A common question we’re often asked is “What happens with a watch service?” The answer to that is rather complex, but it can also be broken down into several fundamental processes that we must undertake to evaluate, repair, and bring a piece back to working state. One of the common themes you will see on this site is there are no shortcuts. EVERYTHING has to be done in a meticulous manner to ensure the piece on the bench is cared for and protected at all costs.

It all begins with the prep work

Before we even touch a piece, we begin with a thorough prep process that really sets the tone for the work ahead. The bench top is stripped of all tools and equipment and wiped down to ensure a clean work surface. All lens for the different loupes and microscope are cleaned. Tweezers, probes, screwdrivers are examined for damage and condition before use. Some tool dressings to tweezers and probes will be applied at this stage and screwdrivers are addressed during the movement disassembly. Only when everything has been properly cleaned and ready for use will I place finger cots on my hand and then wipe them down with a sterile wipe. Cleanliness is key to a good service! Only now can I begin the actual work…

The very first thing to happen is the inspection. We need to take the movement apart and examine each and every piece, often in multiple ways, to ensure it is in good working order. I mentioned needed to dress the screwdrivers at this point. There are many different screw head sizes, each with different slot sizes. It seems like every manufacturer has there own dimensions for screws. Because of this, we have to painstakingly fit each and every screwdriver that touches your watch to your watch. It must be a perfect fitting otherwise the screwhead will take on damage and this is no good.

Piece by piece

The simplest of mechanical watches will have over 50 pieces to it, when stripped down to it’s core components. Some have several hundred. Each one of those pieces has to be visually examined under high magnification and then oftentimes will need to be checked with some sort of gauge or tool. In watchmaking, there’s a tool for everything… and I do mean everything! Once I’ve identified all the faults we report back to you with our findings and recommendations. We can give you a cost estimate as well, however we do not give time estimates. This is very detailed, precision work on small pieces. Its takes time and trust me when I say you don’t want us to feel rushed. That’s when mistakes happen and I already know you don’t want us making a mistake on your grandfathers Rolex! So, it takes as long as it takes.

Into the thick of it

Once you give the go ahead for the work, we begin by ordering any parts that are needed. All services come with a new main spring, or battery if quartz, and case back gaskets as part of the service and is all included in the service fee. All parts will then get a precleaning where I remove the bulk of the dirt and old lubrication and then placed in a specialized parts basket. That basket is attached to a rotation machine which is then lowered into a ultrasonic cleaner. This provides the maximum cleaning possible while not damaging super delicate parts like pivots and staffs. Once all cleaning and rinse cycles are completed, parts are placed into a parts dryer to ensure no moisture is left behind. Any parts that need specialized surface treatment like epilame or lubeta v105 will be addressed after they have cooled down.

At this time I will begin to hand clean special parts that cant be cleaned in the normal way. This could be due to the delicate nature of the part, or perhaps the piece has jewels that are held in place with shellac and the solvents in the cleaning/rinse solutions will eat away at the shellac allowing the jewel to move out of place.

Where many become one

The assembly process is by far my favorite part. I enjoy seeing the fruits of my labor come to reality… to hear the ticking from a piece that hasn’t worked in years! I have gathered a large library of service sheets from different manufactures and this is to ensure each piece is put back together, not how I found it, but how it was meant to be put together. I follow the build standards for each manufacturer to ensure the watch is assembled properly and lubricated in the necessary spots. I only use super high quality Swiss Moebius oils and greases!

The watch will the be regulated to ensure it keeps accurate time in the different positions it will find it’s self in while being worn. Afterwards, the watch will go through a series of tests to ensure it is ready for real world use. These tests range from checking how water resistant your dive watch is, how accurate your certified chronometer is, to how well your piece keeps time even when being constantly rotated on a specialized rotational timing machine.

Time to go home

Once the watch has passed all of the necessary quality control tests, the dial and hands will be applied and the watch will be cased up. The bracelet/strap will be added and then one final visual inspection will be performed to ensure no dust or fibers make it inside the crystal or onto the dial. The watch is given a full wound and the time/date are set. One final wipe down of the case and bracelet is performed before it is placed inside of a plastic zip bag. The watch is the carefully packaged for transport, or pickup if local.

Any broken parts that had to be replaced will be sent back to the customer. Any pictures/video taken are shared with the customer during the process to help explain/show the process or issue at hand. I will ask permission before I use any of those pictures for the gallery here on my website.

That’s it… in a nutshell! Obviously, it’s one of those things easier said than done. The processes here aren’t anything new, that I developed myself. No, these are battle tested and proven processes that ensure a high quality service, a health watch and a very happy customer!

I hope this blog post helps give a little insight into my process and what to expect the next time you choose Capital Chrono for your next watch repair or service!