Hey
I'm not feeling they've from my current watch maker, so I plan on trying another place in canberra that I think says they repair vintage watches. What sort of questions should ask when 'interviewing' them?

 

the usual things,

does he have a lot of repeat customers?
does he have photo's of previous work?

are there locals who are willing to confirm that he's the place to go to?

ask at the local watch retailers who do they send their stuff to when they need to get something fixed.

and ask how long to turn stuff around.

 

Personal recommendations from people who have used the person is probably the most effective way of finding a good watchmaker. The watchmaker should have no problem giving you names and contact information of people he has worked for (with their permission of course).

I would take the opinion of a local jeweler or retailer with a grain of salt. Although there are certainly exceptions, most stores who send watches out for repair are not interested in really high quality work, but someone who is cheap and quick. This is the main reason I absolutely will not do "trade work" with stores sending me watches - although some have asked I always turn them down.

You really want a watchmaker who understands how a collector thinks, and will do things as you ask.

Cheers, Al

 

Sorry Ash,
Cash at a discount, why?
Obviously violating tax laws at your gain and his potential loss if caught out by the authorities.
This is I can assure you not a personal remark to you, forty odd years in business and had so many cash offers.
Why would I accept ?

 

Cash is king in NYC. I can tell you there aren't many properly taxed transactions going on down in the diamond district (where many watch vendors and tradesmen are located too). Between tax and credit card fees, that can be a quick 10%.

I make no judgments... just humbly reporting the facts.

 

True,
It is a gamble any business makes, legit or not.
Having been through two major investigations, and cleared on all accounts, but with an accountants fee running to well over £20k to prove innocence why should I offer cash discount?
C card costs me 1.25%, business banking is free providing I keep above my agreed level.
Cash, credit, cheque, all welcome but at the same price, and through the books.
All a bit heavy for a Saturday evening

 

For me the best test is when I've already correctly diagnosed a problem with a watch, and then bring it in for an estimate. If the estimate includes a bunch of superflous stuff to simply run up a bill, you have your answer. A simple example would be breaking an acrylic crystal on a watch that has just recently been serviced. Assuming that close inspection reveals an unharmed movement keeping good time, the crystal change should be a relatively inexpensive proposition. Some places will tell you that you must have a full service or they won't touch it--thanks, no thanks.

Do beware that most "brand authorized" watchmakers may be required to be a bit trigger happy with replacement parts. Some of that is dictated by Rolex, Omega, etc. (That's also why I avoid these outfits unless I have a specific reason for needing their services that cannot be obtained elsewhere).

Depending on how much time you and your potential watchmaker has, I've had some amazing experiences being invited back to the bench for an afternoon. Genuine curiosity and friendliness can open many doors.

 

AMEX is 3% or 4%. No interest financing can run anywhere from 1.5% to over 14% depending on the length of the program. Whenever my company runs an advertisement touting 18 month or longer financing, I always ask the customer if they need the financing or would they rather have their sales tax paid for them. For instance, our finance company gets quite a bit over 10% of the total transaction for a 36 month no interest program, and the tax rate in the stores I work in is 6% or 7%. If a customer can pay up front, even with a credit card, it saves our company money. We still pay the state tax and show the customer the math on their invoice, but the total equals the merchandise amount.

Now, if a merchant is just taking cash and not reporting...... well, I hope they have a good accountant.

 

Interesting - I no longer accept partial repairs of any kind, like crystal replacements. Rather than being from a desire to run up a bill or generate more work, it's a matter of efficiency for me. I already have more work than I can possibly complete doing full service work on watches, so it makes little sense to take on small jobs that take more time than I can reasonably charge for. The time it takes me to look for the correct crystal, order it, replace it, pressure test, etc. is time I could use doing a full service on another watch.

In addition there's always a chance something is going to go wrong after I've done the work, and then there's an argument about who's fault it is. For me it's not worth the time or potential trouble to do partial repairs. There are some exceptions, but they are rare. Part of knowing how to run a business and being a good watchmaker is knowing when to say no to a job.

I'm not sure what you mean by "brand authorized" watchmakers, but if you are talking about a satellite brand service center (not many of those left but there are 3 for Omega in Canada I think in addition to Swatch in Toronto), in most cases they are tied to the brand pricing for service work, so they charge exactly what the brand would charge. And yes, when you take a watch into a brand for work, they often replace many parts as policy whether they need it or not. For me I have an Omega account, but I have my own pricing and make my own decisions on what to replace or not based on the condition of the watch.

