Hey OF,

is there anyone who has a recommendation for a watchmaker who is good at servicing vintage Omegas in Germany?

Ideally in southern Germany / Munich region and with a reasonable approach to pricing.

I got a recommendation for a watchmaker which seems trustable and is Omega certified in Munich but prices are quite high (and waiting time is long). I currently have my Constellation C-Case there for inspection and a cost estimate. Will PM the address to anyone interested.

Thanks and best

Thomas

 

I use 2 in Nürnberg:
Der Uhrendoktor......overworked turnaround time about 6-8 weeks, but has a great reputation , the more i give him stuff, the more he does me favours and gives discounts. He's the son. He won second place in some Bavarian wide watchmakers thingy a few years back. Knows his stuff...He even has the machine thingy on a shelf in the basement to replace the crystal on a mark II ...Something I've been trying to have done for some time. ..(Next on my list) He worked on my Omegas and JLC's .
2) There's also Uhrenwünsche.de Mr Wünsche Works in the old town and goes away for the weekends ....closed from 1230-1430 for lunch so catching him in is tricky. He's good at communicating via email. His prices are very competitive. This is a one man operation and turnaround time is anything from 10 weeks to 20 weeks but he's also really good. He's sourced rare parts for me and not charged an arm and a leg for them . He's worked on my Omegas and my JLC's.

Standard revision for a basic watch with nothing ailing it runs 1) 100-120 2) 120-140.
Chronos and bumpers: 1)150-200 2) 180-230

Unlike other watchmakers in town, they rarely turn me away and give good advice.
1. seems a lot more knowledgeable in terms of vintage watches.

Hope this helps

Mike

 

Thanks, Mike. That is really helpful

I will check with Uhrendoktor whether he also takes work "from distance" when I send him the watch. I am not in Nürnberg regularly and driving there twice from Munich does not seem to be too efficient

 

This, if you want someone who really takes care:
http://werkstatt-im-lehel.de/
You might need to wait a couple of weeks though.

..or if you want to receive the info that your 105.012 currently can't be found in the workshop, which happend to me after I didn't hear anything after 14 days and called back, this..
http://www.uhrmachermuenchen.de/

you choose

 

@mr_yossarian Thanks.

My watch is currently at Werkstatt im Lehel for a cost estimate. I agree that they really seem to be into vintages. But prices seem to be quite high - the senior estimated in a ballpark estimate upfront EUR 450-500 for service, crown and original Omega glass. The son should call me back with a more precise information but callback takes 1-2 weeks

Not really a good reference for Uhrmacher München did they find it again? Did you have any prior (better) experience?

 

450-500 for a Connie(?) is in fact not cheap. I am quite sure it will be less in the end. The response time..well, I don't know, I just know they are very busy and that Vintage collecting teaches you patience

No, not a good reference, and to make this long story short, it was found the next day..unnecessary to say that I was more than upset on the phone...the watch was in augsburg in their workshop. No one told me before they would let it travel..and I still don't know how it travelled..in a bag on the train?? finally they fixed it, but expensive ( 350 Euro ) but the very slight offset ( but if you know your watch, you know your watch..) of the hour recorder-hand told me..the dial wasn't off, so no full overhaul which was what I payed for..and there is no watchmaker sign inside the case...that was my first and last experience with them..

 

they found it ..right?

 

let's see.... I will wait for the final estimate patience is not my major strength probably unfortunately you do not only need it for Vintage collecting but also for new Rolex sport models...

Ok that's not a place you wanna go then

 

They did..one day later..I mean wtf, besides the monetary value, is that caretaking?

 

Definitely not and CARETAKING is what you looking for when you give away your vintages! They are unique and special to you

 

Just got an email today from Uhrenwünsche regarding the non working and recently purchased 1948/49 JLC cal 481 Powermatic I put in. He informs me the winding stem is shot as well as a broken spring. Quoting a fix (including finding and replacing parts) and revision of 200-250 Euros...Seems fair to me.

 

Sounds really fair!

 

If they didn't do much to it, you might have dodged a bullet. With the story of the missing watch I had to check their web site, and I found a video of the shop there, so I watched it. I encourage everyone who is looking for a watchmaker to visit whatever web site they might have, and look for pictures of the shop, their equipment, and their work if any - you can learn a lot about the level of quality by looking at their work examples. The video started off fine, and the shop looks well equipped. But as I watched more, a few things caught my eye...I snapped a few screen shots...

