Hi.
I have just received back my late grandfathers watch after a restoration.
If I'm honest I am pretty disappointed in what they have done.
Having spent around £1200 on the project I expected the watch to be immaculate but keep the authenticity of the Fat Arrow face/dial.
Instead the font is different, the arrow is neither fat nor thin and 'Swiss Made' has been added below the 6.
Maybe this is partly out of naivety on my part in allowing the dial restoration to go ahead but it was sold to me as 'completely restored/repainted looking as close to new as possible'. Instead it looks a completely different dial.
This is my first post and would love to know members thoughts.
Pics attached in original and reconditioned state.

Brindlehill.

 

Those lugs , who did this work?!

 

That is a shame. The original dial looks to have been in decent shape too, though the crystal makes it hard to tell.

 

I don’t know how to break this to you in the best way.

It all depends on what you want from the watch, 99.9% of people here want originality. You’re watch before the work looked great with the original hands and dial. The case has now been over polished which again isn’t desirable for 99.9% of people.

In my opinion a service and a new crystal would have made this watch a good piece. If you’re talking on a desirability and price basis the value of the watch has dramatically dropped.

You’ve paid a lot of money for the restoration, I would contact the company who did the work and see what they say if you’re unsatisfied.

If you’ve got any other vintage watches it’s best to ask on here first what to do with it and recommendations regarding watchmakers.

 

What a shame. It would be nice to know who you used, as £1200 for that unnecessary work is also extortionate.

All she needed was a decent service and crystal polish .

 

Did you actually ask them to do this? It is a completely different watch now and you will never get it back the way it was so what was the brief you gave them?

 

Demand a refund, and be prepared to write a bad review.

 

I thought I felt a disturbance in the Force.

Sorry for your loss.

 

Wow she was murdered.

 

Im sure you have no interest in selling the watch so just enjoy it and put it down to part of its history

as unless you get original parts your going to change nearly everything thats if you can find the parts

 

Unfortunate outcome. The work done in the dial (it’s actually a “redial” vs. a “restoration”) has stripped away the authenticity (and most of the monetary value) of your granfather’s watch. Same for the case, which now has had all the scars from decades of use and wear polished away.

So, not to sugar coat it, yes, you were naive and uninformed and that comes with a price. Which you are now paying in both monetary and emotional currency. We call it the “newb tax”, and it is, in this case, non-refundable.

I seriously doubt you have any recourse with the shop that did thr work, other than as a goodwill gesture, as it seems they have arguably done more or less just what what promised. You should know that even if the fonts, arrow, and other features of the dial exactly matched the original, the outcome on the value would be the same. Collectors of vintage watches care greatly about originality.

There is no going back - done is done. It sounds as though you undertook the work with the intention to keep the watch. With that in mind, wear it and enjoy it as a family heirloom and remembrance of your grandfather.

 

This was Murder. wear it. you can not sell it in this state. the worst thing is the case work with the disaster slimming of the lugs..... pls let us know, who did this. for other new members to avoid these guys..... kind regards. achim........ which country are you in?

 

. Are you sure they gave you back the same watch? Maybe they swapped yours out.

 

This happened to me thirty years ago. I was given my deceased grandfather’s solid gold Omega bumper watch and wore it for a time, before I brought it to a ‘trusted’ watchmaker.

The dial was already peeling it’s ‘clear coat’ at the time. (God knows what Omega/Singer treated thes dials with, but it didn’t last more than thirty years.) The watchmaker offered to clean up that problem.

When I got the watch back, I could tell immediately that it had been redialed. The name ‘Omega’ no longer looked the same.

I was heart broken but didn’t say anything. I felt silly that it hadn’t occurred to me say something when I left it.

I continued to wear the watch for a while but then stopped. Because, every time I looked at the time, I was reminded of my error and stupidity.

I wish this was the worst thing a watchmaker did to one of my watches, but it’s not close. But everyone of these bad experiences has taught me.

 

Luxury Watch Repairs in Hatton Gardens.
These guys are supposedly trained and approved by Omega!

 

Original reply to initial quote below....

Hi guys.
Thanks for the quote.
I have a couple of questions if I may.
£984 is a lot of money to spend bringing a watch up to its former glory. Sentimentally worth every penny but what will the watch be worth once renovated in your opinion? It was my grandfathers watch so wont be sold but I don't want to put money into the project if the watch will only be worth half of what I am putting into it. I'm sure it wont but need the expertise of yourselves to ease my mind.
Will all the authenticity be kept once the watch is finished? This is important to me, as I'm sure yourselves, and I don't want to loose this.
The strap attached to the watch can be scrapped. This was used by my father and has no purpose whatsoever going forward. I asked if the strap could be replaced with an original on the slip I returned with the watch but your quote doesn't mention this? It does however state bracelet worn? Could you clarify what this means please.
You quote an optional dial restoration. What does this entail? If its not critical to the watch I could possibly put this money into a strap?
I need this to be right. My father passed the watch to myself and I want to do the watch justice.
I appreciate your time in helping make this achievable and am excited to hear back from you.
Many thanks,
Paul.

Could I have made it any clearer?

 

I'm in the UK.
Luxury Watch Repairs in Hatton Gardens carried out the work.

 

Have you talked to them since you got the watch back? It may be worth exploring the option of having them fix their mistakes (on their own dime, of course). As it looks like a different watch, I think you have a strong case. Since the watch is of family value to you, I'd hate to see it end simply with a bad review of the place (that's getting off too lightly) and a watch that you don't want to wear.

 

Spoke to them tonight for the first time having been promised calls and let down on three occasions with no explanation. I ended up calling them!
Told them the issues and sent them before and after pics in a mail stating my disapproval of what they have done.
Not sure where it will get me but hopefully a company with 150 years experience in the luxury watch market with watchmakers trained by the likes of Omega will understand? But then if they did, I wouldn't be on here...... we'll see.