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Watchmaker Damage: Chipped Crystal & Scratched Dial

crystal dial omega vintage
josiahg52
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Happened to me, experience was much different. The watchmaker was up front and honest about it, gave me options, and the remedy was satisfactory to me and them. I sold it many years later and have moved on from vintage because I don't have the time to find ones that I want, analyze every listing and then steward it along. I also like how newer watches look and I like wearing my watches. It's good that you've decided to just carry on as it would lkkely just get uglier and more frustrating.
 
omega1994
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Agreed! If I can’t get a stress free service, worrying about permanent dial damage, then I’m probably out of the vintage game.
 
lenndon
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I honestly do not understand how that should happen. Even as a hobbyist, I have removed over 100 dials and even more sets of hands, and I have never caused even a minor scratch to a dial.

I would guess that if the hands are insanely tight or heavily corroded or rusted, you might need more force than usual to remove them, which could leave a mark. But under normal circumstances, even when using inexpensive tools, by applying the expected amount of care, there should be no damage whatsoever to the dial at any stage of a service. At least that is my opinion.

That watchmaker’s behavior was unprofessional, and I also would not have sent him the watch anymore, especially after the “call me Mister” nonsense.
 
YVR785
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K kvikster
I tested like 7 local watchmakers all to horrible results.. now im using a younger guy who still ruins all my dials but at least the service itself is sort of okayish lol. If i get a damaged crystal i'm happy cuz the dial is fine... I can only pray the damage on the dial is minimal.. Very sad to deal with this but have no other options.. How common is this? any reliable watchmakers abroad ?
This has been my experience too. Damage is inevitable, the question is how much damage was done, and it's always greater than zero.

That's why it's better to never service a watch unless absolutely necessary.
 
Jakeys
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YVR785 YVR785
That's why it's better to never service a watch unless absolutely necessary.

Depends what you mean by absolutely necessary. My interpretation of that is until it stops working or very clearly fails to keep time, but by that stage you've surely already had additional wear and tear on components.

I've used an Omega authorised independent for my servicing, he hasn't damaged anything to my knowledge. The worst that happened is he accidentally polished over the edges of the brushed surfaces on the top of the lugs when he polished the lyre lug portion. I pointed it out and he immediately apologised and fixed it, free of charge obviously. Looks as good as my watches straight from Omega do now, at least to my eye.

1784694758493.webp
 
ecaspar
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YVR785 YVR785
This has been my experience too. Damage is inevitable, the question is how much damage was done, and it's always greater than zero.

That's why it's better to never service a watch unless absolutely necessary.
A watch should be regularly checked and serviced at decent intervals. If you wait until it is “absolutely necessary”, aka it stops, the vast majority of the time you need to change many components and the bill grows.

This is exponentially valid on rare pieces for which spare parts are scarce.

As per damages, you should give your watches to WOSTEP certified watchmakers and brand certified watchmakers, paying what a professional service should cost. Nothing against hobbyists or cheap services, but many times you get what you pay for.
 
omega1994
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Dial damage surely should not be an inevitability when servicing a watch? frightening really.
 
YY77
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ecaspar ecaspar
A watch should be regularly checked and serviced at decent intervals. If you wait until it is “absolutely necessary”, aka it stops, the vast majority of the time you need to change many components and the bill grows.
Not if you send your watch to Omega themselves, their price is a flatrate fee for a movement service.
 
smb88
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Davidt Davidt
No issue with naming them so others can avoid similar issues in the future.

Nupero Nupero
I want to know who this "very experienced senior watchmaker" is! I can't stand his attitude, just admit you fυcked up and apologize.

They are identifiable using some of the information in this thread. They have also been recommended several times in this forum, I nearly used them based on these recommendations and I'm now pleased I didn't.

@omega1994 my personal opinion is that this is completely unacceptable. You've paid a professional to carry out work, and they've damaged your item.

In the UK, under the Consumer Rights Act you are protected against negligent damage like this, their Ts and Cs don't override your statutory rights. However pursuing these damages could be more effort than it's worth.
 
B
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smb88 smb88
In the UK, under the Consumer Rights Act you are protected against negligent damage like this, their Ts and Cs don't override your statutory rights. However pursuing these damages could be more effort than it's worth.
We also have the accepted principle that sometimes damage is unavoidable. When removing an exhaust manifold on a car, sometimes a stud will shear. The mechanic is not liable and the customer must pay extra for stud removal and replacement.

The critical word in your statement is "negligent". Pursuing the damages through small claims is easy. Proving negligence may not be. We all know this should almost never happen. But getting a small claims judge to accept that means the watchmaker was negligent could be difficult.

@omega1994 I say, name, shame and give the watchmaker a chance to defend himself - inform him of this thread.
 
smb88
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B BrokenSkunk
We also have the accepted principle that sometimes damage is unavoidable.
I agree, however I based my response on the fact we have several watchmakers in the thread stating that this sort of dial damage is absolutely avoidable when carrying out a service.

