Hi there,

I recently bought 3 vintage watches with rather unique movements I’m looking to service and repair in Hong Kong. I was wondering if anyone can share their experiences or insights on this matter. The 3 watches I need to fix up are as follows:

1) Favre-Leuba Bivouac 53213 (1960s)
-Peseau 320 movement
-excellent timekeeping
-but altimeter needs recalibration since it is 30m higher that actual

2) Mido Multi Centerchrono (1940s)
-ValJoux VZ movement w/ central chronograph hands
-excellent timekeeping
-but chrono minute counter doesn’t reset or zero properly

3) Seiko 7016-8001 (1970s)
-seiko flyback chronograph movement
-needs regulation and gasket changes
-also have a cleaner dial to replace the old one

So far, my research has shown that Classic Watches, Yokookies and Dagaz may be options. Out of which, Classic Watches seems to be the highest end. However, forum reviews in the last few years have share horror stories. Budget isn’t really a problem, but I’m looking for a good watch repairer with good service and doesn’t take shortcuts on fixing up these more complicated timepieces. Any help would be much appreciated!

 

I used Classic Watch Repair a lot when I was up there, including tricky jobs like a blue snowflake (the dials are notorious for chipping when you try to take them out) and never had a problem.

 

Kowloon has a gazillion skilled independent watchmakers set up everywhere including alleyways, but it would help if one spoke Chinese. I would ask a local collector who they use.

 

I don't know if the FL altimeter can actually be recalibrated, but the offset of the indicator can be adjusted. Before going too far down that road, you might want to capture readings at a few different known altitudes to see if it is actually functioning properly and truly just offset by 30m as you indicated. If it's not, then you can either look for a replacement capsule, or just leave it as is.