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Vintage Watch and Chronograph
Repair and Restoration
Mechanical wristwatch service starts at $175 for normal service
including complete disassembly, cleaning, installing new mainspring,
oiling, adjusting and timing (no parts included, mainspring
additional around $10 to $50). Automatics and chronograph
services are slightly more. A minimum fee of $75.00 is charged
for evaluation and estimate. This fee will be applied to the
repair charges when the work is complete but is not refundable
if you decide not to proceed with the service. You must pay
for insured shipping with tracking both ways. I do repair
work on Angelus, Landeron, Lemania (excluded the cal 5100),
Universal, Venus and Valjoux based chronographs plus I have
an inventory of many parts (no Pierce please). I can repair
almost any type of mechanical wristwatch. I specialize in
the restoration of the LeCoultre Futurematics and have many
parts for these also. I have plating equipment and can restore
most gold, gold plated and gold filled watch cases. Dial refinishing
and glass crystal replacement can be accommodated but this
work is sent out to other suppliers. If you contact me with
pictures of your watch, I can give you a ballpark estimate
at no charge but this estimate will not include parts prices
and/or additional work that might be needed once the movement
is disassembled. Please note that I consider my estimates
proprietary and are not to be shared with anyone else or posted
on any websites/forums.
As a personal reference I use the Chronodeco user name on
eBay and my feedback speaks for itself. I frequently list
restored vintage chronographs and watches for sale on eBay.
I can also sent you a list of repair references upon request
if you wish. If you want a ball park idea of repair costs,
send me a list of the problems you are having with your watch
and some close up pictures and I will try to give you a repair
cost range. I can be contacted at: chronodeco@embarqmail.com
The Breitling Navitimer that went through the washer
and dryer over 20 years ago
I received this watch in March of 2012 with the story
about how it had gone thought the washer and dryer a long
time ago. It was a challenging project to say the least but
a project that was very rewarding to finish for this customer.
Here is the letter that he wrote after he received the completed
watch:
"I will definitely wear the Breitling now that it is
fixed, especially next time I see my dad. Like I have said
before, he gave me the Breitling after I soloed his J-3 Cub.
He bought the Cub way back in 1963 when he was 20 years old
(the cub is two years older than he is). He has had the Cub
longer than he has known my mom and always joked with her
she would go before the Cub would. He was shipped over to
Vietnam shortly after buying the Cub, and even though he has
never talked much about it, he either bought the Breitling
when he was overseas or right after he got back.
I soloed the Cub in high school and he gave me the watch the
same day. He was my instructor, so we always had a great time
together flying. He said the watch was just something he picked
up back in his Air Force days, but never really said much
more about it. I cringe now, but I wore it as a daily watch
because it was a "cool aviator style watch". I didn't
really have an appreciation for its value, neither monetary
nor sentimental. I would always put it in my pants pockets
when I dressed out for track practice and sure enough, I forgot
to take it out of my pants one day and that's when it went
through the washer and dryer. My mom found it and knew it
was broke and gave it to me and told me to make sure my dad
never knew what happened. Man did I ever feel guilty and ashamed.
I put it in a box and left it there for years, always feeling
guilty about what I did. It wasn't until recently when my
wife was cleaning out some boxes that she found it and asked
if I still wanted it. That's when started searching the web
and I tracked you down. The funny thing is, my dad recently
lost his medical certificate and couldn't fly the Cub anymore,
so he sold it to me for $1.00. When we were moving it from
St. Louis Missouri out to Johnson City Tennessee where I live
now, he actually asked if I still had the Breitling he gave
me. I told him I still had it, but probably needed to get
it serviced since I hadn't worn it "in a while".
I told him the Cub and the Breitling were the two things he
never had to worry about me getting rid of.
So needless to say, having you getting the watch back into
working condition meant a lot more to me than just fixing
a valuable watch. In some ways it is like you have erased
a lot of the guilt I have had over it for the last 20 years.
For that, I can't thank you enough. This summer I plan on
flying the Cub back to St. Louis to fly it again with my dad,
and you can bet I will have the Breitling on my wrist when
I do!
Thank you for all you have done,
Scott"
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