Restoration

Antique or vintage watches are a treasured possession worthy of delicate care and preservation. Watches that have become scratched, dented, or broken require the touch of a master watchmaker to return the timepiece to its original glory. Swiss watch restoration may involve correcting movements, repairing or replacing worn or defective parts, case and bracelet refinishing, and refinishing the dial and hands.

MOVEMENT CORRECTION

Whether your watch is manual, automatic, or quartz, it will need professional movement correction to ensure it shows time accurately. West Coast Watch Service Center watchmakers use state-of-the-art equipment to correct the movement of watches according to factory specifications. The accuracy of a watch’s movement can be affected by magnetism, temperature, gravity and shocks, and lack of maintenance.

Magnetism

The magnetization of the hairspring in a watch will affect its accuracy since magnetism tends to shorten the balance wheel’s rotation and increase the beat rate, thereby causing the watch to run too fast. A watch is easily demagnetized in minutes by watchmakers who have the right tools.

Temperature

Temperature can also impact watch accuracy. Exposure to heat or cold can cause the components to expand or contract, respectively, resulting in friction variations that influence the watch’s accuracy. Watches are typically built to withstand temperature variations, with some watches better able to withstand large fluctuations in temperature than others. The frequency of exposure to extreme temperatures will also affect how accurately the watch keeps time.

Gravity & Shocks

The force of gravity varies depending on the position of the watch. Still, since there isn’t anything we can do to influence the impact of gravity, it’s difficult to predict its exact effect on watch accuracy. With time, the watch will need to be adjusted for accuracy. Some watches are built with a shock absorber to minimize impact, but this won’t keep the watch from losing accuracy over time. Dropping or shocking the watch will impact the inner components of the watch, sometimes even causing the watch to stop working. In other instances, the parts may cause the watch to run too fast or too slow, requiring service by an experienced watchmaker.

Lack of Maintenance

All watches require routine maintenance to lubricate parts and maintain the proper friction between the internal components. Delaying or skipping service could lead to broken parts and cause the watch to stop working altogether.

PARTS REPAIR OR REPLACEMENT

It’s normal for watches to require repair or installation of new parts. Our watchmakers always use 100% genuine parts to keep each watch’s integrity and ensure all repairs are made according to factory specifications. Though we have a large inventory of genuine parts, some parts may be on backorder and potentially cause delays in service times.

CASE & BRACELET  REFINISHING

Over time, the strap and watch case can show signs of wear and tear. Our watchmakers can refinish the case and bracelet to make it look almost as good as new — just let us know if this is something you’d like done.

DIAL & HANDS REFINISHING

Our swiss watch restoration services also include dial and hands refinishing. Dial refinishing may involve correcting color, applying finishes and treatments, replacing the dials, repairing, repainting, or replacing the markers. Hand refinishing could involve applying finishes and treatments, polishing the hands, refinishing luminous paint, and repairing, repainting, re-plating, or replacing the hands.