Where to get vintage watch fixed?

[JessieJames]

I have this beautiful Vulcain watch I love to death, but my clumsy flaily arms have cause it to be banged around or dropped and I've had to fix it a couple of times, 200$ each time, oof. The watchmaker, one of the original time keepers of trains back in the day, I used to go to passed away last year.

I've brought it to 2 other watch repair people and they've been unable to fix it. There is a piece or screw broken apparently that's impossible to replace. But with 3D machines and CNC machines etc, nothing is impossible nowadays. I just need the right skilled person.

Does anyone know where I could send this in, a reputable place that would take care of my baby and fix her up?

this is from my late grandpa so this has a lot of sentimental value on top of being a beautiful watch.

Much appreciated

 

[seres]

I've had very good service from Mark Sirianni https://www.watchdoctor.biz/ in Pennsylvania. Send him an email with some close-up pics, and see what he says.

 

[JessieJames]

I've had very good service from Mark Sirianni https://www.watchdoctor.biz/ in Pennsylvania. Send him an email with some close-up pics, and see what he says.

Unfortunately, he can't help me. I wrote to 2 other watchmakers in Canada, I'm really hoping someone in the world can help with this.

His reply was:
"Unfortunately this is not a repair that I can make on this model. Sorry that I can not help you on this occasion."

I wonder why

 

[Seb Lucas]

Looks like a fairly modern (1980's?) Vulcain. Maybe a watch forum can help you - it's a pretty well known and expensive make. Generally watch makers use a lathe to build new parts if they can't be sourced. It would help you if you knew what the movement was - ETA or in house... and it would help even more to get a proper and clear technical explanation of what was wrong so you can email the right people. Sometimes you can buy a whole new movement for a fraction of a repair cost.

 

[JessieJames]

Looks like a fairly modern (1980's?) Vulcain. Maybe a watch forum can help you - it's a pretty well known and expensive make. Generally watch makers use a lathe to build new parts if they can't be sourced. It would help you if you knew what the movement was - ETA or in house... and it would help even more to get a proper and clear technical explanation of what was wrong so you can email the right people. Sometimes you can buy a whole new movement for a fraction of a repair cost.

oh that's interesting!

I know it's a wind up mechanical for the movement (says MSR 17 jewels T44 on the back) but I don't know much else than that. One watchmaker told me it was a screw of some kind. I may have found a watchmaker in my city that can fix it but with selfquarantine, it's not a rush and I put off seeing him just yet.

 

[Beresford]

I have this beautiful Vulcain watch I love to death, but my clumsy flaily arms have cause it to be banged around or dropped and I've had to fix it a couple of times, 200$ each time, oof. The watchmaker, one of the original time keepers of trains back in the day, I used to go to passed away last year.

I've brought it to 2 other watch repair people and they've been unable to fix it. There is a piece or screw broken apparently that's impossible to replace. But with 3D machines and CNC machines etc, nothing is impossible nowadays. I just need the right skilled person.

Does anyone know where I could send this in, a reputable place that would take care of my baby and fix her up?

this is from my late grandpa so this has a lot of sentimental value on top of being a beautiful watch.

Much appreciated

View attachment 205040

Try RGM Watch Repair. https://watchrepairsusa.com/RGM/wat...sArBjBVL24-4OT3jVSUL9aju3_s4Z0pxoCVxQQAvD_BwE

 

[Turnip]

That little Double-R icon on the dial should mean Revue Thommen, a Grovana watch brand.

https://www.grovana-rt.ch/

That MSR 44 movement appears at least to be a RT-movement.

http://www.ranfft.de/cgi-bin/bidfun-db.cgi?10&ranfft&0&2uswk&MSR_T44&

Here’s a data sheet and spare part list.

http://www.ranfft.de/bidfun/katb/2uswk/Revue_GT44.pdf

Hope this might help a bit further on.

Cheers

Turnip

 

[Brandrea33]

Unfortunately I am not familiar with that brand or reference however, I use Damiani Jewelers in Woodbridge Ontario. Chonger is name of the mechanical watch repair specialist there, and he does excellent work. I used him on a 1967 5513.

Perhaps they are worth a call.

Good luck!

 

[Otium]

I've had very good service from Mark Sirianni https://www.watchdoctor.biz/ in Pennsylvania. Send him an email with some close-up pics, and see what he says.

