We deal with a huge variety of watches in our workshop, from modern Omega and Rolex through to vintage wrist and pocket watches. Vintage watches often need extra special care and attention, especially if the watch has not been regularly serviced over the years.
This watch is a vintage Longines model dating from the mid 1960s. It has a gold case and a crosshair style dial with a subsidiary second hand. On inspection of the watch it did work given a wind, though the timekeeping was very poor – out by approximately two minutes a day depending on the position. The movement (a Longines calibre 30L) was in good aesthetic condition, though the oils and greases used to keep everything working properly were rather old, so were acting to gum up the mechanism and increase friction. A full service was in order, alongside a light polish of the case.
To service the movement it is completely disassembled and pre-cleaned, with each part inspected. The disassembled movement is then run through our specialist watch movement cleaning machine, while the case was cleaned in an ultrasonic cleaner. After an initial clean everything is checked before it then goes through a final cleaning cycle.
While everything is disassembled we give the case a polish. To do this, the case is separated into its individual components and given a polish using the appropriate wheels and polishing compound for the case material. As this is a gold case it’s very easy to over-polish due to the softness of the metal, so we’re careful to avoid this. After polishing is complete we use our ultrasonic cleaner to again clean the case, plus we steam clean afterwards to remove any remnants of polishing compound.
After the movement is completely clean, it’s time to begin reassembly and oiling. The movement is rebuilt in stages, with everything checked to ensure it is just as it should be before moving on to the next stage. Once the movement is back together, the dial and hands are then refitted before the watch is cased up. At over 55 years old, this watch is back to both working and looking fantastic.
Do you have a Longines, or in fact any vintage watch in need of repair? Get in contact with us to see how we can help. We are able to repair almost any watch and we offer a comprehensive watch repair service. We cater to clients all around the UK thanks to our fully insured freepost watch repairs service. You can also bring watches in to our showrooms based in Lewes and Uckfield, Sussex. As Business Partners of the British Horological Institute and a Feefo Platinum Trusted Service Award accredited business, you can be confident when dealing with us.
Yours sincerely
David Clark PJDip PJGemDip CertGA
Managing Director