First is the level of disassembly - note the crown and stem are still mounted to the movement - not fully disassembling the movement to save time is a common shortcut I see:



I'm not a fan of using these automatic oilers personally, but not an absolute deal breaker. They do cut the time down for servicing, but are not a precise as a dip oiler:



This part of the clip was disturbing - using a steel screwdriver to hold down a bridge while installing a screw, and if you watch he presses so hard with it that he bends the screwdriver a couple of times...most likely has marked the movement doing this as the movement is only made of relatively soft brass:



Not sure what the text says here, but if this is after servicing the watch definitely has a few problems:



Rate is way off, beat error is too high, and although he has changed the lift angle setting from the 52 degree default, he's changed it to 51 degrees for this Speedmaster. First the lift angle for an 861/1861 Speedmaster is 50 degrees, not 51. But if you look at the frequency it's 18,000 A/Hr, so this is actually a Cal. 321 Speedmaster, and the lift angle should be set at 40 degrees. That means the balance amplitude shown as 249 degrees is actually more like 183.

I know there is a lot of focus on what a service should cost in these discussions, and I understand that is definitely a consideration. However deciding who should do the work on price only is likely not a good approach if you want the service done right. Servicing a watch properly takes time, and time is money.

Cheers, Al

 

Thanks @Archer for this thorough analysis. The last picture is indeed disturbing. +34 s/d and a relevant, low amplitude and a relevant off-beat is not what you expect after servicing

You are completely right that you should better look for value and a dedicated watchmaker. It just always depends on the value of the watch as well. I love my Constellation but I bought it on a watch fair at the beginning of this year for EUR 600 - so a service for 500 would seem a bit out of range given that there are other models around here for sale for USD 600 or something like that.

Any opinion on the content of http://werkstatt-im-lehel.de/?

Btw - many watchmakers do not seem to have a proper website at all. Old school business

Best, Thomas

 

Just checked http://werkstatt-im-lehel.de myself - there are no pictures/videos of their work.

Their workplace looks really "retro" in a backyard without a street window and much advertising. Even really difficult to find. Inside there are a lot of "grandfather clocks" standing and ticking around (the loud ticking of a lot of different watches would drive me mad when working there). The senior watchmaker seems very passionate but as I understood his role is now just supporting his son sometimes...

 

@Archer
Thanks again for your priceless input!

 

When you say that a 500 Euro service is "out of range" for a watch worth 600 Euros, I guess that depends on your perspective. For the watch owner I can see how this would be the case sometimes, but when I get a watch to service I don't charge based on how much the watch is worth, but on what my time is worth and how much work will be put into the service.

I know there is a market for the "basic" sort of service some watchmakers do. They disassemble the watch (hopefully completely), clean it, assemble, oil, and do a quick adjust in one position, and that's it. I can see people doing this for cheaper watches, but don't confuse that for a full and proper service.

Cheers, Al

 

Sure thats my perspective and do not get me wrong good work should be paid appropriately. It's just the question for me whether I want to invest in such full service for a rather modestly priced/valued watch or whether I go with the reduced program...

I am even prepared to invest in the Constellation because it was love at first sight. Still I am thinking whether I can reduce some service parts because - and only from my perspective - it's rather difficult to pay almost the same amount for service as for the watch (without increasing the value of the watch significantly).

Best, Thomas

PS: So I guess you are a watchmaker but probably not based in Germany?

 

Yes, I'm a watchmaker - not based in Germany.

No worries, we are on the same page here generally. I often service watches where the cost of my work exceeds the value of the watch, but that is typically either for hardcore collectors, or for watches that have been passed down from a family member, so have sentimental value.

One other thing I would mention to keep in mind generally is that parts for vintage movements are typically much more than for many modern movements. For example replacement train wheels are 2.5 times the price for say a Cal. 565 then they are for a modern Cal. 1120. So on vintage watches, if the watchmaker is bothering to look to see if the parts are worn, and is replacing them, the costs can add up very quickly if a lot of parts have to be replaced (often the case with older neglected watches).

I just finished a Cal. 751 that needed a bunch of parts replaced - parts alone were close to $300. Another Cal. 551 watch that had a lot of wear needed $500 in parts. So if someone is servicing your watch for 150 Euro all in, it's very likely they are not replacing anything.

Cheers, Al

 

You made a good point. Again though a lot of it boils down to the relationship you develop with a watchmaker. If he or she is getting pieces from you to repair month on month (and thereby steady income flow) , they do tend to be a little more generous with parts and a little less mercenary. Of course as you point out time is indeed money , and how well a watch is repaired is a very subjective thing. Obviously a revision should mean a proper revision, but I suspect unless you clearly stipulate the level of revision you require ( say with a speedy or a Chrono Connie) you're likely to get the standard service as deemed appropriate to the watch by the repairer.
As most of us aren't in a position to properly judge the quality of work done we need to rely on the individual performance of the vintage piece over a reasonable amount of time, (with due care and handling) and the integrity/reputation of the watchmaker. In my experience smaller scale repairers like yourself and the guys I mentioned above understand this.
Ultimately we end users want a working accurate watch that we can put into our wear rotation and enjoy over the years till the next service. Whether the watch is tested and adjusted in 5 positions is something we're unlikely to ever know (unless we ask). Perhaps we need to have more repair notes with the final bill. It would certainly go some way to justifying a 500-600 USD revision.