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Please be nicer to thread creators and members
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janice&fred
·I'm perfectly happy paying $500 to $600 for service on a chronometer because a chronometer must meet certain standards every day or it's not a chronometer, it's a piece of crap with a word printed on the dial that doesn't mean anything.
Easy does it there. A used chronometer in fact does not have to meet any standards and the owner of the watch is free to do whatever he or she wants with it. I can collect and wear my used watches in any condition I want, and they most certainly aren't pieces of crap. These are individual choices when owning and enjoying vintage watches.
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JwRosenthal
·Easy does it there. A used chronometer in fact does not have to meet any standards and the owner of the watch is free to do whatever he or she wants with it. I can collect and wear my used watches in any condition I want, and they most certainly aren't pieces of crap. These are individual choices when owning and enjoying vintage watches.
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SkunkPrince
·I can collect and wear my used watches in any condition I want...
Oh come now. People "scream" DO NOT SEND YOUR WATCH TO OMEGA THEY WILL RUIN IT HURRRR and you get upset over a little hyberbole?
Yes, you can do whatever you want to anything you own, including smashing it with a hammer or tossing into a large, deep body of water. But, if as many say, we are merely stewards of these timepieces, then we have a responsibility to maintain them properly, and that is taking care of your chronometer so it remains a chronometer and not a worn-out piece of junk.
You can't have it both ways. Either back off of the newbies and let them get their watches refinished by the factory if they want, or step up and take some responsibility to choose the best craftsman you can find and afford so your chronometer doesn't wear out beforer its time.
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SkunkPrince
·...and my watchmaker who is a gradate of Bowman’s and has been practicing for over 40 years still charges me what he did when I started going to him over a decade ago which is $150 for a 3 hander and $250 for Chrono (parts not included in that fee of course). So it’s not as categorical as some may think.
Do you tell anyone else about this wonderful person or keep the information to yourself? Asking for a friend....
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janice&fred
·Oh come now. People "scream" DO NOT SEND YOUR WATCH TO OMEGA THEY WILL RUIN IT HURRRR and you get upset over a little hyberbole?
Yes, you can do whatever you want to anything you own, including smashing it with a hammer or tossing into a large, deep body of water. But, if as many say, we are merely stewards of these timepieces, then we have a responsibility to maintain them properly, and that is taking care of your chronometer so it remains a chronometer and not a worn-out piece of junk.
You can't have it both ways. Either back off of the newbies and let them get their watches refinished by the factory if they want, or step up and take some responsibility to choose the best craftsman you can find and afford so your chronometer doesn't wear out beforer its time.
My point was no need to post such strong opinions on how others choose to conduct themselves re-maintaining their own personal property.
Do you tell anyone else about this wonderful person or keep the information to yourself? Asking for a friend....
His watchmaker and him have a long business relationship and most likely the pricing isn't going to be standardized. Besides you already said you don't mind spending twice that anyways. 😁
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JwRosenthal
·Do you tell anyone else about this wonderful person or keep the information to yourself? Asking for a friend....
But I have no illusions about being fortunate (aside of the 4-6 month turnaround time) and that I will have to seek out a new watchmaker in the near future. He is priced way below others in his field and I (and his wife) have told him this many times.
My point was simply- don’t make categorical statements that if a watchmaker is inexpensive, then they are a hack.
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Dan S
·You really know what I dislike?
"That's way too much to pay for a service."
How the hell do you know?
You don't. Maybe you're getting a dunk and oil for your 12 shiny rocks. Maybe you are getting a full service but no adjustments. (Hope you're happy with -20, +40 a day.)
HIgh-grade watches that are cleaned and adjusted and keep time within -4 to +6 don't necessarily cost a person thousands of dollars/euros/pounds, but you might not be getting all you think you're getthing for a hundred or two.
Say what you will about Omega service or service performed by factory-authorized service centers, they don't do cheap work and they don't do shoddy work (usually). So I really don't give a rat's butt that you pay 125 whatevers for your service. You're probably one of those guys who changes watches three times a day, and when you do that, it doesn't matter how well the watch keeps time.
I guarantee you that your watchmaker is not spending a lot of time meticulously adjusting and regulating your watch for that price. I'm perfectly happy paying $500 to $600 for service on a chronometer because a chronometer must meet certain standards every day or it's not a chronometer, it's a piece of crap with a word printed on the dial that doesn't mean anything.
You're right that people should be careful with categorical statements about how much is too much to pay for a service, since they typically don't know the circumstances of the person asking the question, what repairs are needed, etc.
However, you're dead wrong in equating the price of a service with its quality. That's a silly generalization apparently meant to justify your own choices. This forum is full of extremely knowledgeable and experienced collectors, many of whom have forgotten more about watches than you will ever know. And I suspect that many of them have relationships with absolutely top-notch watchmakers who may service and regulate their watches to the highest standards for lower prices than Swatch charges. The idea that a Swatchgroup assembly-line service is the highest quality is nonsense. I don't know how many watches you have had serviced, but if you expect to have ~100 watches serviced and repaired over the next five years (as many of us do), then you might feel that wasting a few hundred $ per watch is not a good idea. I have had watches serviced by authorized service centers (or famous high-end watch repair companies) for $750+ and watches serviced by independent watchmakers for $150, and I can assure you that price is not the way to judge quality.
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SkunkPrince
·You're right that people should be careful with categorical statements... many of whom have forgotten more about watches than you will ever know.
Inconsitent much?
You don't know anything about me, so I suggest judgements are not warranted.
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Dan S
·Inconsitent much?
You don't know anything about me, so I suggest judgements are not warranted.
Totally out of context. I can only judge you by your comments, which are largely ignorant. I'd be happy to learn more about you, which is what some of us do on this forum.
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JwRosenthal
·This dramatic presentation staring @SkunkPrince , @Dan S , @janice&fred and myself has been brought to you as an illustration of the OP’s point- we all should bow, take our applause and bouquets and retire to our dressing rooms to prepare for post show cocktails together.
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SkunkPrince
·Totally out of context. I can only judge you by your comments, which are largely ignorant. I'd be happy to learn more about you, which is what some of us do on this forum.
But this is supposed to be a discussion, not a pissing match. I don't ask that you agree with me, I ask that you think about my point and see if perhaps there is any validity to it... and then move on with your life, which is way too short to be yelling at each other online about things that ultimately don't matter compared to relationships and health, for example.
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janice&fred
·Rejoice in this topic and feel the love 😁
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JwRosenthal
·Rejoice in this topic and feel the love 😁
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Dan S
·... I ask that you think about my point and see if perhaps there is any validity to it...
I did this in my first post, where I gave a balanced view of where I agreed and where I disagreed with you. And you chose to cherry-pick a couple of comments and call me inconsistent. Readers can judge for themselves where the escalation occurred.
And I judge you by yours, which are largely arrogant.
Not very clever, and also inaccurate, since I have a substantial history on the forum by which you and others can judge me.
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SkunkPrince
·I always pictured you more purple....
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ChiefMark
·I think that’s a picture of Beto, not @JwRosenthal .
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JwRosenthal
·I think that’s a picture of Beto, not @JwRosenthal .