Hello,

I have just received a Connie with papers at a bargain price but it is in a relative bad state : the watch is working, the date changes at midnight and pulling the crown also changes the date as well. Here are some photos attached.
I was wondering if some Parisian members of the forum could give me a good watchmaker adress.
Also, I was wondering if I should ask for the watch to be polished a little bit or not. I know it is a thorny question.

Best regards

 

No! Except the crystal.

I can give you an address or two in Bordeaux, I have no first-hand knowledge of repair guys in Paris.

FWIW, the crown does not look original to me.

 

Calling @Syrte for help with the local watchmaker

 

I took a a watchmaking course at the Atelier Parisien d'Horlogerie. The owner also services watches. I haven't had a watch service by him but his space is tidy, which is a good sign.

 

Don’t polish. It’s already been at some point in its life. Just a crystal buff out and movement service. Very nice piece...

 

antoine de macedo. they have 5-6 watchmakers. Antoine himself is a watchmaker. i dont know their prices.
Best, wouter

 

Thank you for your answers guys. No polishing, understood. I will check the adresses that you have given me !

 

Très belle Connie ! Par curiosité, c'était quoi le prix ?

 

Antoine de Macedo prices are ridiculous I wouldn't bother. He was asking a friend around 700€ for servicing a vintage Omega with calibre 280... Charly la Passion des Montres is supposedly known to be very good but waiting list is a few months and he is certainly expensive too.
It seems to be pretty hard to find a honest and competent watchmaker charging decent prices in France... The 2 in my hometown are buffoons you can't trust to do a meticulous work, taking months to complete a service an charging very high prices... I'm pretty desperate to find a good one.

 

Je l'ai eu à 830 euros !

 

700 € I can hardly imagine how much it would be for a cal 564

 

I believe he actually didn't even want to service this watch, maybe that's the reason of the ludicrous price ? I don't really know. Maybe try to ask him if you happen to be around his shop. Either I'm mistaken and it won't be that expensive, either we'll have a good laugh.

 

Ah ouais, avec le bracelet, la boite et les papiers... C'est une belle affaire !
Bravo

 

Calling @Syrte !!!

 

I can recommend Robert Horan,MBHI, at Montres International. He used to contribute here.

 

Hi everyone,

Just an update-
i do not have info on a good watchmaker in Paris for general services.

Mine has decided to focus on his specialties, ie vintage electrical or electro mechanical movements, or on thorny problems other watchmakers have been unable to solve before him.

Unfortunately there is no one I can recommend specifically if you’ve got a regular service request or need. There are names of watchmakers who have collectors in their clientele, but those are not people I have personal experience with.

Thanks and best regards,
S

 

même recherche sur Lyon ...

 

I forgot there is one watchmaker in Paris I have used in the past and recommend wholeheartedly, and that is Dominique, the watchmaker at Atelier du Bracelet Parisien. I found him a really nice guy, and respectful of client requests.

He serviced a time-only watch for me and inspected a chronograph I was buying in a face to face deal.

5 years or so ago they charged me 250 euros to service a Longines 10.68 movement. Not sure what it would be now but I can’t imagine it being as expensive as Antoine de Macedo.

 

If this still is of interest, I recently used, for the first time, a watchmaker called Au Coeur des Montres in Paris, to service an old CK2400 Suverän that hadn't run for decades.

I am not a specialist on vintage Omegas but it now runs well for it's age. When I took it out of the drawer where it has spent the last decades, you could feel that the lubricant was very old since the rewinding was very heavy.

The guy in the store was very knowledgeable (to my standards) and informative .He also provided a 2 years guaranty on his work.


/Nord-express
NB: The EOA of the watch say May 21st, 1946 as date of production.

 

One of the great things about ABP is that it's only metres from a laverie (laundromat).

When we were in Paris we would go to the laverie to do our washing, and as soon as the wash was in I'd say to Annie " I need some fresh air, just going for a walk".

And I'd walk up the street to ABP and waste a whole wash cycle just drooling at the merchandise.

The penalty was that I had to sit out the dryer cycle while Annie went for a cup of tea.