Having said that, there are certain specific situations where movements need upgrades applied at service - the Cal. 3301 and series is a good example. I certainly always ask if the client wants to have the upgrades done, but I do recommend doing them, as they do help with reliability on these movements. I've never had anyone say no to these - it's really small change on a service for an automatic chronograph. Similar situation with replacing the intermediate escape wheel on a Cal. 2500C if the conditions specific by Omega are present in the watch - it would be foolish not to do these and risk having to service the watch again IMO.

And regarding "under the table" work, well that's not something I do. I have people ask all the time, and my answer is always the same - not going to happen!

Cheers, Al

 

Sales out of state incur no local taxes. So for very very high end jewelry, loose stones, and some watches (we aren't talking typical Tiffany's fare here), many of these transactions involve a FedEx box being overnighted to the customer's out of state address (pick your favorite aunt).

Now if the customer insists that they are taking their purchase with them, the shipping and insurance forms are still completed and the box is still shipped (so if audited, the vendor could produce a paper trail).

I just got done paying my income taxes. No fun, but then again, I enjoy paved rodes, a strong military, etc. etc. I don't personally agree with these practices, but that's what happens day in and day out.

The diamond district is really a fascinating place to spend some time, especially if you have friends there. Of course these are also the types of places that refuse to do business with strangers (not your typical retailers). So unless you know someone who knows someone, who has shaken that hand before, you're not likely to get in the door in the first place. Newly minted Russian oligarchs need not apply.

 

And in NJ you'll be charged interest and fined if you don't claim your sales tax due from out of state purchases. NJ knows that people try to do end runs around taxes and line 45 on the tax return asks you to fess up.

 

Does that apply to eBay purchases, Dennis? <uh, oh>

 

Yes, the line description does say "internet purchases". Not sure what the law is on used items though. Technically, sales tax was already collected on it when new.

All I know is I paid my AD the sales tax when I bought my AT.

 

A lot of the time, when I'm haggling over price, the retailer will ask, cash or card? I always then ask, does it make a difference? If it does, then I'll pay cash every time. I'll always ask for a cash price if it isn't offered. It had better be better than 10% discount or I'll just pay by Amex and make them wear the cost.
Cash works, every time!

 

Cash or credit, and offering a discount if you use cash is not a problem - not the same as skirting taxes. Retailers get to keep more of what they sell for if you pay in cash compared to a credit card, but regardless I still charge whatever taxes are due (sales in Canada only of course).

In any case, I don't accept credit cards, so not an issue for me. I don't get enough people wanting to use them to make it worth my while to have it set up....most of my work is done through the mail and with people who pay on line using PayPal or Interac E-Transfer here in Canada.

Cheers, Al

 

Well I'm pissed....to make a long story short, I referred a client of mine to a "watchmaker" for a simple balance staff change on a Hamilton pocket watch movement. I didn't know this particular watchmaker (he's 1/2 way around the world) but on his web site he has a lot of very impressive things, like being educated in Switzerland, and proof he worked for some very high end brands for many years - think the very top of the horological food chain.

I contacted this watchmaker and asked if he could swap the staff in this movement for me, and he assured me it was "no problem" so I sent him a new staff, and he did the work. My client then contacted me saying he had to take the watch back a couple of times, and that it keeps stopping after this other guy "fixed" it. So despite him being a long ways away, he sent it back, and I'm looking at the work this other guy did now.



Now even though many of you are not watchmakers, I think it's pretty easy to see there are a couple of things wrong with this picture - the arms on the balance are completely bent to crap, and one of the screws on the rim of the balance has completely backed out. What you can't see is that the roller jewel is also messed up, and despite doing a few tweaks and getting it ticking, it's not running very well. WTF did this guy use a sledge hammer to remove the old staff? It's a friction fit staff - takes about 15 minutes to change and requires very little force to remove and replace the staff, you can use a staking set or simply push it out using a Horia jewelling tool...

One reason why getting personal references from people who have had work done by the person in questions is the way to go - certifications, reference letters, etc. clearly mean NOTHING!

Grrrrr.....