F.A.Q.

entirely on the model, climate, care taken by the watch’s
owner and the wearer’s level of activity while wearing his timepiece. In general service, intervals range from 4 to 5 years.

What should I do to ensure that my watch continues to provide excellent service for many years?

Chemical products: avoid direct contact with solvents, detergents, perfumes, cosmetic products. They may damage the bracelet, the case or the gaskets.
Crown: screw it in carefully to ensure that no water enters the mechanism.
Magnetic fields: avoid placing your watch on speakers or refrigerators, since these have strong magnetic fields.
Bathing in the sea: always rinse your watch with warm fresh water afterwards, no salt.
Shocks: whether thermal or the kitchen floor, avoid them.
Cleaning: for metal bracelets and for all water-resistant cases use a toothbrush with soapy water and a soft cloth for drying.

Temperatures: avoid extreme temperatures (above 60C, or 140F, below 0C, or 32F) or extreme temperature changes.
Can I keep my watch on in the shower?

We advise you to take your water-resistant watch off when showering. It’s not the water, it’s the soap and shower gels that are designed to reduce the surface tension of water in order to remove more easily particles of dirt from the skin. However, soapy water can also penetrate the minute gaps between the parts of the case and the seals. Please note this whenever you clean your watch as well.

How often should I have my watch tested for water-resistance?

A water-resistant wristwatch should be tested for water-resistance once a year and the seals replaced if necessary. The constant influence of environmental factors such as perspiration, cosmetics or temperature can have a drastic effect on watch seals, which age with time and lose their sealant properties in the process.

Sharp knocks can also adversely affect the water-resistance of your watch. Be careful not to knock your diving watch while underwater at depth. This adds accumulative pressure upon the case. This can also permanently warp a watch case.
Professional divers have their watches checked for water-resistance at least once a year and resealed if necessary. We recommend this safety check for all water-resistant watches that will be worn around water in daily use.

There is condensation on the inner surface of the crystal. What should I do?

A watch with condensation under the crystal needs to be examined by a watchmaker without delay, even if the condensation disappears after a short time. This is one of the worst things that can happen to a watch. It means that minute particles of water have penetrated the case but the seals are still tight enough to prevent the water from evaporating. What you have on your wrist is in effect a miniature hot tub, where the water condenses at the coolest point. The constant damp atmosphere inside the case is very corrosive and, at worst, can destroy the movement.

Your movement inside your luxury timepiece starts to rust within the first few hours and continues to destroy all parts very fast. This happens even when you think the fog has disappeared.

Can I go swimming with my watch?

Certainly, if it’s a water-resistant watch (and assuming you can swim). Before swimming, however, you should always ensure that the crown is screwed in tightly against the case. When the crown is in this position, the seals are pressed firmly against the case and crown making the watch more effectively protected against water. If the crown is not screwed in tightly, the seals are open inviting the danger of water entering the case.

Please note that water can be very detrimental to leather straps; certain types of leather should never come into contact with water.

What should I do with my watch after swimming?

If you go swimming in the sea or a chlorinated pool, afterwards you should rinse off the watch with fresh water as soon as possible. If salt or chlorinated water dries on the watch, the minerals contained crystallize, and act as an abrasive on the seals.

Important: You should never put your watch out to dry in the sun. This can fade the dial and produce many more problems that are heat related.

Can I keep my watch in a safe for long periods?

If the place where you are storing your valued timepiece is reasonably dust-free, then yes.  However, we do recommend the following:

Mechanical watches (hand-wound, automatic):

Storing a mechanical watch for long periods is not a problem.  However, watch lubricants gradually dry out with time even though the timepiece is not being used.

We strongly recommend that a watch not worn continuously be examined, nonetheless, every five or six years by the Watchmaker. Doing so will not only ensure future performance of your valued timepiece, but also it will help maintain it’s value.

What is the difference between a self-winding and a manual-winding movement?

Manual-winding watches must be wound by hand every day. Self-winding watches are wound by an internal rotor, which responds to wrist movements.
Self-winding watches usually have a power reserve of at least 40 hours and therefore have sufficient energy reserves to maintain a stable rate when the watch is not being worn
(ex/ overnight).

What is the power reserve for a self-winding mechanical watch and how does it work?

The functioning of a self-winding mechanical movement depends on the wrist movements of the wearer. When fully wound, a watch will usually have a power reserve of around 40
hours or more.
Since the watch’s self-winding mechanism is directly linked to the wearer’s activity, 10 to 12 hours’ wear should be sufficient to generate a power reserve of 20 hours or more. This ensures that the watch will continue to run throughout the night, for example.  However, if a watch is not worn for several days, we recommend you wind the watch manually for around 15 rotations of the crown (clockwise) to ensure the best possible rate from the outset.

