1966 Speedmaster 321 returned from service - advice - Update

[Plake]

Looks great back to original :D
So have you still had no answer from the first repairer as to why he felt the need to ignore your clear instructions? Not really appropriate for someone trusted with vintage watches. I hope the repair to the repair ages similarly to the unrepaired lume, but it is something you should not have had to worry about if the first guy had done the job as requested!

Not a peep, unfortunately. Here is my correspondence copied below. Don't think I've been unreasonable really and I would have appreciated a reply.

Email 1) 3 weeks ago:

Dear xxxxx

Thanks for posting the Speedmaster which arrived safely today. Unfortunately it doesn’t seem to have the original hands on it – the patina on the hands used to match the aged tritium on the dial but now it is much lighter and appears to have functioning superluminova type lume. This is especially noticeable on the chrono second hand. In addition there appears to be a some sort of excess paint on the leading edge of the minute (and a bit on the hour) hands, and some fluff stuck to the centre of the pivot of the seconds subdial hand – which appears to have paint on it. Please see my photos to demonstrate this.

I am hoping that these are replacement hands and that the original ones are in your workshop. I did specifically mention on the worksheet and in a follow-up email on 05/07/2010 that I did not want any dial or hand changes at all.

Hands are incredibly difficult to find with aged tritium lume and should I wish to sell the watch to another collector having new looking hands on an original looking dial will detract from its value considerably.

Apart from slightly erratic resetting of the hands with the lower pusher (not quite hitting zero on the minute recorder, or not quite hitting zero on the seconds recorder – never the two together) the watch appears to be running well.

I’d be grateful if you could let me know about the hands please. I can live with the resetting issue until its next service.

Many thanks

Yours sincerely

Email 2) 2 weeks ago:

Dear xxxxx,

I’m sorry that you didn’t feel that it was worth responding to my concerns regarding the Speedmaster service.

I have sought the opinion of a significant number of collectors and their universal opinion is that the changes in the hands (looks like a relume job gone wrong) detract from this expensive and collectible piece. You can read their opinions here: viewtopic.php?f=1&t=133932

In the absence of a reply I have sent the watch to another watchmaker who feels that the hands can be sympathetically restored to their original state and who can correct the resetting problem. This will however be costing me at least £100.

Given that you have mistakenly (and poorly) relumed the hands contrary to my written and emailed requests, do you think that it is reasonable for you to refund some of the cost of your service in order to contribute towards this?

I hope that you find this email worthy of a reply. You will note that I have not named you in the post, which has been looked at by nearly 1000 watch enthusiasts. I would hope that this might encourage some goodwill on your part?

Yours Sincerely

Email 3) today:

Dear xxxxx,

I’m sorry that you have been unable to respond to my two previous emails voicing concerns about the standard of the service you carried out. Out of courtesy I would have at least expected a reply of some sort.

I have received the watch back from the workshop where they have made good the hands following your attempt to relume them, as well as removing hair from the second subdial hand and some more hairs from the chronograph movement itself. This cost me £89.25.

I realise that you have made some material investment in the watch and that you have tried to perform the service as well as you could but the fact remains that I have had to suffer more costs in order to put right the damage. Damage which occurred despite my written instructions, and made worse by substandard quality control with reference to the multiple hairs left on and within the watch and the clumps of lume left on the leading edges of the hands.

I think that it is only right that you refund me some of the considerable sum that I paid you (£212) in order to cover the cost of putting the problems right (ie £89.25.) Please could you email me to let me know how you will do this? If you would like a copy of the receipt I would be delighted to provide this. I have posted the results of the repairs here if you would like to see confirmation that it has been carried out: viewtopic.php?f=1&t=133932

Once this has happened I will consider the matter closed.

Many thanks

Yours Sincerely

[IANAN]

I think that you have been entirely fair and gracious in your correspondence with him.

I would hope that if he does not make good the full costs of the work you had done to rectify his mistakes you will name him so that we can avoid any similar experiences.

[pipedreamer]

I saw the watch yesterday at the Sussex GTG - It is a real gem and a credit to STS as the work on the hands looks excellent.

Glad it has all turned out OK, if a bit expensive, in the end.

Cheers,

Peter.

[boddah]

Glad it worked out, a huge improvement :)

[firedfromthecircus]

I think that you have been entirely fair and gracious in your correspondence with him.

I would hope that if he does not make good the full costs of the work you had done to rectify his mistakes you will name him so that we can avoid any similar experiences.

+1
Sounds right on the button there.

[Statts]

Pleased that it's sorted for you. STS is where my Pre-Moon Speedy is going when its service time comes around.

[A.Pottinger]

Excellent result, and so pleased it worked out. Reading the posts, I'd not much to offer, and indeed couldn't as I've just come by this - it seems that Bienne or STS are the way to go.

I once had a watchmaker lume some hands without asking on a vintage chrono. Now I make sure I state not to do that as well as what I would like to be done. It seems that that is sometimes not enough, unfortunately.

From time to time, even watchies seem to get carried away.

AP.

[siddhartha]

now THAT is a beautiful restoration!

Very, very nice. You'd never know anything was amiss to begin with

Chris