I have a few. Just waiting to decide on which one to post. Was it me...a lack of communication?
I thought I provided clear instructions.....
It must have been me right

 

I had a CMW polish a stainless case into a pile of melted butter. Had to get a new case.

 

Needed a slightly bent hand repaired on a vintage military chronograph.
A watchmaker I decided to give a try because my usual guy was booked, took it upon himself to "make it look beautiful" by cleaning up the (until then) original dial and filling in faded numerals!
Was so angry I couldn't even drive down his street for two weeks.
Eventually had to sell it (as a "redial" arrgh!) as I couldn't bear to look at it anymore!

 

Ex-watchmaker..
Gave him a NOS solid rose gold Titus Geneve I had to just..open it. He was so clumsy he totally destroyed the middle case which was softer than the caseback, giving me the watch back in a hurry, hoping I wouldn't notice it!!! I almost killed him

 

Polished and rebrushed a watch and bracelet I had specifically asked to leave alone- just replace the crystal. He thought he was doing a nice thing for me by “correcting the grain and buffing out the damage”

 

In the mid 90's I sent my father's GP to LCdF for service. Hoped for a new factory dial, hands.
When i pick up an ultra polished case from them my disapointment was visible even to them. The numbers between the lugs are barely legible now.
I cant wear it which is worse..

 

Ten years ago or so, I had a Rolex Date-Just for repair for which I didn’t have the required parts. One reverser, a rotor post, balance staff, recondition, etc. I gave it to one of the watch repair fraternity who had access to parts. In due time, the watch came back. I phoned my customer and told him it was ready. He gave me a time that day that he would come. I decided to wind it and set it before he got here. I’m glad I did. The b _ _ _ _ r wouldn’t run. I went to my shop and opened it. Balance wheel wobbling and flopping. I pulled the balance cock with the wheel attached, and lo and behold, what do I find. A folded piece of paper under the heel of the cock! He charged for a balance staff, but didn’t do it! He shimmed the cock to lower the tip! I checked my stash, and I had an NOS genuine Rolex staff which I fitted, and had it finished before the guy got here. I have never spoken to the p _ _ _ _ k that pulled that stunt, ever since!

Years ago, I was managing a jewellery store. A guy who called himself a watchmaker came in and introduced himself. I decided to send him some work. One of the first jobs I gave him came back with an invoice. The b _ _ _ _ r wouldn’t run. He didn’t know I was a qualified watchmaker. I check it over. NONE of what it was sent to him for, was done! Needless to say, the p _ _ _ _ k got no more work from me!

I once serviced a nice Dominion Atlantic Railway Waltham 1883 (a rare bird) for a friend. He’d had it serviced by a guy I knew. The b _ _ _ _ r wouldn’t run! He’d replaced a pallet stone with a ROLLER JEWEL!

And I could go on. I’ll never be rich, but I pride myself in my work, and I sleep well.

 

I’m sure you as a watchmaker (as with our other resident watchmakers) must cringe when someone brings you a watch that they say someone else had worked on, but there is a problem.
My father was a plastic surgeon and the stories he would tell us of clients coming in for him to try and fix what another surgeon had fucked up...yikes!

 

This Zenith travel clock developed a couple of issues and after a brief discussion it was sent off only to hear after several weeks that he could not handle the work required which was fine with me but on return it was a box of parts with several missing
Never resolved and please do not ask who it was as I really do not want to get in to it.

 

I bought a very nice vintage IWC ref. 666 Ingenieur from a dealer friend here in Lisbon a few years ago, and brought it to a widely respected watchmaker for a service. I brought to this particular watchmaker precisely because his workshop is more professional and expensive than most of the others in town, and I wanted to be careful. I made it abundantly clear that the case was not to be polished, and his wife, who works the desk, wrote it in red on the work order.

You can guess the rest. The most expensive "free" service that I have ever experienced.

 

Well, if your avatar pic is any indication...

 

brought gilt sub to (well known CW21 watchmaker) and advised that crystal was in bad shape please be careful. 72 hrs later, get a call saying he submerged the watch and water completely ruined the dial. I have a nice case that remind me that I need to do stuff myself

 

Why don’t we have a “not like” button?!?!

 

Damn......I just took my 1680 Red to a well known watchmaker in my area to change crystal today. Now, this is scary.

 

Let’s not all get mass hysteria now- there as as many highly competent watchmakers out there as there are poor ones (as in any trade). Threads like this can be sticky wicket as it only talks about the bad and not the good...gotta keep it in perspective.

 

we will find out tomorrow.

 

correct- that was one very isolated incident and never again experienced that. I am also much more careful about who services my stuff and tbh most watchmakers are very diligent and careful

 

My watchmaker is on his way to retirement (already pretty much there). I have tried a couple local shops to see if they were any good- brought them each an inexpensive and fairly simple watch for a CLA as a test, both came back with problems and had to go back (one went back 3 times). The pool of skilled watchmakers is getting smaller for sure, the old timers are very stuck in their ways (make it shiny), and the good ones with great rep’s have backlogs months/years long. Unless we get some fresh blood into the field with an ethic to “do it right”, it’s gonna get harder to find competent watchmakers in the near future.

 

This was rather unfortunate - sent a Cosmic in for servicing and a tool slipped from my watchmaker’s hand and scratched the dial

 

I’ve met very watchmakers without liver spots; feels like they start watchmaking school at 60