An important thing to remember is your wrist activity. If you simply read the paper in the
park each day and watch television, your automatic watch will not wind your watch very much at all. At this point in your life cycle it would be wise to wind your timepiece manually each morning.

What is the difference between a “Chronograph” and a “Chronometer”?

A chronograph is a watch with hands that display hours, minutes and seconds, together with a mechanism for measuring elapsed time by means of a central chronograph hand, which records seconds, and 30-minute and 12-hour totalisers.  A chronometer is a watch that has obtained an official rate certificate from the C.O.S.C. (Official Swiss Chronometer Testing Institute) after having passed precision tests in different positions and at different
temperatures, as well as water-resistance tests. These tests are conducted over a 15-day period.

What criteria define a watch certified a Chronometer?

The designation chronometer is registered and used only if an Independent Inspection Authority has tested the movement of a watch. In Switzerland, this Inspection Authority is better known as the Swiss Official Chronometer Testing Institute or C.O.S.C. The C.O.S.C. tests the movements submitted to it for their accuracy over a period of 15 days: the first 10 days at room temperature and for the last 5 days at a range of different temperatures. If the measured timekeeping deviations lie within the set tolerances, usually of  4/6+ seconds per day, or a precision of 99.99%, the highest precision attainable by a mechanical movement, only then is a certificate Swiss Official Chronometer issued for the movement.

What are the precision tolerances for other mechanical watches?

The precision of a mechanical movement depends on the individual habits of the wearer and can therefore vary. The majority of watches that do not have a chronometer certificate have average precision tolerances of between -1/+11 seconds per day.

What are the functions of the push-buttons on a Chronograph?

The push-button at 2 o’clock is to start or stop the chronograph function and the push-button at 4 o’clock is for resetting the chronograph.

What is the function of the helium escape valve on certain scuba diving watches, like the Omega Seamaster and the Rolex Sea Dweller?

The helium escape valve was specially developed by Omega and Rolex for use by professional divers. During deep-sea dives lasting several days, divers operate from diving bells. Prior to surfacing, these bells are filled with a mixture of helium and oxygen. The helium molecules are lighter than air and can therefore penetrate the watch in sufficient quantity to push out the crystal at atmospheric pressure levels. This can be avoided by opening the valve during resurfacing, which allows the helium to escape but prevents water from entering the watch.

What do the initials “GMT” stand for?

Abbreviation for “Greenwich Mean Time.” As a feature of watches, it means that two or more time zones are displayed. In this case, the second time may be read from a hand making a full rotation in a 24-hour ring (thereby also indicating whether it is a.m. or p.m. in that zone).

How do I use a Tachymeter (also referred to as a Tachometer)?

A tachymeter is an instrument for measuring speed. It is a chronograph with a graduated dial on which speed is read in kilometers per hour based on 1000 meters distance.

How to read an observation on the tachymeter:
Only the central chronograph seconds-hand is used. For observations of a longer duration, the indications of the timers (minutes and hours) count. Example for calculating the speed of a car:
The chronograph indicates that the distance of one kilometer has been covered in 30 seconds. The corresponding point on the tachymeter scale indicates 120. The speed is therefore 120 km per hour.

Can I get a quote?

Yes, all services on premises are done by first giving you a quote on work to be performed. If the work is for private service a digital imaging system can provide pictures of the actual pieces and/or repair to made to the timepiece owner upon request. Visual inspections are required and often require extensive time and disassembly of the timepiece, therefore there is a charge for work not approved to proceed. There is no charge for work commisssioned to proceed. Time is very valuable and cannot be replaced.

What type of watches do you repair?

Only high grade mechanical wristwatch timepieces are accepted for service. Antique, vintage, contemporary, manual wind, automatic, chronograph, flyback, retrograde and other complications are accepted. Chronographs are our speciality, from present manufacturing back a few centuries to inception of the wristwatch chronograph mechanisms.

No battery operated or quartz watches are accepted. No pocket watches are accepted.

Will I get warranty?

Yes, 1 year warranty on all work performed to completion. Please see the warrantee page for additional information.

How often does a watch’s water resistance need to be checked?

All water resistant watches need to have their water resistance checked and gaskets re-sealed with special silicone every time the case is opened for any reason. Diving or boating timepieces should have a check once a year for safety reasons.

How does the magnetism effect watches?

Time loss, intermittent problems and many other abnormalities can be caused by magnetism. Even though our modern day hairsprings are non-magnetic many other parts in your fine timepiece are not. Basic daily magnetic devices you are in contact with are no longer a problem.
I hope all this information has helped you.