He did a great job on my grandfather's Hamilton railroad watch, but he screwed up my Omega Seamaster screw down crown and I had to get it fixed by the official dealer for a mint. On an old Zeno he also messed up aligning the hands so the hour hand didn't point right on the hour marker when the minute hand was at the top of the hour. Very frustrating and he was a bit grouchy when I pointed it out. Won't use him again except for the pocket watch.

 

[spectre6000]

I have this beautiful Vulcain watch I love to death, but my clumsy flaily arms have cause it to be banged around or dropped and I've had to fix it a couple of times, 200$ each time, oof. The watchmaker, one of the original time keepers of trains back in the day, I used to go to passed away last year.

I've brought it to 2 other watch repair people and they've been unable to fix it. There is a piece or screw broken apparently that's impossible to replace. But with 3D machines and CNC machines etc, nothing is impossible nowadays. I just need the right skilled person.

Does anyone know where I could send this in, a reputable place that would take care of my baby and fix her up?

this is from my late grandpa so this has a lot of sentimental value on top of being a beautiful watch.

Much appreciated

View attachment 205040

I'm something of a watchmaker. Amateur/avocational rather than a professional, but I'm equipped and skilled to do services and minor repairs. I have a decently equipped bench, several tens of watches kicking around at any time that I essentially just play at. I buy them cheap and barely running, fix them up for giggles, and sell them off to pay for more tools and project watches.

The problem with the 3D printing/CNC notion is that 3D printers mostly only work plastics and pretty much always at VERY low tolerances. CNC machines absolutely exist that can work with metal, as well as at the precision required for watch components, but these machines are bitchin expensive, cost a lot of money to operate, and no one is going to give you time of day to make a single watch part.

The watch is absolutely fixable. Doesn't matter what's wrong with it as long as the case and dial are in decent shape, which they appear to be. It's almost certainly really an issue of the cost to get it fixed.

Vulcain, reasonably well known among the watch crowd as they are, is really only known for that alarm movement in the Cricket that is almost certainly named some letter/number salad that a quick google search didn't immediately spit out. You might get lucky and find that it's a pretty common, inexpensive movement that's still in production, and be able to find one cheap and easy.

What would need to happen, is you would need to know exactly what the movement is and exactly what's broken (and also how, as that may play a part). Assuming it's something fairly simple, you'd have to track down a spare part. If that part isn't available, you'd have to track down either a spare movement, or (more likely) a donor watch. Take your watch and the part/donor to a decent watchmaker (doesn't sound like either of the ones you spoke with would fit my definition), and ask again nicely. You might have a little more luck that way, and get charged for a service and maybe a little on top.

Edit: I found a potentially viable donor listed recently for $270, so they're not unobtainium or super pricey.

Edit again: a brief writeup about the movement that might be a nice read.

 

[Hurricane Jack]

I'm something of a watchmaker. Amateur/avocational rather than a professional, but I'm equipped and skilled to do services and minor repairs.

What about retiming a Bulova Accutron 214 movement to run on a mercury free battery?

 

[spectre6000]

Accutrons are kinda their own thing. They don't really fall under the mechanical or quartz umbrellas. For anyone else that might be following along, they're mostly mechanical, but regulated by an electrically stimulated tuning fork. If you hold it up to your ear, instead of ticking, it hums. More accurate than a mechanical watch, about on par with an inexpensive modern quartz (I think), not as accurate as modern high frequency quartz. Transitional tech. Very cool, but I've never had one on my bench. Requires special tools, and have quite a following so prices are high enough that I'm not going to stumble into one just to play around with it. A quick look says there is some sort of special step down resistor deal to drop the voltage of a modern battery down to the lower voltage of the mercury batteries. Probably something that any competent watchmaker can do, but most will likely refer you to an Accutron specialist the moment they realize that's what it is without giving it a second thought. You're probably best scouring the internet for a specialist with a good reputation to send it to.

 

[Hurricane Jack]

You're probably best scouring the internet for a specialist with a good reputation to send it to.

Thanks! I’ve done exactly that but haven’t sent it off yet. The 214 is mine. I also have a later 219 which was my dad’s retirement watch.

 

[spectre6000]

Glad to help. Bulovas are great. I wear one pretty much every day.