Folks: my watchmaker works about 3 minutes from where I live, he's done excellent work for me in the past and I would highly recommend him.

Within the past year, he's absorbed much business related to the closure of a short order watch and jewelery repair shop. This new work plus his usual work is keeping him very busy.

He's had a piece of mine for 8 months now and, while I do not want to bother him, I would like to know how it's going/get a sense of how much longer/get a sense whether there is some major issue with the atch. My question to you: is it a rookie mistake to check in with your watchmaker, even though it's been 8 months? If not that black and white, could you share some strategies you've employed in similar situations? I appreciate that the wait could relate to waiting on a part and am sympathetic to the new business he now has to deal with. Further, I don't want to exploit his geographic proximity by hassling him. That said, I can't help but pine for my new watch to return to me. Thank you in advance for any thoughts you might be willing to share.

 

You are his customer. He should take care of you as you are his source of income. Being close by makes you a potential regular. He should have given you feed back on progress when the "normal" service time was past. In my case - my watchmaker phones me if he runs into trouble with my watch or if he has to prioritize something else. That is common sense and good customer service. A watchmaker is not a god. You are not his slave. Contact him and politely ask about your watch.

 

I find it this to be both simple and effective: "I know where your daughter goes to school."

On a more serious note, I'd have checked on the status of the watch after eight weeks, let alone months, so I don't believe that you should feel at all uncomfortable applying a touch of pressure.

Cheers,

Tony C.

 

Personally, I won't put up with a wait of more than a couple of months for any watchmaker, I don't care how good they're supposed to be. That is crap customer service. If you can't do the work in a reasonable amount of time, then say so and don't accept the watch. If it's a parts issue or other service issue that takes some time to source/sort out, that's a different story, but doesn't sound like the case for the OP. I'd have asked for it back long ago, and had it serviced elsewhere.

To be clear, I will use watchmakers with a long queue, I just refuse to send in my watch and have it sitting around the shop for months and months -often unsecured, I'm sure, and subject to fire, flooding, and who knows what other risks.

I have used one watchmaker who has a queue 12 months long. He tells his customers that up front, puts them in a queue, and notifies them when to send the watch so it isn't sitting around his shop for more then a week or so before he begins work. If you have that kind of demand, that's how it should be done IMO.

 

When in this situation I ask, "Can you tell me the status of my project?" I've had a cornet with the repair guy for at least a year now. In this case, I'm not too concerned, but I do ask and if I said I wanted by the end of the month to play something, I'm sure I could.

Tom

 

Thank you all for the thoughtful perspectives and advice. I will go see him at my earliest opportunity in the coming week. Thank you again

(p.s. the piece in question is a Polerouter Date Cal.218-2. Aside from being a lovely watch, it has an interesting caseback engraving that I'm looking forward to sharing with all y'all once the piece has returned).

 

8 months? yes, I think it's time to call in and get an update. In fact after 8 weeks I would have been knocking on the door.

Seeing that, it's no wonder my customers are excited when I email them some photo's of the work in progress and share my findings during the service, two days after the watch arrives, and then complete the job and return their watch in a couple of weeks.

Months waiting with no update? not good customer service in my opinion. If you are too busy to keep your customers informed, then you need to rethink the business model your using.

 

Why is this a sensitive subject? If you want an update, just ask them...

 

I'm having two watches serviced in Montréal at the moment and i'm in constant contact with the watchmaker. We emailed each other every week. I just landed in Montréal and will be visiting him tomorrow or early next week.

Don't be shy give him a call or even better drop by and have a chat with him! Show him you're interested and want to understand.

I can tell you that in Switzerland I get the sense that since they can identify that I'm not Swiss as soon as I open my mouth (Québécois accent), I always get tested. Either at the watch maker or at the watch dealer, every time I ask questions they are reluctant to answer, than we talk a little more and sooner and later things get friendlier.

Let me just give you an exemple of my quests for any and all Universal Geneve. This has happened three times, in three different shops. I go, I say hello and I mention that I'm looking for Universal Geneve watches. The first answer is always, without any hesitation : "Oh yes I've heard of the brand, they are rare, no I don't have any". I talk a little more, say a couple key works showing that I know a little about the brand, show the watch that I have on my wrist and bingo! All of a sudden you see a smile on their face and " Oh yes I might have one in the back let me go see". Sure enough he has one or two or even five.
Once this happens you learn a lot of stuff. I got two Universal Geneves like this.

The guy who does my watches in Switzerland, first told me it would take a month and finally called me back a week later to let me know that they were ready. He said that it's always more fun to work in watches owned by someone who appreciates them and not just some guy with money!

A little of subject but just to say that I think a lot of watchmakers and watch dealers want to size you up before letting you in the fraternity.

 

Looking forward to that!

 

You forgot to add "bitch" to the end of that sentence, while pointing a finger in his face. Then again, delivering that sentence as Tony typed it with a cool and expressionless face, sans cursing, implies much more.