A bit of a service disaster

[merciful]

I picked up a fairly battered 94010 Snowflake the other week, and it wasn't running well at all. So, off I went to a well-respected local shop to have it put back in shape. I had a sit-down with the old gent as he poked around the movement and told me what'd have to be done. "I can replace that crystal, too", he said, to which I replied "no, I like the old battered look."

So here it is, a week later, keeping great time, and with a new crystal (because they couldn't guarantee it would be waterproof without) and with repainted hands! It looks awful, and I'm sure it's been devalued. I don't get it: he said he didn't replace the lume dot because "it wouldn't look right" but the hands look way worse than the dot would!

What's the approach to take to getting it put right? Insist that they source a set of appropriate vintage hands? Advice appreciated. Thanks for reading.

[Presa canary]

I can't believe he did that... Yes, I'd definitely try to get them to find a correct period matching set of hands. It's a shame, because it would have looked awesome if he just left the hands alone. Hopefully he' ll do you right by fixing this. Good luck.

[Passionata]

You need to get new hands ,tell them you want the same hue as the dial dots.

Crazy ,they never worked on vintage before?

[Dan Pierce]

Tell him to re install the original hands. And find an expert to relume the second hand to match the others.
dP

[Beaumont Miller II]

Originally Posted by dan pierce

tell him to re install the original hands. And find an expert to relume the second hand to match the others.
Dp

x2

[Lgear080]

You shouldn't have left it there in the first place. The watchmaker
Set off a field of red flags, yet you still entrusted him with a watch
That he's clearly incapable of providing proper service for.

Find your own set of hands and never return to him.

[linesiders]

Give your watchmaker the opportunity to set things right.

They did not say they were going to change / repair the hands in advance whatsoever? It was a complete shock when you went in to pick the watch up?

Hard to tell from the photos if they used replacement hands or relumed your original ones but getting back to original is going to be tough.

[merciful]

Well, I'm not quite sure what "field of red flags" the one quote (re: crystal) I provided should have set off: it seemed he and I were on the very same page when I left.

Originally Posted by Lgear080

You shouldn't have left it there in the first place. The watchmaker
Set off a field of red flags, yet you still entrusted him with a watch
That he's clearly incapable of providing proper service for.

Find your own set of hands and never return to him.

[Beelzy]

Ouch!

[merciful]

I will indeed give him the chance.

A complete shock. Not a word about the hands. The discussion was exclusively about the movement, possibility of the lume dot, and crystal.

I'm pretty sure they're re-lumed. I have all the other old parts right here, so there's no reason they wouldn't have returned the hands.

Originally Posted by linesiders

Give your watchmaker the opportunity to set things right.

They did not say they were going to change / repair the hands in advance whatsoever? It was a complete shock when you went in to pick the watch up?

Hard to tell from the photos if they used replacement hands or relumed your original ones but getting back to original is going to be tough.

[anthonybkny]

Did he replace the hands or did he repaint yours?

[merciful]

He didn't send any hands back with the other old bits, and there's wear apparent outside the lumed areas. Has to be a repaint.

Originally Posted by anthonybkny

Did he replace the hands or did he repaint yours?

[Presa canary]

Originally Posted by Dan Pierce

Tell him to re install the original hands. And find an expert to relume the second hand to match the others.
dP

I'm pretty sure the op said the hands were relumed

[SAAS]

Sorry for your pain we all put a lot of trust in watchmakers when we drop off our treasures. There's a lot of good advise here I hope it's gets sorted for you quickly.

[anilzat]

Ouch source some hands for that. Don't go back to that hack job.

[Justso]

Incredible. The thing that is really unacceptable is that he did not call you with the "problems" he discerned during the process. He should have called you to discuss his concern that the watch wouldn't be water tight and allowed you to make that decision, not him.

The hands are flat out unacceptable. Has this man never worked on a vintage watch?

