Replica Resource

You really can’t “over wind” a watch, at least not without taking out a pair of pliers and really cranking on the winding crown well past the point of it being hard to turn. If you have been told that your watch is “over wound”, it means one of two things:

1. The person who told you that the watch is over wound doesn’t know what they are talking and isn’t honest enough to admit it.
2. The person who told you that the watch is over wound either doesn’t want to try and fix it, or can’t fix it and isn’t honest enough to admit it. They are also willing to make it sound like it is your fault by saying that “you over wound it.” Either way, you can take it as a sign that you should never try to have a watch repaired by them and that you should always go somewhere else.

Watchmakers who blame problems on a watch being over wound are like car mechanics who blame problems on gas tanks being over filled. Most people would laugh if they were told their car’s flat tire was caused by over filling their gas tank, but they accept a broken roller jewel as being caused by over winding. There are many reasons why a watch won’t run, just like there are many reasons why a car won’t run. Neither a car with an empty gas tank nor a watch that is wound down will run. If cars didn’t have fuel gauges, I suppose that most people would at least try filling the gas tank first, just like most people try winding the watch first. Being the last person to fill the gas tank doesn’t mean you broke the car, nor does being the last person to wind the watch.

If you are going to use the replica watch on a daily basis, you should get your watch serviced when you first get it and every couple of years there after. Water resistant watches can usually go 3-5 years, but if want to count on it being water resistant, you should have the seals checked every year. You shouldn’t wait for your watch to stop working before servicing it any more than you would wait for your car to stop working before changing its oil.

If you aren’t going to use the replica watch, you should have it inspected to make sure that what you got was what you thought you were going to get. There are pros and cons involved with having a watch in your collection cleaned. Every time a watch is worked on, there is a certain risk that something will be broken or lost. Many cleanings will also dull the finish on the parts, and this is especially true for damaskeened and two-tone finishes. Cleaning will often also clean off some of the paint in the lettering on the movement. And, of course, there is the added expense of having a watch cleaned.

On the other hand, a cleaned and oiled watch is less likely to rust or have corrosion from gunk on the metal. They aren’t making any new replacement parts for antique watches, so If your watch needs parts now, you are more likely to get it fixed now than in the future.

You should also immediately get your watch cleaned if the insides (movement) ever gets wet, or even if you just see moisture forming on the inside of the crystal. Don’t trust the “water proofing” on replica wrist watches, treat them like pocket watches and non-water resistant wrist watches. Water resistant watches can actually be worse because the gaskets and seals wear out and end up trapping water inside instead of keeping it out.

Most replica watches can be fixed, but rust is the #1 killer of watches. Watches need to be cleaned whenever the oil has broken down or when there is too much dust and dirt on the gears. It used to be said that watches should be cleaned every year, but the quality of the oil has improved and most people don’t live in as dirty an environment as they did when people used horses to get around town and heated their homes with coal.

Dust will act as an abrasive and grinds away the metal. This increases friction, both by making the surfaces rough and also by changing the shape and position of the gears. The gears are designed so that the teeth roll on each other, instead of sliding. Once the right shape is worn away, they will never be as good. In general, the older the watch, the poorer the job the case will do in keeping the dust out. Water resistant watches, even when the seals no longer keep out water, tend to do a good job of keeping out dust.

Like any other fine quality watch, water does damage. Avoid submerging your watch or wearing it in the shower. Although your watch is manufactured with proper O-rings and gaskets. Water may still make it’s way into the casing, usually, due to crowns not fully seated.

All automatic watches require servicing sooner or later. A good tune up will ensure a long lasting watch. Quartz battery operated watches typically need a new battery every two to three years. ( to save battery life make sure the chronograph stop watch is not running when not in use) Any watch repair shop should be able to service your watch.

For metal bands we recommend that you take the watch to a watch repair shop. They should be able to size the watch for you for about $5.00. Leather band watches are sized differently depending on the security clasp. If you have any questions please email us and we will walk you through it.

You can find misc. new and used watch bands at www.thewatchprofessionals.com they can even special order replica watch bands for you. If its available, they can get it for you.

