Watch Workshop
Opened in summer 2007, our Rolex accredited watch workshop offers a highly skilled watch servicing and repairs facility to help keep your luxury watch running to perfection.
Since its opening, our watch workshop has been running at full capacity, providing customers with a comprehensive portfolio of services to help keep their watches in tip-top condition. Performing everything from servicing to repairs; it offers customers numerous advantages - including faster servicing than that of manufacturers and first-class care from a superbly skilled watchmaker.
The person in question is Paul O’Connor. A highly trained watchmaker with an official Rolex accreditation, Paul is a member of the British Horological Institute and has honed his skills over eight years in the profession. With such a master craftsman at the helm, customers can rest assured their precious timepiece is in safe hands.
Incredibly intricate and time-consuming, a standard service encompasses diagnosis, disassembly and adjustment before re-assembly, lubrication and final testing - all to rigorous manufacturer specifications. "When servicing a timepiece" says Paul "we offer all the same skills and equipment that manufacturers do. What’s more, manufacturer servicing takes around 10 weeks, whereas we can do it in as little as 4-6 weeks. Plus because we’re local, customers can keep in touch with progress - it’s fully traceable and accountable."
So why do watches need servicing? Paul explains, "Over time, the lubricants used to 'oil' a watch’s working parts degrade. If they’re left, then the watch may keep working, but after say, 20 years, the old lubricants will probably cause irreparable damage. So we advise customers have their watches serviced every 3-5 years. After all, if you’d bought an expensive car, you’d want it to have a regular service to protect it. It’s exactly the same with watches."
Servicing is a meticulous procedure. A standard automatic movement may contain 140 parts - all of which need checking for function and condition. Paul then replaces or repairs any damaged parts - using only genuine manufacturer replacements - and ensures every component is within the right tolerances in its own right and during engagement with others. The whole, disassembled movement is then cleaned using a sophisticated ultrasonic machine before being lubricated while it is meticulously reassembled. After being 'timed in', the hands and dial are fitted with supreme care and the case and bracelet checked, refurbished and cleaned. Paul then inserts the movement, checks it for clearance and tests the watch in various positions for five days to monitor its timekeeping. Lastly, the watch is sealed using new or greased seals and gaskets where necessary.
"It’s painstaking, but servicing exists for two reasons - to maintain the watch’s accuracy and keep it running, and to preserve it. Many people want to keep a watch for life and pass it down to their children - so it’s critical."
Paul also provides fast battery replacement and water resistance testing services, together with 'part jobs' such as repairs to glass or bracelet refinishing, all to the same stringent standards. "It’s hard to list our services as each watch and requirement is different," he comments. "But essentially, if a customer needs anything done to his watch or if anything is awry, we’ll proceed with the utmost skill and ensure it’s returned in peak condition."