I agree with the above poster: I would have never left the store with it. I would have expressed my extreme dissatisfaction with his taking of liberties and leaving me out of the decision making process on my timepiece.

I'm not trying to pile on here, by any means, because I'm sorry for your disaster, but this is exactly why you spend extra time researching who works on your vintage stuff. There are no shortage of phenomenal world class watchmakers who frequent these forums that would have treated that watch like their own, and had any issues arose during the restoration process, would have been on the phone with you discussing your options and their concerns before arriving at any decision moving forward. And in the end, you would have been 100% blown away by the quality of their work upon its return to you.

[anthonybkny]

On a positive note, it's still a beauty! Wear it and enjoy it!

[Presa canary]

They are the old hands. Clearly stated by the op in his opening thread. They are relumed

[Presa canary]

Originally Posted by anthonybkny

on a positive note, it's still a beauty! Wear it and enjoy it!

+1

[merciful]

I get you, and thanks.

I think it was a terrible mistake. How it happened, I hope to find out. His reputation is such that I expect he'll sort it out without complaint.

The crystal, I can live with: it's a duplicate. But you're quite right that he should have called me.

Originally Posted by Justso

Incredible. The thing that is really unacceptable is that he did not call you with the "problems" he discerned during the process. He should have called you to discuss his concern that the watch wouldn't be water tight and allowed you to make that decision, not him.

The hands are flat out unacceptable. Has this man never worked on a vintage watch?

I agree with the above poster: I would have never left the store with it. I would have expressed my extreme dissatisfaction with his taking of liberties and leaving me out of the decision making process on my timepiece.

I'm not trying to pile on here, by any means, because I'm sorry for your disaster, but this is exactly why you spend extra time researching who works on your vintage stuff. There are no shortage of phenomenal world class watchmakers who frequent these forums that would have treated that watch like their own, and had any issues arose during the restoration process, would have been on the phone with you discussing your options and their concerns before arriving at any decision moving forward. And in the end, you would have been 100% blown away by the quality of their work upon its return to you.

[merciful]

Can't. It'll annoy me every time I glance at it.

Originally Posted by anthonybkny

On a positive note, it's still a beauty! Wear it and enjoy it!

[motoikkyu]

Give watchmaker ONE opportunity and one only to make all exactly as you like. If failure, burn his reputation forevermore. Tell EVERYONE to avoid this individual, be most specific on interweb and local posting. Don't let him do this to anyone else.

[Cc1966]

Originally Posted by merciful

Can't. It'll annoy me every time I glance at it.

Yes, it would me too...source some matching hands and you are there!

[merciful]

I believe, sir, that you and I must have known each other in a previous existence.

Originally Posted by motoikkyu

Give watchmaker ONE opportunity and one only to make all exactly as you like. If failure, burn his reputation forevermore. Tell EVERYONE to avoid this individual, be most specific on interweb and local posting. Don't let him do this to anyone else.

[Dan Pierce]

Originally Posted by Presa canary

I'm pretty sure the op said the hands were relumed

D'oh! My fingers were faster than my eyes.
dP

[Lgear080]

my point was that you left a watch for mechanical work, and it was returned
aesthetically altered. therein lies the issue. he ruined a nice set of hands and
didn't listen. that would be the beginning and end for me.

[Presa canary]

Originally Posted by Dan Pierce

D'oh! My fingers were faster than my eyes.
dP

[merciful]

Ah! I'm with you now. Sorry.

Originally Posted by Lgear080

my point was that you left a watch for mechanical work, and it was returned
aesthetically altered. therein lies the issue. he ruined a nice set of hands and
didn't listen. that would be the beginning and end for me.

[1675-David]

I feel your pain, but not a huge and irrepairable mistake. Hope this works out for you

[merciful]

No, it could've been worse! Thanks.

Originally Posted by 1675-David

I feel your pain, but not a huge and irrepairable mistake. Hope this works out for you