Despite my requests that the watch not be altered / nothing cosmetically done to the watch beyond simple cleaning, Atelier watch repair in Houston took it upon themselves to repaint my bezel.

Unfortunately they didn’t do so correctly either, as the orange 12 o’clock pip was removed and painted black. I'm very frustrated at this... Maybe it's not the so terrible (we have all heard of worse), or at least I am trying to convince myself so. I didn’t single out the bezel and specifically to say that I didn’t want them to repaint it, because I had expressed that I didn’t want the case polished or refinished in any way, only cleaned if necessary, and I felt we had come to an understanding through our previous engagements. I was very particular (re: anal) when I took my Speedmaster in a few months back. I felt that through those dealings they had come to understand that I want absolutely no alterations to my watches. I reiterated this when dropping the Seawolf off, but not as before. It seemed like they understood at the time, until now.

It looks terribly out of place now. I am bummed... Please talk me off the ledge. Maybe I can find someone talented to try and put this back the way it should have been.



Simply to remember better times... Here it was before service.

 

It can't be said often enough: when you give a watch to someone for service, you have to make it painfully clear that you don't want anything other than X to be done. Any wiggle room, and there will be risks.

The good news is that any talented re-lumer can restore it with a sympathetic dab.

 

Fortunately they didn't try to "fix" your dial and hands.

As noted, shouldn't be difficult to have some lume put back in a 12:00.

 

If it were me, I might be all....

 

It will never be original again, but you may be able to fix the pip yourself, at relatively little cost. (I am assuming the pip was originally painted orange rather than lume). Testors makes enamel paint pens with a thin tip, often found in stores that sell arts and crafts supplies. You might find a color match. Or you can mix your own color.

 

it might simply be easier to jump.

get some nail polish remover and some cotton buds. have a quick and gentle dab at some of the numbers and see if they've been cleaned off or simply painted over. the triangle might be recoverable with some gentle work.

 

maybe they damaged the original upon ultrasonic cleaning and decided to 'rectify' it (but forgot the pip was not black, as they didn't photograph the watch before). Either way, if they did this, and did not disclose it to you immediately, I would definitely not use them again, as its not forthcoming. If they didn't do this, but some 'good samaritan' thought he was doing you a favour, I would make a fuss about it (in the hope that they will learn from their mistakes and not do the same thing to some other blokes watch). I would show them these pics and let them know how you feel. Maybe they can help you get it back.

Sorry to hear about this, and I hope you come to some solution that takes you off the ledge.

 

If you go back & make a fuss, you just become a crazy member of the public, whom they will forever despise.

Either learn from it, a la Tony C's advice, or find a different watchmaker.

 

I'm more inclined to think like what @eugeneandresson had said. It is more likely that they damaged the pip in one way or another and they had to do something about it.

 

pm sent in answer to finding a talented Zodiac restorer/repairer

 

While probably true, this strikes me as unfair to the customer. If you are a watch maker, I would think it behooves you to be absolutely sure you know what the customer wants- and doesn't want. The last watch I sent in for service involved several conversations about what was to be done, what was not to be done, and it wasn't even vintage.

I'd give them feedback in the form of a short telephone conversation or email without losing my cool or asking for anything in return. If they know what's good for them, they'll listen. If they don't, they'll ignore you and continue to sully their own reputation by not listening to their customers.

...or are my standards simply too high?

 

Not much to add but that I feel for you. That sucks, no way around it. You definitely need to give them feedback, without losing your cool. I’d also source someone that can redo it properly and have the original watchmaker agree to cover the cost of that ahead of time. Least they could do, and they should understand why you wouldn’t trust them to do the work.

 

It's hard to change behaviour.
The watchmaker is either going through the process of discovering what the customer wants, or isn't.
It's the customer's job to choose the right technician, not to change the technician's MO.

 

sorry, constructive criticism is a part of life. if they don't know they've done something wrong then how do they ever learn?

this job might have been parted out to any number of staff (from trainees upwards) who still have to learn about the consequences of not doing the job the customer asked for. if all you do is wander away or give them a spray on the phone then no lesson learned, no experience gained.

Atelier in Houston may be capable of making up for what they've done wrong.

 

Good luck, anyway.