely

David Clark FGA DGA MJVA PJDip. PJGemDip.

Managing Director, JVA Registered Valuer®

W.E. Clark & Son Limited