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  1. Poday Apr 11, 2016

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    Hey everyone,

    I dropped off two watches at a local omega certified watchmaker, thinking they would be simple fixes, so no need to ship out to someone with a great reputation (such as Archer).

    The first was a speedsonic lobster where the crown fell off. Obviously not a watch that everyone can work on, but securing the crown should be a simple task. Here is the reply I received:

    "Hello
    in regards to your OMEGA watch / Screwed Crown on to stem using locktite. Watch is running and appears to be keeping time."


    Now, I'm no watchmaker, but that doesn't seem like the proper way to secure the crown. Am I misunderstanding something?

    The second watch is a TV dial cal. 1045 speedmaster that suddenly lost 10 minutes in one day. Obviously it needs a service, but here is what I received today.

    "Your watch needs an overhaul. We must dismantle your watch and research the options. There is a $75.00 prepaid fee for preparing the estimate. Would you like a written estimate of the work required? My guess is the amount would run about $900.00 to service the movement and replace seals, but we need to look into the details. The fee is applied towards the charges if you get the work done."

    Again, I'm no watchmaker, but an estimate of $900 (without actually knowing what's wrong) seems insanely high to me for a 1045. Unless I'm missing something here I'll be collecting the 1045 without a service and sending both somewhere else.
     
  2. Canuck Apr 11, 2016

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    Automatic wind, 3-register chronograph with day and date, it seems! Tain't gonna be cheap no matter where you take it! But getting another opinion might be in your best interests. Let us know the results of your deliberations. No watchmaker is going to spend three or four hours fully dismantling and re-assembling such a watch in order to give you an in depth estimate, to have you decline the estimate. Hence the charge for the estimate which is refundable if you decide to proceed. Things being as they are, he might be looking at considerable outlay for parts as he proceeds with the repair.
     
    Edited Apr 11, 2016
  3. Poday Apr 11, 2016

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    I'm not looking for cheap, but somewhere in the neighborhood of $400 would seem appropriate I would think. Or maybe I'm way off.
     
  4. Canuck Apr 11, 2016

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    IMHO, you are!
     
    KstateSkier likes this.
  5. Poday Apr 11, 2016

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    Thanks for the insightful and well thought out reply! Comments like that are why this forum is such a great place!
     
  6. ulackfocus Apr 11, 2016

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    Actually, I think $500 is about the most you should pay from an independent. Even if a little higher, $900 sounds extreme.
     
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  7. cwindham Apr 11, 2016

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    What about the other question he asked, LOCTITE on a crown? Did the crown come apart from the stem? If so, then i think LOCTITE would be ok????
     
  8. ConElPueblo Apr 11, 2016

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    www.watchguy.co.uk where I get my watches serviced (UK) would charge you $355 + a bit for shipping + parts.
     
  9. Stewart H Honorary NJ Resident Apr 11, 2016

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  10. Archer Omega Qualified Watchmaker Apr 11, 2016

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    Keep in mind that people can charge whatever they like - if you don't like the prices, move along to someone else. Just remember that sometimes you get what you pay for. A bargain price doesn't mean it's a good value or a job done right...

    https://omegaforums.net/threads/welcome-to-my-nightmare.37703/

    Is a $900 quote too much for that watch? Hard to say without seeing the watch first hand and knowing what the real scope of the work is. We don't know what's wrong with it or what would be included in that $900 - will all parts be extra, or are some included? Does this include new crown, case tube, and pushers when he says "replace seals"? Far too many unknowns to call this outrageous, but I know some will do that anyway.

    It might be perfectly reasonable, or it could be priced so high that you don't leave it with them (common tactic used by some watchmakers if they really don't want to work on a given movement). As Stewart has indicated, I know many watchmakers personally who won't touch these for any amount of money.

    I would certainly not touch an automatic chronograph of any make or movement for $400 (and that would be just the labour with no parts included).

    As for the Loctite, well it's commonly used for crowns, but as that thread indicated I don't typically use it myself for this purpose. It could be pure laziness on the part of the watchmaker not wanting to properly prepare the end of the stem, or they could just be overly cautious and put it on anyway - belt and suspenders approach.

    Cheers, Al
     
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  11. Poday Apr 13, 2016

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    Thanks for the input, Archer. I agree that sometimes you get what you pay for, and a bargain price isn't always a bargain. At the same time, a high price isn't always an indicator of quality work.

    And yes, not knowing what work is actually being performed for $900, it's impossible to call it a bad (or good) estimate. My concern is that the watch hasn't even been opened up, so the $900 estimate is based solely on the fact that some work is needed, but nothing specific. I would thin a smarter approach would be to offer a likely range of costs. If he had said "between $400 and $900" I wouldn't be so apprehensive.

    The idea that someone would over-bid an estimate in order to avoid taking on the job is concerning to me. I spent about a decade designing and installing high-end home theater systems ($100,000-$200,00 jobs on average), and if I had a client that either presented a job that I felt wasn't possible (or a client that seemed like he/she would be a nightmare to work with), I simply declined the job. Developing a reputation for having high prices by over-bidding jobs never crossed my mind.

    Again, I understand that the best work costs the most money, but I'm really not confident that the guy who basically glued my crown on is also the guy who performs the best work.

    Either way, we all need to go with our gut at times, and I think in this instance, I'll be shipping this one out to someone else. I may end up paying the $900 anyway, but at least it will be $900 given to someone I trust and have worked with before.
     
  12. Archer Omega Qualified Watchmaker Apr 13, 2016

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    Well, to be clear the quoting a high price not to get the job is not my tactic, but it is certainly used by some. If I don't want a job for a particular reason (almost always because I'm too busy), I'll tell you, as I'm sure many here can verify.

    I guess my main point in these recurring threads is that there are usually a bunch of people who have no idea what the scope of the work is, telling you the price is outrageous. I would just take those with a grain of salt...

    And although everyone keeps saying this is priced at $900, I don't believe the watchmaker has even given you a formal price yet. People always push me to tell them what the "worst case scenario" is on their watches, so when that happens I give them the highest priced example I can think of, because most people don't want to be told a lower price and then be told later it ended up being more.

    I'm not defending the watchmaker here (no idea who they are) just that people sometimes have expectations that an accurate number can be pulled out of the air when it's not so easy as some here seem to think.

    And of course, always go with the person you trust. I don't want to work with people who would not trust me completely to do the job right and at a fair price.

    Cheers, Al
     
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