Watch Repair
If you’ve either invested in or received a timepiece that is of value to you, you’ll naturally want to choose carefully when it comes to leaving it with someone for repair. A quality watch is a complex, often delicate item, and really needs the same expertise that went into its manufacture when it comes to repair.
There are a few things that you should ideally bear in mind when choosing a watch repair company.
Specialist
Some of the repair centres specialise in different types of watch, or indeed in specific brands. For this reason it pays to make sure that any repair company you’re considering has the knowledge, expertise and indeed any necessary parts for your particular watch. You can check this out on their website in many cases, or by contacting them direct. Depending on the watch in question, you may want to try and find a repair centre that specialises only in that particular brand.
Services
The different repair centres offer a lot of different services for watches. Whether your watch has ceased to function properly and you need diagnostic testing as well as repair, or you need any part of the watch replaced, there are a host of services on offer. Other services include cleaning, restoring parts of the watch (particularly valuable for vintage timepieces) and shortening straps/ removing chain links, to name but a few.
Credentials
If your watch is important to you, find out what you can about a repair company’s credentials, check out their history if it’s available, for example on their website. Naturally you will look to only leave your watch at the mercy of people with the right expertise, so see if you can find out what kind of experience is involved. Some companies will be able to tell you that they employ experienced watchmakers in their repairs, which is reassuring as they’re more likely to have knowledge of the various mechanisms and technologies that make a watch function.
Many companies will have accreditations, and memberships, for example of horological organisations, which is also a good sign regarding their commitment to the art and craft of watch making.
Parts
If you have a timepiece whose parts are no longer manufactured, you may even find that a repair company can manufacture the part for you. Again, this is a good sign about the watch making traditions and culture at that company.
Quality
Check the service that a company offers in terms of how quickly they promise to turn your repair around. Bear in mind however, that a fast turnaround does not necessarily indicate that they’ve given your watch the attention it deserves, so weight up a speedy service with the quality of the work.
Location
Some repair companies will accept repairs by post, so they need not be operating in your immediate area. However, many of us prefer to deal with someone direct, in which case this will be a limited option.
Guarantee
Finally, check out what guarantees a company offers with regard to your repair. If they’re happy to give you a healthy guarantee, this is another positive indicator about their commitment to good service.