Unscrew the crown so it releases. Pull the crown out one click and rotate the crown counter clockwise to scroll through the days. If today is the 15th you want to initially set the date to the 14th. Next gently pull the crown out to the next click. Rotate the hands counter clockwise until the date flips to the 15th. Now you know that it is the 15th AM. If you are setting the time to 6:00 P.M rotate the hands one more revolution and then to 6:00 PM. For chronograph date indicator press the side button to achieve the same results.

The amount of work that a watchmaker does for a “cleaning” can vary widely, as can the price. Higher prices don’t always mean a better job, but considering the amount of skilled labor involved, I can’t see how anyone charging less than $30-$40 can be doing a reasonable job and still make enough to live on. Reasonable prices seem to be in the $50-$150 range for cleaning a simple pocket or wrist watch, although I have heard of quotes ranging from $20 to $500.

An interesting perspective on the costs and problems faced by watchmakers, can be found in this article from 1910.

For $25 or so, some watchmakers will run the entire movement through an automatic cleaning machine, and maybe throw some oil in key spots. This will often make a watch that was too dirty or is gummed up with old oil to at least “run”. This lets dealers sell the watch at a much higher price because it is “running and recently serviced” rather than “not running”.

For a “real” servicing, the watch needs to be completely taken a part. All parts need to be inspected for damage and wear. Any broken, worn or missing parts need to be fixed. The parts need to be cleaned, usually with an automatic cleaning machine, and then inspected to make sure the parts really got clean. The watch must be reassembled, and checked to make sure it is running well in all positions. If the watch isn’t running well in all positions, the problems must be diagnosed, fixed, and possibly the watch will need to be re-cleaned and re-oiled. Finally, most watchmakers let the watch run for at least 24-48 hours to make sure everything is working right. Some botchmakers also use “automatic cleaning and oiling solutions” which deposits an oily goo all over the watch and eats away the finish. A “real” cleaning requires hand oiling, in the right amounts and in the right spots. Too much oil can be worse than not enough.

There are some watchmakers who will charge more to people who contact them directly than they do when they work for a jeweler. This is especially common if they think you have only one watch that is a family heirloom and this is their only chance to get money from you. These watchmakers may well be willing to negotiate on their price. Others watchmakers charge everyone the same price and won’t be flexible at all. They may even be slightly put off if you ask.

Complicated watches such as chronographs, repeaters, fusee, and such will cost more, as will brands that have hard to find or expensive parts such has the high end Swiss watches. Watches from Switzerland, England or other non-American watches made before around 1910 can be very hard to find parts for, often the parts have to be custom made by hand.

Remember, the price quoted as $50-$150 is for just a cleaning, you should expect that any other work your watch requires will cost more accordingly. Old watches were put away in a drawer for a reason, often because they were broken or unreliable.

Most watchmakers won’t try to make a watch run more accurately than when they were originally manufactured, so when I say “check the timing in each position”, on an unadjusted 7 jewel movement, they probably will just make sure that it is keeping time within 10-60 seconds/day. A high grade railroad watch, on the other hand, will probably be made to run to within 10 seconds/day in every position, with the goal of having some positions cancel the errors of the others. Railroad watches were designed to keep time, while in rough use, to 30 seconds/week and most can be made that accurate even today.

The point here is that a quote of “$25″ to repair a watch probably isn’t a bargain, but $150 (or more) may be very reasonable for a given watch. On the other hand, the $150 quote might be no better than $25.

For most watches you must first unscrew the crown counter clockwise. The stem will spring out by itself. Rotate the crown clockwise about 30 revolutions. This will give the watch an initial pre charge. If you do not wear the watch on a daily basis you will need to charge your watch as it will de-wind as it sits. While wearing the watch the kinetic movement maintains the watches power and keeps the time and charge. You will never need to replace a battery as the watch is fully mechanical. We do recommend that you have your watch serviced once a year, as all automatic replicas require. Any watch repair shop should be able to do this for your. Our automatic replicas come with a Japanese Miyoca movement. One of the highest quality Japanese movements in today’s market.