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paulw
·So I’ve done everything that I’m told I shouldn’t have done with my watch! I’ve had the dial restored (inc. lume) the main hands re-lumed, the chronograph hands re-painted & horror of horrors the case polished. I did also have it serviced with a new (genuine) crystal replacement as well and I have to say I’m really very pleased with the results, even if I have wiped some value off it if I ever decided to sell it – well actually perhaps I haven’t as it was in a rather dire state & I certainly wouldn’t wear it & haven’t for the last 15 years of my 35 years of ownership, but now I will again.
Deciding who should do the work for me was a rather long and tedious process, which was the reason for joining this forum in the first place where the question was asked and I duly started going through the list of recommendations. The resulting range of discussions (email exchanges) and range of estimates was surprisingly diverse to say the least! I’d already put an upper limit on the outlay I would be willing to spend to get the work done, which was a service, new crystal, restored dial (essential IMO) chrono hands repainted, main hands re-lumed & minimal case refinishing. If the first three elements couldn’t be completed within my budget, then the watch would be re-consigned to its storage box and put back in the draw. A few of the recommended people came in over budget with their estimates, some never bothered to respond to my enquires and others, well lets say I just wasn’t comfortable dealing with – I did get loads of offers to buy the watch though!
There was also quite a difference in what people would or could do, some told me that an OEM crystal wasn’t available, others that of course it was, there was also a huge variation in the cost of certain aspects of the work. In the end I settled on the only person who just said yes I can do all of it with no problem, provided an over the phone base estimate, so I sent it off for a full estimate which I duly agreed too and OK'd the work to be done.
Some weeks later I got a picture of the restored dial and I was really disappointed, just too many problems with it IMO, I discussed these via email and there was no drama, they just agreed to do it again and apologised for not getting it right. Now with a dial of this complexity, I wasn’t expecting perfection but the first attempt didn’t meet my ‘threshold of acceptance’ (ToA) as it were, the second attempt certainly did. If you compare an original to my restored dial there are quite obvious differences, but for me these are all acceptable – if I’d have paid more, I’d have expected more and my ToA would have been higher.
In any case the whole process was drama free, the watch is currently keeping very good time, but this is only the fourth day since its return, the chronograph functions fine, with the minute counter moving over just as the sweep second hand passes 12 and all three hand snap perfectly back to the 12 position. The crystal is a genuine OEM item and the case polishing achieved I feel the right balance between freshening up the case without making it look obviously polished, after all it is a 48 year old watch and it certainly had 20 years of hard labour under my ownership, before I put it to one side. The chronograph hands are a shade light perhaps but I’m OK with that, so all in all I’m very happy with the work done by Roberto Facchini of C & F Dial Restoration in Norfolk and should I need anything like this doing in future, won’t hesitate to make them my first port of call.
A few pictures below;
and here is a before;
Paul
Deciding who should do the work for me was a rather long and tedious process, which was the reason for joining this forum in the first place where the question was asked and I duly started going through the list of recommendations. The resulting range of discussions (email exchanges) and range of estimates was surprisingly diverse to say the least! I’d already put an upper limit on the outlay I would be willing to spend to get the work done, which was a service, new crystal, restored dial (essential IMO) chrono hands repainted, main hands re-lumed & minimal case refinishing. If the first three elements couldn’t be completed within my budget, then the watch would be re-consigned to its storage box and put back in the draw. A few of the recommended people came in over budget with their estimates, some never bothered to respond to my enquires and others, well lets say I just wasn’t comfortable dealing with – I did get loads of offers to buy the watch though!
There was also quite a difference in what people would or could do, some told me that an OEM crystal wasn’t available, others that of course it was, there was also a huge variation in the cost of certain aspects of the work. In the end I settled on the only person who just said yes I can do all of it with no problem, provided an over the phone base estimate, so I sent it off for a full estimate which I duly agreed too and OK'd the work to be done.
Some weeks later I got a picture of the restored dial and I was really disappointed, just too many problems with it IMO, I discussed these via email and there was no drama, they just agreed to do it again and apologised for not getting it right. Now with a dial of this complexity, I wasn’t expecting perfection but the first attempt didn’t meet my ‘threshold of acceptance’ (ToA) as it were, the second attempt certainly did. If you compare an original to my restored dial there are quite obvious differences, but for me these are all acceptable – if I’d have paid more, I’d have expected more and my ToA would have been higher.
In any case the whole process was drama free, the watch is currently keeping very good time, but this is only the fourth day since its return, the chronograph functions fine, with the minute counter moving over just as the sweep second hand passes 12 and all three hand snap perfectly back to the 12 position. The crystal is a genuine OEM item and the case polishing achieved I feel the right balance between freshening up the case without making it look obviously polished, after all it is a 48 year old watch and it certainly had 20 years of hard labour under my ownership, before I put it to one side. The chronograph hands are a shade light perhaps but I’m OK with that, so all in all I’m very happy with the work done by Roberto Facchini of C & F Dial Restoration in Norfolk and should I need anything like this doing in future, won’t hesitate to make them my first port of call.
A few pictures below;
and here is a before;
Paul