B BrokenSkunk
When removing an exhaust manifold on a car, sometimes a stud will shear. The mechanic is not liable and the customer must pay extra for stud removal and replacement.
Agreed, however we're talking about damage to the front of a watch dial, there are no fasteners or "studs" in your analogy. It would be akin to a mechanic removing the exhaust manifold and scratching the bodywork. The customer would not be footing that bill.

B BrokenSkunk
The critical word in your statement is "negligent". Pursuing the damages through small claims is easy. Proving negligence may not be. We all know this should almost never happen. But getting a small claims judge to accept that means the watchmaker was negligent could be difficult.
Agreed, which is why I said it would probably be more effort than it was worth.

B BrokenSkunk
@omega1994 I say, name, shame and give the watchmaker a chance to defend himself - inform him of this thread.
omega1994 omega1994
Thanks as always guys. I won’t name the WM as I don’t believe in shaming for honest mistakes and they haven’t had a chance to talk to me about this.
I think it's fair to give others the chance to avoid a similar incident with the watchmaker.

If it had been an honest mistake, and they'd tried to make it right, then it's understandable to not name.

However their defensive attitude and refusal to engage with OP on the damage means that anyone else in a similar situation would also be SOL, and perhaps that might be on a more sentimental or expensive piece.
 
septentrio
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I've been collecting vintage watches for more than 15 years now and unfortunately this type of thing is the number one hobby killer. You can source the nicest dial, but sooner or later you will feel you need to have the watch serviced, and then the worrying starts. There is not risk-free way, moreover, I have seen the most experienced watchmakers make mistakes. Not once, but numerous times. And money can never compensate for the old flawless dial now having imperfections.

This has largely put me off vintage. Just not worth the hassle and headaches.
 
K
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ecaspar ecaspar
A watch should be regularly checked and serviced at decent intervals. If you wait until it is “absolutely necessary”, aka it stops, the vast majority of the time you need to change many components and the bill grows.

This is exponentially valid on rare pieces for which spare parts are scarce.

As per damages, you should give your watches to WOSTEP certified watchmakers and brand certified watchmakers, paying what a professional service should cost. Nothing against hobbyists or cheap services, but many times you get what you pay for.
Gave my vintage polerouter to a wostep guy paying 360 eur, he gave it back and sure enough its working but its making a horrible sound, geezer said thats normal, didnt sound it but im like ok,..turns out he done a poor job, he also done a Tudor for me but the quickset didnt work proper,,.. i thought i might ev ruined it somehow and later gave it to a hobbyiest friend he said it hasnt been assembled properly... No effing way! I don't trust a single watcchmaker locally anymore. This guy apparently services wacthes that are worth up to 30k and such, insane.. I wouldnt even trust him with a seiko..
 
Archer
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omega1994 omega1994
Dial damage surely should not be an inevitability when servicing a watch? frightening really.
It's not...

There's no doubt mistakes can happen, but they should be very rare and handled properly by the watchmaker when they do happen.
 
Jonezy13
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It’s annoying, and I agree that the damage should be compensated (discount on service). But to put this in perspective the dial is not really in desirable condition. So the devaluation caused by the scratch is probably minimal compared to the service price.

What I am saying is push for a free service 😉.

A new dial will be a nightmare to find - not easily obtainable.
 
Jonezy13
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Jonezy13 Jonezy13
It’s annoying, and I agree that the damage should be compensated (discount on service). But to put this in perspective the dial is not really in desirable condition. So the devaluation caused by the scratch is probably minimal compared to the service price.

What I am saying is push for a free service 😉.

A new dial will be a nightmare to find - not easily obtainable.
Just saw all the intermediate posts - sorry that you had to deal with such a frosty person!
 
omega1994
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septentrio septentrio
This has largely put me off vintage. Just not worth the hassle and headaches.

Is the risk of dial damage during service not also present for newer watches? great post and I agree - its a hobby killer.
 
septentrio
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omega1994 omega1994
Is the risk of dial damage during service not also present for newer watches? great post and I agree - its a hobby killer.
It probably is, but I don’t buy the ‘service every 5 years’ brainwashing. I often find watches from the 1940s that were clearly never serviced and still run great. 12.68 calibers for example. Don’t fix what isn’t broken. The risk of watchmaker damage is too high. And you will not wear your vintage daily anyways. So new watches can go for a looong time without servicing. And if the need would eventually come up, I think these newer models can be serviced more easily and/or replacement parts (even dials) can be sourced easier. I have a group of collector friends and all of them are terrified to send for example a nice vintage glossy gilt dial in for service. It will 9/10 come back scratched. Paint will flake off hands, radium or even tritium will crumble. Anything can happen and who knows what it does to the value of your expensive and rare vintage watch. Servicing a vintage watch is risky manual labour prone to error unfortunately. I have seen so many cases over the years and the worst part is realizing a fine vintage watch survived flawlessly for 60 years until it ended in my possession and ‘needed’ to get serviced. Not worth the heartaches, although there is no modern substitute for vintage charm.
Edited:
 
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