It may be a little bit galling getting a high-end watch serviced. Given the fee could possibly be between £500 and £1000, it is easy to really feel you are spending some huge cash simply to get the identical factor again once more.
Maybe it is simpler to swallow in case you’ve spent 20k of your personal cash; nevertheless it’s slightly much less so if the watch is a fraction of that, or certainly was a present.
It was good to witness my Reverso being serviced and repaired at Jaeger-LeCoultre lately, due to this fact, by the very affable watchmaker in Bond Avenue.
It gave me a brand new respect for the work concerned, and put the charge in perspective. Actually the entire course of appeared nearer to creating a brand new watch than having it simply checked and tweaked.
As you would possibly count on, all through I used to be drawing parallels with menswear – the artisan at the back of the shop, the instruments and methods – and I concluded that one of the best comparability is with a bespoke go well with. Like a go well with, care and upkeep would not make the factor look higher (in contrast to footwear, say) however it’s what the piece of tremendous craft deserves, and it additionally brings you nearer to it – making you re-evaluate and worth your possession.
There are some things that go fallacious with watches over time, however among the most important ones are oils drying, screws failing and water harm.
The primary two are so widespread that they are a part of the usual service process – cleansing and oiling, changing all screws. The watchmaker will get a blister pack that incorporates all of the doubtless required elements, and it is a shocking quantity. The mainspring can also be changed by default.
First although, the complete watch needs to be taken aside, beginning with the case after which working inwards. The items are positioned in a segmented plastic tray, and it is essential to recollect which is the highest and backside: due to the pure smoothing of the gold, the 2 ends (horns) will not match as easily towards their opposing ends of the case.
When the entrance of the case has been eliminated and the entire motion taken aside, the steadiness spring and steadiness wheel are then put again in.
That is so the watchmaker can verify how they’re working, and in my case discovering that the spring was a little bit bent (one of many attainable causes it was working gradual).
The unbelievable factor to me is that he then unbends it with a pair of tweezers. How this may be finished exactly sufficient, on such a tiny spring, I don’t know. A lot of the realignment is finished at this stage, then there’s some tremendous tuning when the watch is put again collectively.
This stage makes use of a finer pair of tweezers than those used to deconstruct the watch. The factors are so tremendous that they’d apparently snap if used to take away the jewels. Every time he makes use of them, the watchmaker additionally sticks them in one thing that appears like Blu-Tac. Apparently it’s Rodico, which doesn’t lubricate them (as I assumed) however removes tiny bits of mud.
It’s more durable for Robert the watchmaker to work on this house – at the back of the Outdated Bond Avenue atelier – than in the principle restore centre, which is in north London.
That bigger house has a ‘constructive strain’ system, the place filtered air is blown in via the roof, creating strain that pushes air out every time somebody opens a door – so it’s a lot more durable for mud to come back in. In Bond Avenue there is no such thing as a such system, and there are extra random folks (equivalent to us) coming out and in.
When Robert took the arms off my Reverso (prime picture above), it was clear the watch had change into magnetised as a result of one hand instantly jumped up and stood vertically off the face.
The issue with the elements being magnetised is that they change into drawn to different elements of the motion. The steadiness spring, for instance, could also be attracted to 1 half however repelled by one other, making its rotation much less easy.
One other is a stray drop of oil, maybe sticking two loops of the spring collectively. Some elements of the watch are put in a therapy liquid as a part of the restore course of, to offer them higher floor pressure and ensure oils keep caught.
Magnetisation can occur pretty simply, via extended contact with the speaker of a cell phone for instance. Thankfully it’s a simple factor to take away: the watchmaker simply locations it on a small black field (above), presses a button and it’s finished. It is also one thing anybody can stroll into the JLC boutique and ask to be checked.
In response to Robert, little Reversos like mine are among the hardest actions of this sort to restore – there’s little room for error and they are often unpredictable. Colleagues of his which have labored on way more say typically a service can take a number of hours, typically days.
I’ve to say, it was very nice seeing the motion of mine taken out and having the ability to maintain it. It’s such an beautiful factor – and all completed superbly, regardless that it’s by no means seen.
In a method, it’s a disgrace the watch doesn’t have an open again, in order that could possibly be appreciated. However after all that will take away from a basic facet of the Reverso – that it may be flipped round so the again faces outwards. I’ve really considered methods to embellish that over time, however have by no means taken the plunge. Possibly another day.
After the deconstruction, testing the steadiness spring and some different checks, the trays containing the elements are all positioned right into a desktop washer – which makes use of a nasty ammonia substance to cleanse (beneath).
That takes a number of hours, together with two rounds of drying, after which the watch is put again along with oil being added all through, and every stage examined once more. Additional elements are changed, and all the brand new screws are put in. I additionally had the crown changed, the arms (that they had change into a little bit oxidised) and the crystal. As I stated, it felt nearer to constructing a brand new watch than simply servicing.
The usual service charge of £570 included all this stuff, and sprucing, however the brand new crystal price £230.
I’ve to say I all the time discovered watch boutiques a little bit intimidating, or maybe simply off-putting. It’s most likely that sparse, shiny look of luxurious retail, plus the safety guard.
However this expertise, along with my one at Omega lately, have warmed me up. It’s a combination of the service and the folks: everybody at Jaeger was real and educated, in contrast to the overwhelming majority of trend boutiques, and recommendation gave the impression to be thought of a part of the good thing about possession (strive going into most large manufacturers and asking about repairs).
Plus it’s good to know there’s somebody like Robert at the back of the shop, beavering away, cracking jokes and chasing a misbehaving screw throughout the worktop.
Thanks Franck, Laurene, Stefania, Robert and everybody else at JLC for taking the time to clarify every part to Alex and myself, watch naifs that we’re.
Most JLC prospects will not be permitted to see watch providers in progress, and numerous servicing is finished within the separate, bigger location. However hopefully this piece provides some perception into the work that goes into it.
My Reverso is yellow gold, ref 250.140.862, from 1997. I purchased it second hand 12 years in the past. The garments pictured are:
